PALE LIPS - Wanna Be Bad

Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, The Pale Lips is an amazing all-girl rock'n'roll quartet blending together its own brand of Bubblegum Punk/ Power Pop/ Rock n' Roll. The girls describe it very aptly as "Drippy mascara slopped rock n roll with sprinkles!" 

The band's debut album, "Wanna Be Bad" was released last month on Resurrection Records from Spokane, Washington. The CD version is available from Waterslide Records (Japan). Of course this blog wanted to know a little more about these young ladies and yours truly had a nice chat with them:

1) Girls, we would like you to tell the viewers of this blog the full story of The PALE LIPS. The origins of the band, how did you meet, who is playing what, your first release "Got A Sweet Tooth"; We want to hear it all from you!

Lynn started the band in 2013, anxious to hone her drumming skills. Her buddy Jamie played bass, and Ilona joined after some cajoling from Lynn. Our friend and local karaoke queen Jackie Blenkarn was an obvious for a singer! We all bonded instantly and have been having a real hoot ever since!

2) About your full length debut "Wanna Be Bad", can you explain the choice of the title and the choice of artwork? Do you want to be seen as a band that people better not mess around with or is this all pure fun?

The title is a track from side A, and seemed the best fit for an album title. It's all for funzo! We're good bad! The cover was done by our good friend Ken MacLaurin of Ottawa, who's also done album art for the Barreracudas, First Base, a Joneses reissue from Full Breach Kicks Records (RIP), and his own band Mother's Children to name just a few. He's quite prolific, and a greatly talented dude. The illustrations on the insert were drawn by another great talent and friend, tattoo artist Vinny Ramone. 

3) To what kind of music did you listen to as a teenager and does it still influence your today work? What was your favorite band as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.

Ilona: I listened to a lot of easily accessible Epitaph and Hellcat records bands as a teenager until one day a Cramps cassette tape changed my life. After that I was able to trace the punk rock lineage back. From the record collection of teenage Ilona, three artist that still influence me would be The Cramps, New York Dolls, and Hasil Adkins.

Jackie: I went through many different phases from my early teenage years through my later ones, listening to everything from skate punk like Millencolin and Screeching Weasel, to emo bands like Saves the Day and The Get Up Kids, to Canadian indie bands like the Constantines and Death From Above 1979, to political punk like Propagandhi and Strike Anywhere. Also a huge Elliott Smith phase. But the only band that I listened to then that I still listen to with any regularity is the Ramones and maybe Nirvana (Bleach is one of my all time favourite records). Also, Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables by the Dead Kennedys was one of the very first LPs I bought and I still love and listen to it regularly. I also liked the Cramps then and now!

Jamie: I used to listen to a lot of Green Day, Rancid and skate punk too! (I secretly still do...)! And now I listen to a lot of different music, from King Tuff, Black Lips and Shannon and the Clams to all my old high school classics. There is definitely a sprinkle of influence from all of them in what we produce!

Lynn: During high school there was a lot of grunge happening so Nirvana was indeed a band I enjoyed and could listen over and over any day and still learn a lot from. My brother was into heavy metal so I have to say I pretty much listened to many styles of music. And hung out with many hippies so I got to listen to all the classic hits. Such as Kinks, CCR and the list can go on.

As for today the bands that influence me a lot today would have to be Vacation, The Spits (wayne's drumming), and definitely can't forget Ramones

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

Ilona and Jackie took the reins on most of the compositions on Wanna Be Bad. Moving forward, we are all composing!

5) Is there any video made to promote one of the songs of the albums? 

Yes! You can check out videos for Wanna Be Bad and Mary-Lou Sniffin' Glue on the Youtube. We will be premiering a video for Queen of Spades shortly, so stay tuned for that!



6) What can concert goers expect at a PALE LIPS gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs? 

They can expect to have a lot of fun. We always have a little **something special** for every show. We try to keep it fresh and change a little for every show.

7) Is there a new rock'n' roll scene in Montreal with JONESY and you and maybe some other bands? 

There is a lil' rock n' roll scene here now, and it rules! We have the pleasure of being surrounded by SO MANY talented people and bands. Bands like Dany Laj and the Looks and Les Deuxluxes are definitely worth mentioning in the city at the moment!



8) What are the plans for 2017? Are the PALE LIPS coming over to Europe soon?

why, yes! We are coming to Europe in May and June of 2017. No details yet but you can expect to see our mugs in Spain, Germany and Italy.

9) Anything you want to add?

Thanks, eh?! And y'all can expect our next EP "Should've Known Better" out in early 2017 from the lovely folks at Surfin' Ki and Resurrection Records. We are really stoked on the songs and the artwork for this one... we can't wait to share it with you!

PURCHASE IT HERE: https://palelips.bandcamp.com/album/wanna-be-bad

or HERE : http://watersliderecords.com/

This is a photo that Lynn took at the girl's favorite record shop (and big time Pale Lips supports since day 1!) Sonik Records on Duluth in Montreal. 

The Vindicators

The Vindicators (vinyl rip)
In WAV - Scans are included

A1.If I Were You
A2.24 Hours Everyday
A3.Early In The Morning
B1.I'm Gone
B2.No Worries
B3.Searching For My Baby

The VINDICATORS were Canada's second-best-known 60s-garage trash teens. They formed in Calgary, playing farfisa-driven 60s covers and originals. They were singer-guitarist Chris Carlson, guitarist Daaren Boreham, organist Colin Forsyth, bassist Ben Sherazi, and drummer Bryce Dunn.

This 12" was the last release by Montreal's Og Music.Og Records played a seminal role in Canadian independent music history by setting up a truly national network of bands through their It Came From Canada compilations, of which they released one a year between 1985 and 1990. Resisting modern trends, Og bands drew from traditions from country to blues to garage punk to '60s pop, all approached with originality and goofy enthusiasm. Along with the establishment of campus radio across the country, and the crucial CBC radio programs Brave New Waves and Night Lines, Og paved the road for the indie explosion of the early '90s.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/bvv7e3pagqmfqzp/The__VINDICATORS.rar

Atlantic Thrills - Vices

Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, The Atlantic Thrills are a fantastic rock'n'roll band blending together their own brand of garage rock filled with fuzzy psychedelic riffs, reverb drenched surf anthems and raspy 50's inspired doo-wop punk ballads. 

The band was formed in 2010 by Eric Aguiar, Daniel Tanner and Mark Ferrara. Their self-titled debut album was released February 4, 2014 on Brooklyn's Almost Ready Records and their sophomore record, "Vices" was released last year. The band is currently working on its third album.

Yours truly had a very interesting chat with Eric and Daniel:

1) What can you tell about Atlantic Thrills? How long are you guys together as a band? Were you in other bands previously? Who is playing what in the band?
Eric- I think we started in 2010...  or at least thats when we played our first show.  Dan plays guitar / vocals, Ref plays drums and I play bass / vocals.  When we go out on tour we sometimes get our friend Rafay (from Ravi Shavi) to play rhythm guitar.  We've all had other projects.  I did hip hop before this.

Daniel-Yeah, we're definilely a group of complicatedly silly and soiled characters... I played drums and/or guitar in a few bands as a teenager.. Mostly punk and  indy shit.  I've also been djing  for 20 years or so. A lot of turntablist / weird bass heavy music..
Ref (a.k.a. The Minister of Reference) was also a hip hop mc before drumming for us. We all met through hip hop. I believe ref also played drums in a metal band or two in his early years.

2) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers and does it still influence your today work? What was your favorite band as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.
Eric- I listened to mostly punk and hip hop early on and got into 60's garage punk/psychedelic rock in my later teens.  Beastie Boys have always been one of my favorites. Beastie Boys, Wu Tang Clan, Velvet Underground / Lou Reed still influence me a lot.

Daniel- I'v always listened to all types of music..Anything from Doo-wop to electronica to hip hop and anything in between. I was really into The Beastie Boys and  Dead Kennedys when I was a teenager. But, I also liked a lot of indy and idm. Like Shellac and Squarepusher. I take a lot of influence today from Chuck Berry, Hendrix, and Wu-tang..

3) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

Eric - I do a lot of writing on my own, but everyone has their own ideas and puts their own touch on the final product.

Daniel - Eric and I both have our own songs that we write, but , we write a lot of the stuff together.

4) About the new record "Vices", can you explain the title? And what's the connection with the artwork on the front cover?
Eric - We chose the title "Vices" because it summed up both the process of making the album and and its content.  The album art was inspired by the Tibetan book of the dead.  There's a whole story behind the enlightened skeletons dancing - it's called Kinkara I believe...  I always really loved the image.  I didn't want to literally show what most people think when they hear the word vices, so this image seemed to fit well.

Daniel- To me it's about the things that both hold you together and tear you apart at the same time.

5) The Atlantic Thrills are described by some people as a "garage" band. Do you agree with

this label or do you consider there is way more than that?  
Eric - I guess it depends on your definition of "garage".  For me garage is a very loose term and can include a lot of different styles of music - surf, blues, psychedelic, punk, folk, doo wop, etc.  We draw inspiration from all those styles and "garage" is kinda what glues it together.

Daniel - I'm not a big fan of labels. To me, I just play what comes naturally and what ever comes out, comes out... But, usually it falls somewhere on the "garage" spectrum.

6) Do you have a new video on youtube  featuring a track from the new LP?? 
Eric - Yeah, the title track VICES is up.  Our friend Rafay Rashid shot/directed/edited it.   There's also a video for Bed Bugs which we did ourselves.  We were able to pull off both video's with zero budget.



7) What can concert goers expect at a The Atlantic Thrills gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs? 
Eric - Lots of bourbon, bodily fluids, occasionally psychedelic cookies, piñata guts flying everywhere...  Things have a tendency to get wild and belligerent at our shows.  We often play Los Saicos at the end of our set.  It's one of our favorite bands and always a great way to end the party.

Daniel - Yeah, we like to have fun.. Sometimes we play something silly but rockin'. Like Beastie boys or Steppenwolf. It's all about the mood of the party.

8) Does Providence, Rhode Island have a long history of garage bands, that goes way back to the 60's?
Eric - I've stumbled across a few while digging around online, but I'm definitely not an expert on the history.  The Barbarians were from Cape Cod which isn't too far from Providence.  We covered "Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl " at one of our first shows.

9) Anything you wanna add?

Eric- I think that pretty much covers it.  We are currently working on our 3rd album - likely to be released before the end of 2017, and hopefully we'll tour Europe by then as well.

PURCHASE IT HERE : https://atlanticthrills.bandcamp.com/

A gift from SANTA CLAUS

A GIFT FROM SANTA CLAUS
In WAV - Scans are included
Vinyl Rip Get it here

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

The Hollywood Brats - 2016- Sick On You

The Hollywood Brats - 2016- Sick On You
In FLAC - Artwork is included

Disc One: Sick On You
1-1 Chez Maximes
1-2 Another School Day
1-3 Nightmare
1-4 Empty Bottles
1-5 Courtesan
1-6 Then He Kissed Me
1-7 Tumble With Me
1-8 Zurich 17
1-9 Southern Belles
1-10 Drowning Sorrows
1-11 Sick On You

DISC TWO: A BRATS MISCELLANY
2-1 I Need You
2-2 Little Ol' Wine Drinker
2-3 Son Of A Wizard
2-4 Red Leather
2-5 Sweet Little Sixteen (Live)
2-6 Borgia Street
2-7 I Ain't Got You
2-8 She Got Class
2-9 Hootchie Cootchie Man
2-10 Trucker's Lament
2-11 St Louis Blues
2-12 Mic Mac Blues
2-13 Oh What A Show
2-14 Suckin' On Suzie
2-15 It's Not Funny

Born out of the imagination of singer Andrew Matheson and his musical ally and partner in crime Casino Steel, the band went on to lay the foundations of what would become punk rock, guzzling up every gallon of glitter juice they could blag and leaving no stiletto unturned along the way. London’s hottest nightspots became their playground, Keith Moon their cheerleader and every record label in town detested them.
• The classic ‘lost’ debut from London proto-punk legends and masters of disorder The Hollywood Brats
• Newly remastered by keyboardist Casino Steel and now resplendent with a second disc of previously unheard outtakes, rarities, live tracks and curios.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/432af3t8lb9oteu/The_Hollywood_Brats_-_2016-_Sick_On_You.rar

Special Thanks to JPAUL for this glammy contribution.

Forthcoming releases on the Marvelous RUMBAR Records label

1) The Cheap Cassettes - 'All Anxious, All The Time'!! 

The Cheap Cassettes are a rock and roll band formed out of the ashes of the Dimestore Haloes. Their three chord rumble encompasses elements of punk, power pop, glam, and classic, timeless mid century rock and roll music. The Haloes thrived during the mid to late 90's punk explosion, and were very much disciples of the Clash. After releasing four full length records and multiple singles, as well as sharing stages with the world class elite of underground punk rock, the Haloes called it a day in 2003. 

Fast forward to the present day, and two former Dimestore Haloes (Chaz and Kevin) with the addition of fellow Boston to Seattle transplant Mike Isberg on bass have formed a vital new rock and roll band. Recording long distance from several different states from 2011-2015, "All Anxious All the Time" is an album born of a long period of living, writing and recording rock and roll. Finally settling in Seattle in 2014, Chaz and Kevin began playing out on the energetic Seattle underground rock and roll scene. Joining the ranks of like minded power pop/punk rock Pacific Northwest bands like The Exploding Hearts or The Briefs.

The Cheap Cassettes play high energy, lo-fi garage pop in the tradition of bands like the Replacements, the Buzzcocks and Cheap Trick. Grab yourself a copy of "All Anxious, All The Time" on Rum Bar Records!



2)The Connection - Just For Fun

Hitting their home studio as the year came to a close, Brad Marino, Geoff Palmer and the boys in the band, including a slew of special guest veterans from the hey day when pop punk ruled the fanzines, record shelves, and airwaves, featuring Chris “B-Face” Barnard on bass (The Queers/Groovie Ghoulies), The Connection have gone back to their roots, crate digging, paying homage to their heroes in this 10 song collection “Just For Fun”. 

Produced by Brad and Geoff, mixed by Mike Kennerty (All American Rejects), and mastered by Mass Giorgini (who has had a hand in everything pop punk from Green Day to Screeching Weasel, The Queers, Groovie Ghoulies, and more), “Just For Fun” cranks out a set list that could have been spun in your favorite DJ’s set, heard on your favorite bar’s jukebox, or hummed in your head for weeks on end. Taking a refreshing, straight ahead, all thrills ride, The Connection nail it on the rock n roll song book with “Teenage News” (Sylvain Sylvain), “Get Of Denver” (Bob Seger), “No Expectations” (Rolling Stones), “Southern Girls” (Cheap Trick), and the ferocious, scorching lead single “Stay With Me” (The Dictators).

releases February 3, 2017 

The Richmond Sluts - 60 Cycles Of Love

Hailing from the Richmond District of San Francisco, The Richmond Sluts are a revved up rock n roll band guaranteed to make you move, sweat, dance, and shake. The band was started in 1997 by founding members Chris Beltran (bass) and Shea Roberts (guitar/ vocals) and is currently featuring Justin Lynn on keys as well as new additions Jesse Nichols (guitar) & John Tyree (drums).

The Richmond Sluts recently released their new album, the long awaited "60 Cycles Of Love", on their very own label ROCK BOX RECORDS. Shea Roberts reveals everything you ever wanted to know about The Richmond Sluts but were afraid to ask: 

1) We would like you to tell the viewers of this blog the full story of The Richmond Sluts. The origins of the band, your first release in 2001; the Big Midnight episode that you formed in 2003 with Chris Beltran; how the Richmond Slut got back together again and finally the release of "60 Cycles Of Love". We want to hear it all from you!

Chris and I met in the mid to late 90's we were both into the same shit and quickly became friends. He said he was starting a band and he needed a guitar player (I only played drums at the time) so I said what are you looking at me for ? He said you would be perfect, I then reminded him that I don't know how to play the guitar and he said it doesn't matter you'll figure it out, so he showed me a few chords. After playing for a couple years and adding Justin on keys we finally had our own distinct sound.

First Album Remastered with bonus song (Sweet Somethin')

I knew Duane Peters since I was a kid so I sent him some demos. He said "kid this is great and I have my own label through Alive/Bomp records now (Disaster Records), I want to put it out". So that was that. We played constantly for the next few years. I think people got burnt out and that's why things fell apart, we were always burning the candle at both ends if ya know what I mean. Chris and I didn't stop playing music together though. We started writing new songs and I was working at a recording studio so we had the opportunity to start recording again. A music attorney by the name of Jeff Saltzman had an office across the hall from the studio and we became friends cause he was interested in what I was doing and had the money to help back us. He said he was retired and was getting into music production so we started working together on those recordings. Within 6 months we had a new record done, now the problem was what do we call it? Chris said it wasn't the sluts without Justin and Jeff didn't like the name, I didn't give a shit either way so I said how about Big Midnight? and that was it.

We tried to do the major label thing (Jeff's idea) we played for Warner Brothers, Capital.... blah, blah, blah. Doing that just bummed me out and I wasn't doing very well mentally or physically at the time. We ended up putting it out on Alive records and started playing. It was fun for awhile but my drug use destroyed my friendship with Chris and when he left the band I got someone else but it just wasn't fun anymore, so that ended. (I consider it the second sluts record, musically that's where we were headed anyway. I poured my guts out on that thing).

When I got my shit together I made amends with my old friend probably around 2008? Chris, Justin and I started talking about getting together to play some music and rehash the old days. After about five minutes of playing together we were having a blast so we booked a show at a tiny place in SF thinking maybe 50 people would show up and we would have a laugh and move on. About 200 people showed up from all over the west coast and the place only holds 100 max! The people there were all in their early 20's so we were like what the fuck, how do you know about us? Thanks to our songs being used in skateboard videos and the Internet we have more fans now than we ever did without playing for 12 years, so here we are, what's in store for us next?



2) In 2001, at the release of the first album you were often seen as a garagey punk rock'n'roll band and the true heirs of the New York Dolls. Your new release is -in my opinion- closer to the "Beggars Banquet" era Rolling stones. Do you agree to both of this statements and is this a conscious choice?

Ya we have always just called ourselves a garage rock n roll band. We have never tried to be anything but ourselves. We all listen to so many different types of music I couldn't put my finger on any one thing and say "that's what our next record is going to sound like". Yes the new album has a different vibe but it is unmistakably the Sluts !

3) About the new record "60 Cycles Of Love", is this the record of the big come back? can you explain the choice of the title and the very "biker tribute" artwork? 

There weren't any real plans to make another record, I had some new songs I was messing with so we recorded them and a few covers and it just kinda went from there. Jesse (guitar) came up with the title. Do you know what a 60 cycle hum is ?(well it's 50 in EU cause of voltage differences) but  It's the sound of electricity buzzing, letting you know it's there and can sting you at any time ! That's the 60 cycles of love, to respect that power and use it !

I've always loved motorcycles since I was a kid. I also love old movies, the first time I saw "the wild angels" with Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra it blew my mind ! The Harley choppers, the style and the sound track of that movie are amazing ! I don't know I just wanted to do something along those lines, and it kinda plays into the title "cycles". Ha ! there honestly wasn't that much thought put into it.



4) To what kind of music did you listen to as a teenager and does it still influence your today work? What was your favorite band as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.

I don't even know where to begin. I listened to metal, punk rock, rock n roll, garage rock. new or old it didn't matter, whatever I could get my hands on from the older guys I hung out with.
Man I could never choose only 3 bands that influence me now, I'm influenced by more music now than ever !

5) Are you the main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

On the first record Chris B and I wrote most of the songs together. The new album I wrote the songs Except for two I had some help on, Justin (keys) contributed and my friend Rob Easson also helped out on another.

6) Who directed the very Psychedelic clip of "MOTEL BOOGIE" and the very Russ Meyer like "Don't Need You" clip? 

Our friend Alberto Mendoza, he is very talented with video editing and really knows how to translate the songs visually. When he asked me what I wanted, I just said "60's biker freak out" and he took care of the rest. https://www.facebook.com/ alberto.mendoza.31508

7) What can concert goers expect at a The Richmond Sluts? Are you playing any famous cover songs? 

Honestly you can never know what to expect. The only thing you can count on is, it won't be boring haha ! Ya we've been doing "don't need no doctor" by Ray Charles the last few years. We recently started doing a Gene Clark song too "so you say you lost you're baby".

8) Are you still playing live songs from the first record?

Ya we always play some older songs, even some off the Big Midnight record once in a while.

9) Is ROCK BOX RECORDS your very own record label?

Ya I started it this year, I've had my production company (rockbox productions) for over a decade. I decided to start the label to release whatever I want, wether it's my music or a band that I have recorded / produced.

10) Anything you wanna add?

Just hope people dig the new record and we aren't going to disappear again for 12 years. You will be hearing much more from us! See you on our 2017 EU tour.

BRILLIANT FROM START TO FINISH!
PURCHASE IT HERE : http://www.rockboxrecordssf.com/

https://richmondsluts.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/richmondsluts/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPGqQuyMnLFQ0Z-mS1bSWsw

BREAKING NEWS: There is a French release coming out on colored vinyl with a slightly different cover. It is a joint release with mauvaise foi records / beast records it will be out this month.

http://shop.mauvaisefoirecords.com/product/the-richmond-sluts-colored-lp
http://beastrecords.free.fr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232&Itemid=47

Berwanger - Exorcism Rock

Doghouse Records recently released "Exorcism Rock", the sophomore full length of Josh Berwanger. Hailing for Kansas, the man knows how to write perfect power pop gems that stick in your head for days and his new album, recorded in 7 straight days and produced by Doug Boehm, is brilliant from start to finish and highly recommanded!

Here is Josh Berwanger in his own words:

1) For those who don't know you, What can you tell about yourself? You Were in other bands previously, and then you choose a solo career: had you the feeling these bands were going nowhere fast or did you want a radical change? 

I was in a band called The Anniversary that formed in 1998. We signed to Vagrant Records and put out two albums in 2000 and 2003. We toured Europe twice as well as countless tours in the States. We toured with Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices, Get Up Kids, Mars Volta, Superdrag, Cheap Trick and many other cool bands. We ended up imploding and going our separate ways. 

After The Anniversary broke up I started a band called The Only Children. We put out two albums called Change Of Living and Keeper Of Youth in 2004 and 2007. After touring on the Keeper Of Youth album I was burned out and hung up the guitar for a while. I wanted as far away from playing music as possible and of all things I started coaching High School basketball. 



After some years of coaching I started picking up the guitar here and there and slowly began writing songs that would eventually turn into the Strange Stains album. I guess you can't escape from what you love. Since Strange Stains came out I've been touring and have put out 2 7"s and an e.p. called Demonios and am now touring on Exorcism Rock.

2) When I listen to Your debut full length "Strange Stains" it seems to me you had much in common with 70' bands like The Paley Brothers or the Dwight Twilley Band. But in 2 years time, the sound has become more powerful and fierce. Do you agree and can you comment on this evolution?

When writing Strange Stains I had taken a long break from making an album and I wanted to make a fun sounding record very much like the Paley Brothers. To be honest I recorded most of it in my basement with the intent of it never coming out. I was just making it for me.

Yes, I agree in the sound changing up a bit. I am always trying to evolve as an artist and I never want to put out two of the same sounding albums. I am almost done with the 3rd album and it has a different sound and feel than these first two. 

3) About the new record "Exorcism Rock", is this the record of the big break through?

We'll see. It would be nice. 

4) can you explain the choice of the title and the very intriguing artwork? 

Charles Wilkin is the artist who did the cover. The name of the piece is "The Waiting" and for those who haven't seen the cover it has a woman looking into a skull on it. To be honest I'm not really into skulls on album covers since it is something that is done so much, but the piece as a whole really represented and spoke to me and I felt represented the sound and lyrics of the album, which is mainly about a walk in the park.





5) To what kind of music did you listen to as a teenager and does this music still influence your today work? What was your favorite band as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.

I still listen to the music I listened to as a kid and as a teenager and am constantly looking for to find out about new albums both old and new. As a kid I got really into Alice Cooper, Guns N' Roses, Ozzy and I have always loved those bands. As a younger teenager I started getting a lot more into bands like The Doors, Gram Parsons, Davy Graham, Beatles, Dinosaur Jr., Ramones, and was really starting to explore the local Kansas City and Lawrence music scene with bands like Vitreous Humor, The Breakups, Butterglory, Micronots, The Embarrassment. 

3 bands from my youth that still influence me would be Bob Dylan, Beatles, and Rolling Stones. Pretty obvious, but they are the best.

6) The rant at the end of "Oh Bis!", is this a true story or total bullshit? Anyway, it's quite funny. 

Ha! Totally a true story. The funniest part about it is not so much the guy messing up and calling my friend a "bis" instead of a "bitch" but calling him a dipstick.

7) What can concert goers expect at a Josh Berwanger gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs? Do you still play "Back of my hand"- that I personally consider as one of the best covers ever.

I love The Jags! Thank you. We haven't been doing any covers live. Ricky and I play covers when we are just playing guitars and messing around like ELO or some Ozzy stuff, sometimes "Crazy Horses" by the Osmonds. Our live shows as of late have been very Exorcism Rock heavy. Concert goers can except a pretty rocking set with not much time in-between songs.

8) Does Kansas (the state, not the band!*;) Clin d’œil) have a long history of rock bands, that goes way back to the 60'or 70's?

My favorite band to come out of Kansas/KC area is a band called The Leopards, they had two amazing records called Kansas City Slickers and Magic Still Exists. Kansas City Slickers is in my top 10 records. I think to get a really a good sense of the music from KS, KC, and a few of the other states that surround the Midwest is to go and buy the Titan Records box set the Numero Group put out. It is absolutely amazing!



9) Are you guys coming over to Europe soon?

We would absolutely love to and it is a goal for us to do this. We just don't know how to do that right now. We don't have any contacts over there. 

10) Anything you wanna say to the viewers of this blog? 

Thanks for taking some time from your day to read this and I hope you get a chance to listen to some of our music. Please feel free to message me and say hi and we hope to play for you one day. Thanks!

Purchase it HERE: https://joshberwanger.merchtable.com/music

The Tweeds - 2016 - I Need That Record- The Tweeds Anthology

The Tweeds - 2016 - I Need That Record- The Tweeds Anthology
In FLAC - Front picture only

1 If I Could Only Dance
2 I'm Thru
3 Shortwave
4 Teen Love
5 Ode to a Glicknick (The Larry Glick Song)
6 Underwater Girl
7 My Memories
8 Postcard
9 I Need That Record
10 Hey Baby
11 Later Tonight
12 She's the Girl (Who Said No)
13 I've Got Rock
14 We Ran Ourselves
15 Away from You
16 Underwater Girl (Eat Records Version)
17 Part of the Game
18 No More


Usually Numero reissues come with lengthy bios and myriad facts about careers gone astray, labels that were pockets of talent or early careers that were overlooked. This one seems a bit oddly rushed for Numero, in that its only available digitally and there don’t seem to be any notes with it. However, for those familiar with their Yellow Pills comp, the name Tweeds should be familiar. They showed up on both the early CD version of Prefill and Numero’s later issue of Buttons. The band was from Massachusetts and issued a small string of singles and EPs from 1977 – 1981, the most famous of which is probably 1980’s Perfect Fit which contains their most lasting tracks “I Need That Record” and “The Girl Who Said No” LET'S HOPE FOR A REAL RELEASE ON RECORD AND CD!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/file/1ybecia4dcoc72t/The_Tweeds_-_2016_-_I_Need_That_Record-_The_Tweeds_Anthology.rar

Special Thanks to Jpaul for this brilliant contribution!

Kurt Baker - 2011 - For Spanish Ears Only

Kurt Baker - 2011 - For Spanish Ears Only
In FLAC - Scans are included

1 Up To You (Leftovers Outtake 2005)
Drums – Adam Woronoff
Guitar – Oldport Joe Brien
Guitar, Vocals – Andrew Rice
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

2 Blame It On Cain (Live June 2011)
Bass – Jeff Beam
Drums – Craig Sala
Guitar – Mike Rodrigue
Guitar, Vocals – Geoff Useless, Kris "Fingers" Rodgers
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

3 Can't Have Her Back (Live February 2011)
Bass – Jeff Beam
Drums – Craig Sala
Guitar – Mike Rodrigue
Guitar, Vocals – Geoff Useless, Kris "Fingers" Rodgers
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

4 Lousy Imitations (Leftovers Outtake 2005)
Drums – Adam Woronoff
Guitar – Oldport Joe Brien
Guitar, Vocals – Andrew Rice
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

5 Telephone Operator (Live February 2011)
Bass – Jeff Beam
Drums – Craig Sala
Guitar – Mike Rodrigue
Guitar, Vocals – Geoff Useless, Kris "Fingers" Rodgers
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

6 Every Moment (Demo 2009)
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

7 You Can't Do That (Live With Jett Beam November 2011)
Drums – Ryan Dolan
Guitar – Scott Griouard
Guitar, Vocals – Jeff Beam
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

8 Make You Mine (Pet Sounds Mix 2009)
Drums – Adam Woronoff
Lead Vocals – Kurt Baker (2)
Producer – Adam Woronoff

9 Fool For Loving You (Demo 2010)
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

10 Peppermint Island (Demo 2007)
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

11 Anytime At All (Live With Jeff Beam November 2010)
Drums – Ryan Dolan
Guitar – Scott Griouard
Guitar, Vocals – Jeff Beam
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

12 Please Believe Me (Demo 2010)
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

13 I'm Not Angry (Live June 2011)
Bass – Jeff Beam
Drums – Craig Sala
Guitar – Mike Rodrigue
Guitar, Vocals – Geoff Useless, Kris "Fingers" Rodgers
Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

14 Don't Call Me Tonight (Demo 2010)
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

15 Summertime Girls (Demo 2007)
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)

16 Gave My Heart (Demo 2010)
Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Kurt Baker (2)


Limited Edition 200 Copies For Spanish Tour 2011

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ljbwd5ga3o4t8q9/Kurt_Baker_-_2011_-_For_Spanish_Ears_Only.rar

Special thanks to Billy W. for this rare contribution

Reigning Sound - Break Up Break Down

Reigning Sound - Break Up Break Down
In FLAC - Scans are included

Since When
I Don't Care
You Don't Hear The Music
Goodbye
As Long
Want You
So Goes Love
Take A Ride
Waiting For The Day
So Sad
I'm So Thankful

Former Oblivians and Compulsive Gamblers frontman Greg Cartwright cools his boiling garage leanings to a simmer on the Memphis musician's debut with the Reigning Sound. It's all about the material on Break Up Break Down, and there are only scattered references to the primal blues-rock of Cartwright's notable '90s projects. Heart-tugging vocals and songwriting are the central components that this country-folk collection revolves around. Highlights like the waltz-time lament "Goodbye" have just what it takes to grip the inner Hank Williams in every garage rocker, without tripping any irony-minded alerts that equate anything emotional with overt sentimentality.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/r4g1k45n9jfv557/Reigning_Sound_-_Break_Up%2C_Break_Down.rar

The Prehistorics - Storm The Gates

The Prehistorics are a Australian rock'n'roll band hailing from Sidney and including main man Brendan Sequeira Vocals/guitar, Stu Greenwood Lead guitar/vocals, Jonathan Sequeira Bass guitar/vocals and  Alcides Stowe Drums/vocals. 

The band recently released its 4th full length, "Storm The Gates", on the independant Australian Record label  SONIC ARTILLERY RECORDS. The Album is brilliantly co-produced by Brendan and Michael Carpenter of the FINKERS fame. 

As far as I'm concerned, this is without any doubt their best record so far, filled with fat and heavy 70s guitars riffs supported by a tight and groovy rhythm section. And -most important- Brendan Sequeira knows how to pen great songs with plenty of hooks and sing-a-long choruses that stick in your head for days.



Yours truly had a little chat with the main man behind this amazing band.


1) What can you tell about The Prehistorics? How long are you guys together as a band? Were you in other bands previously? Way back in the day, your debut full length "Petrified" made quite an impression but I confess that after that I kinda lost track of The Prehistorics and I was not even aware of the following 2 records "Subterranean Nightmare" and "Playing with Fire". Shame on me! What happened for the band between the first album and the latest one?

THE PREHISTORICS were formed in 2002, with me on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, and my brother Jonathan on Bass. We worked with many different musicians filling various roles in the band, mostly because it was hard to find reliable people who were committed to the music. I think for many musicians these days, they have a short attention span and are too busy chasing ‘the next big thing’, rather than focussing on one or two projects and putting all their efforts into making that work. The Prehistorics for me, is my life and my oxygen so I have always given it the highest priority. I think, for many other musicians, music is just a hobby to be honest, whilst I have very clear objectives and want to do my maximum to realise my dreams.

Jonathan and I started our first band together around 1986, called The Guttersnipes, in Sydney Australia, and at that time we played a mix of punk and power-pop covers as well as about 50 per cent originals. Then we played in a more hardcore pop band called Deep Dish Action, before forming The Prehistorics nearly 15 years ago. With The Prehistorics, we put out our first album in 2009 and released the video ‘Zombie Generation’, which kind of launched the band and got us a lot of attention. After that album, The Prehistorics released ‘Subterranean Nightmare’ with a number of videos such as ‘Rock ‘n Roller Coaster’ and ‘Attack of The Klingons’, through MGM Distribution. This record really saw us maturing and finding our sound. We toured Europe soon after that, in 2013 and did really well in France so we came back again in 2014 with the release of the 3rd album “Playing With Fire” and suddenly got a solid reputation as a scorching live act I guess.

2) About the new record "Storm The Gates", is this the record of the big break through? can you explain the choice of the title and the very "revolution française" artwork?

Storm The Gates is the album I am probably most proud of because I wrote it very quickly and wrote all the songs on it, under a lot of personal pressure. The whole concept of the record is to try to wake people up and get them to be true individuals and challenge the injustices of this world. I don’t have a master plan for that, LOL, but I do think society has become very conservative and brainwashed, many people are like sheep and they need to wake up to what is real and important in the world. I liked the whole French revolution concept and the artwork of some of the great painters so I wanted to incorporate that into the front cover, but also adding a sense of humour to make the point that life can also be fun and silly whilst also standing up for what is right. As for whether or not this record is ‘the big break through’, I guess that’s for others to decide. For me, it is the most complete and satisfying piece of art I have ever made and I feel like I made no compromises on this record. I did exactly what I wanted to do so it feels right to me. Critics have praised the album so I suppose I am hitting the mark there too, which is important, but the most important thing is that I feel that I have made a great record and my fans agree too.

3) To what kind of music did you listen to as a teenager and does it still influence your today work? What was your favorite band as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have a influence on your own work today.

The Prehistorics sound is really a combination of all of my favourite bands and musical influences. There’s elements of The Clash and The Damned in there as well as The MC5, Redd Kross and Radio Birdman, plus all the underground Australian bands from the late 70’s to the 80’s. This was the ‘golden era’ in Australian music and there were literally hundreds of amazing, creative bands out there, playing every night of the week. I was lucky to see many of them!

4) Is there a main composer in the band or is everybody involved in one way or another?

I pretty write everything these days, the music and the lyrics and even on the previous records, I wrote or co-wrote just about every song. For me, the band has always been my ‘ baby’ and my strengths are as a songwriter, so I have taken on that role mostly because I was the best qualified to do it. On the other hand, so many people have helped along the way so that I could achieve the goals of the band, after all, I’m not a one-man band, but it has to be said that the main direction and sound of the band has been driven by my catalogue of song ideas. As a musician generally, I am the first to admit there are better guitarists out there than me, but I seem to have had a better concept of the ‘black arts’ of song-writing, so I have tried to use my abilities as the main force behind the music.

5) The Prehistorics could be compared to Hoodoo Gurus, The Screaming Tribesmen or The Huxton Creepers. Do you agree with this comparaison or do you consider there is way more than that?

I love those bands! Such high praise too, to be compared with those legends! They are truly amazing and part of the legendary Australian music scene of that era, so yes, they all totally influenced me. The Hoodoo Gurus are one of the greatest bands to have ever walked the earth and Dave Faulkner is a legend. I mean, who can write songs like that? He never  misses. The Screaming Tribesman were another favourite of mine along with The Hitmen and Radio Birdman. Just listen to the killer guitar work on their records, Chris Mazuak is a genius really and has an amazing body of work to prove it. Just listen to his latest record, it’s on the money.

6) Is the album closer from the new LP, "La Fleur De La Liberte", about the events that took place in Paris last year in November??

Yes, you are exactly right. I was very moved by the tragedy in France in Paris, in November last year so I wrote that song the week after the event. I have many close connections in France and I actually lived there for about a year which was just fantastic. The country is going through so much turmoil at the moment and in fact, when I was living in the south of France earlier this year, the tragedy in the city of Nice also happened, which was devastating. My heart goes out to all the people there, I just wish everyone on this planet could get along and stop all the killing and murdering. Nothing was ever solved by that.

7) What can concert goers expect at a The Prehistorics gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs?

We always think about giving our fans the very best material from our catalogue of 40 plus songs so we will be playing all the old favourites, all the video songs, plus a number of tracks from the new album. I am really excited about playing La Fleur De La Liberte in France to pay my respects to my French friends. The set will be pretty rock’n though as always, because we play with a lot of energy and with our hearts, so I reckon it will be a high-energy concert. We often throw in a few covers too from bands like The Lime Spiders, Radio Birdman (we do a cover of the classic song ‘What Gives’) and maybe a few more surprises!

8) Does Sydney, Australia have a long history of rock bands, that goes way back to the 70/80's?

Back in the 70’s and right through to the early 90’s, the whole of Australia was such an awesome place for rock ‘n roll. ACDC pretty much started in Sydney and then there were the other great bands like The Angels, Rose Tattoo and The Sunnyboys, all pretty much based in Sydney. When the alternative music scene started we had Radio Birdman, The Gurus and about a million other great bands in Sydney and Australia. Of course there were The Saints too in Brisbane and they really put Australian punk on the world stage. I just wish there were more bands like this these days. It seems that much of the audience has moved on and is too ready to consume all of the corporate crap that they are fed rather than seek out underground music that has meaning and purpose. I mean, there are still great bands to be found, you just gotta dig deep to find them. LOL, that’s what my song “Tales From The Underground” on the 3rd album, was really all about!

THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST BUY!

STORM THE GATES is available on CD , coloured vinyl and digital download.



Purchase it here : https://theprehistorics1.bandcamp.com/

THE REIGNING SOUND SPECIAL

THE REIGNING SOUND SPECIAL

In wav (A) and FLAC (B and C) - scans are included

A) Time Bomb High School

 1. Stormy Weather   
 2. Staight Shooter  
 3. You're Not As Pretty    
 4. Brown Paper Sack     
 5. Wait And See     
 6. I Walk By Your House     
 7. Time Bomb High School  
 8. I Don't Believe   
 9. She's Bored With You   
 10. Reptile Style   
 11. I'm Holding Out  
 12. I Don't Know How To Tell You  
 13. Dressy  
 14. I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys  
 15. You're So Strange 

B) HOME FOR ORPHANS

1. Find Me Now  
2. If You Can't Give Me Everything  
3. Funny Thing  
4. Medication Blues #1  
5. Carol  
6. What Could I Do?  
7. If Christmas Can't Bring You Home  
8. Pretty Girl  
9. Without You  
10. Don't Send Me No Flowers, I Ain't Dead Yet [Live] 

C) MARY WEISS AND THE REIGNING SOUND - Dangerous Game

1. My Heart Is Beating  
2. Nobody Knows (But I Do)  
3. Break It One More Time  
4. Stop And Think It Over  
5. Cry About the Radio  
6. You're Never Gonna See Me Cry  
7. Dangerous Game  
8. Don't Come Back  
9. I Just Missed You  
10. Stitch In Time  
11. Tell Me What You Want Me To Do  
12. Heaven Only Knows  
13. I Don't Care  
14. You Can Stay With Me  
While Mary Weiss's name isn't familiar to the masses, her records with the Shangri-Las in the 1960s left an indelible mark on the cultural map. "Leader of the Pack," "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," and a string of other hits had her unmistakable voice blasting from radios and record players across the land. Just 18 when their last hit fell off the charts, Weiss, disillusioned from bad business deals, virtually disappeared. Now, 40 years later, comes her first solo album. Backed by Greg Cartwright and his band Reigning Sound, the songs (most of them penned by Cartwright) have their roots in the '60s, but eschew Spectorish sheen and density for a harder-edged sound. If the early-era Rolling Stones had been fronted by Debbie Harry, they'd have landed quite near this relentless 40-minute party. The few covers include an Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry chestnut, "Heaven Only Knows." Smartly paced, a few ballads offer some breathing room before the rhythm pumps up again. --David Greenberger

https://mega.nz/#!VcsSCAoQ!HAND5w--jfN2U9d3IpCJ-5SLM1zx7p6CiXngDJnauO0

Special Thanx to Limburg for this great contribution