Paul Collins' Beat - Another World Best of The Archives

Alive Naturalsound Records has recently released PAUL COLLINS' BEAT - Another World / The Best Of The Archives.

It took 2 years to Paul Collins to transcribe to his hard drive 40 years of music that was recorded on his countless cassettes. So, culled from his personal archives “Another World - The Best Of The Archives” compiles previously unreleased material going back to 1978 and the early days of the Paul Collins’ Beat. None of the recordings have been released before and all have been carefully remastered. 

This release comes with extensive liner notes by the man himself explaining in detail every song and sometimes bringing back memories of music made with his friend Steven Huff.

 Thanks to Patrick Boissel this blog had the opportunity to do this interview.

1)For the sake of the argument, let's say that a very young viewer stumbles upon this blog for the first time and doesn't know who Paul COLLINS is: what would you tell him about you and your background to introduce yourself and your body of work?

I'm a self taught musician who got his start back in 1974 making music that was not fashionable at all. Because of this we tenaciously stuck to our ideals and became pioneers in the type of music we are known for, punk / power pop.

2)At the end of the 70's /early 80's The BEAT was regarded as the next big thing in Powerpop: arecord deal with Columbia, an album produced by Bruce Botnick filled to rafters with amazingly catchy songs but it seems, in retrospect, that The KNACK got away with the one iconic hit the main public seems to remember from that area ("My Sharona") . How can this be explained and how do you feel about that? Are you bitter about this or not at all?

We weren't really regarded as the next big thing, even though we had one of the biggest managers and record companies in the business,  no one really knew what to do with us or how to market us, so consequently we fell through the cracks. For many years I consumed myself with trying to make it big in the music business, it was very frustrating and in the end pointless. When I concentrated on what I could do, tour and make records, my life became more enjoyable. 

3)Do you think it was easier to be a rock'n'roller way back in the 70's than it is now? Are there any excesses you would not indulge in today? 

I think being good and successful have always been difficult. I would have quit smoking sooner and taken better care of my teeth! 

4) When reading the liner notes of "Another world", it seems that you have in stock way more songs than the ones released on this album. Will you consider giving them away as a download on Bandcamp?  

No, I am very happy with the new record,  it has the good stuff on it, it's what I want people to hear. 

) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?

There is none, writing a good song for me is totally unpredictable,  I never know what is going to pop up!

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

I listened to a lot of AM radio, which was a little bit of everything that was popular,  it gave me a great foundation in music. I loved the bands from the 60's, The Beatles,  The Stones, most of the British Invasion bands, The Beach Boys, The Buckinghams, it was a golden age for rock n roll.My all time favorite band is The Beatles,  no doubt about it! Then I love most of the obvious singers and bands, Stones, Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel,  Jefferson Airplane,  Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley..

7) Are there any artists in The USA today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

Not sure, I am not listening to enough these days. 

8) As far as your new recordings are concerned, do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you still keep on working with analog machines in analog studios?

I work with whatever is available.  It's the music that I am mainly concerned with. 

and now a few questions from the viewers of the blog:

9) Alain from France tells us that At the time, he had glued the entire cover of the record (30 cm...)on the rear window of his car !! His question is : Why a slow song (You and I) on your first LP ?? Wonderful album ! How did you choose Bruce Botnick to produce it - good choice ? 

A good ballad is so important to a record, it's also the hardest kind of song to write.  I think it's an important part of the record.  Bruce was the absolute best producer The Beat could have ever hoped for, he loved the band, he got us signed along with Eddie Money to Columbia, so there was never any question that he would be our producer. 

10) An unknown Spanish speaking viewer wrote : 1-tienes previsto reeditar el disco ONE NIGHT? Mi vinilo no aguanta mas.esta hecho polvo.2-Encontre en una tienda de segunda mano,el cd Paul collins de JULIO'S RECORDS.Podrías contar algo sobre la gestación y producción del mismo.gracias.KEEP ON ROCKIN'.UN ABRAZO.

Hola, One Night es re edited y tu puedes comprarlo en mi Bandcamp pagina. Todos los musicos nesecito una bootleg discovered esto es mio! No es mi disco favorito, pero hay algunos Buenos temas. 

11) Curty Ray from the USA would like to know what it was like to work with Prairie Prince from the Tubes?

Prairie is amazing, awesome, fantastic drummer and super cool guy. He was our first pick to work with in San Francisco and fortunately for us he was available. He has the best drumming skills!

12) Jobe tells us that One of his favorite all time song is "That's What Life Is All About" so thank you for that. His question is "From going to Columbia then to Passport now on Alive did you have to cater your style to what the labels ask of you?"

No, not really. Columbia wanted hits and the rest of the labels loved us for what we did. At this point I have been with Alive Naturalsound Records the longest, it is a very comfortable and mutually beneficial arrangement. The fact that Alive is the sister company of Bomp! Records makes it even more perfect! 

PURCHASE IT HERE : https://www.bompstore.com/collins-paul-nerves-the-beat-another-world-best-of-the-archives-blue-vinyl-with-insert/

The Fox Sisters - Bust Out!

 

The Fox Sisters is featuring a group of friends, all veterans of the Rochester NY music scene who got together for kicks and immediately sparks flew! Before long they were known as the Flower City’s premier party starters and the go to band for night clubs, dances and backyard BBQ’s.

The Fox Sisters return this year with a new full-length album, "Bust Out!". Twelve original tracks recorded at the Subterranean Studios. First single served up is "The Song I Sing", with video directed by Austin Lake.

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about The Fox Sisters to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys together as a band? Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays?

The Fox Sisters are a six piece Rock’n’Roll band heavily influenced by American rhythm & blues music of the 1960’s. We are from Rochester, New York (USA) and have been a band since 2012, so about 8 years at this point. Band members are Patrick McNally vocals, Jimmy Filingeri bass, Brian Shafer drums, Mark Bradley sax, Phil Marshall guitar and Joe Bushen piano. This is Jimmy answering the questions by the way.

2) About the latest full length record "Bust Out", what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs?

Bust Out was recorded almost entirely live with only a few overdubs of backing vocals. We recorded in the Subterranean Studio which is the basement studio of Chris “The Squire” Zajkowski. Chris recorded, produced, engineered and mixed the entire album. We consider him our 7th sister. Chris has been creating pop masterpieces under the name The Squires of the Subterranean for decades and you should definitely check out his records.

3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you guys only work with analog machines in analog studios? 

Bust Out was recorded and mixed on analog tape. We have recorded by both digital and analog means in the past, it usually depends on who we are working with and the type of equipment they have. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages. Honestly, we care more about WHO we are working with than how they are recording us. When I hear music I’ve made in the past the dynamic that is most apparent to me is people that were involved.

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

Patrick writes most of the songs and I write some songs as well. That said, all of the songs are full band collaborations. The songs are skeletons when they are introduced but it’s not until the band adds their blood, guts and muscle that they are show ready.

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?

Love, love, love and loving life. The flip side of those topics are abundant in the daily grind, who needs to hear any more about that? The Fox Sisters are here to spread love and happiness. Not in a hippy way. In a loud, dance ’til you drop and smile until your face hurts way.

6) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers and does it still influence your today work? What were your 3 favorite bands as a teenager?  

As a teen probably The Rolling Stones, The Replacements & Cheap Trick. The Rolling Stones are definitely a life long influence. With the Fox Sisters, the way the Stones took their influences and made it into something of their own is most significant. I also think our sax player Mark has a style similar to the Stones long time sax man Bobby Keys. In other words, a very Rock’n’Roll sound the suits us well.

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP?  

We have a couple of videos from the new album. The video for “The Song I Sing” was done by Austin Lake who makes amazing music under the name Aweful Kanawful as well as with The Televisionaries (a band that includes his talented brothers Trevor & Brendan). Austin also makes his own music videos and is finishing up a feature length film that several of The Fox Sisters play characters in. 

There is a video for “RunRabbit Run” that Jimmy made and Patrick is working on a video for “If You Only Knew”.

8) What can concert goers expect at a Fox Sisters concert? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the gig? 

People can expect dancing, sweat, and revelry bordering on a rampage. We try to put on a high energy show and we like to leave the audience exhausted but wanting more. We don’t do many covers but one song we have done recently is “Right Hand Man” by Bobby Comstock (famous for his song “Let’s Stomp!”) Bobby grew up not far from Rochester in Ithaca NY. We also recorded a cover of the song “Sweet Mary” by Wadsworth Mansion that is available on our website and Spotify. “Sweet Mary” did go to number 2 on the charts in 1970 but is still a fairly obscure number to most people. It’s a real gem of a song and I think we did it justice.

9) Are there any bands in The USA today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking? 

I would say our most obvious contemporary influences are The Fleshtones and Barrence Whitfield and The Savages. World class! Really the best of the best. Patrick and I also received an invaluable education from a local band called The Essentials, later known as The Salamanders.  They showed us that hometown bands were capable of making amazing Rock’n’Roll. Greg and Todd of  The Essentials went on to become The Hi-Risers. Mark of The Essentials is now a Fox Sister and the Essentials drummer Chris is The Squire, who produced Bust Out! We also have a great Rock’n’Roll scene here in Rochester. We love to play with and are inspired by our friends The Televisionaries (Hi-Tide Recordings), Aweful Kanawful, Harmonica Lewinski, Dangerbyrd and many more.

10) How would You describe the music you're playing? 

In the simplest terms, it’s Rock’n’Roll music. We are inspired by black rhythm & blues and soul music of the 50’s and 60’s. We are influenced by high energy Rock’n’Roll bands, R&B inspired garage and frat bands and blue eyed soul primarily from the 60’s but right up to the modern day. We do not attempt to capture the look or even the sound of the era we take influence from. What we hope to achieve is the aesthetic and the energy of the music we love. Those are elements we can define ourselves as they don’t belong to any one era.

11) What are the plans for the rest of 2020 as far as Fox Sisters is concerned? 

We will continue to promote our album as best we can under the current circumstances.  We are still writing songs and rehearsing and hoping for a better 2021. Once the coast is clear we plan to play more shows in as many places as we can manage.  

12) Anything you wanna add? 

If you made it this far in the interview we hope you are interested enough to give our music a listen. If you like what you hear please tell your friends about The Fox Sisters. Our music is available on Bandcamp & Spotify. Our records are distributed by Get Hip in the US and FOLC Records in Europe. Thank you for your time!

PURCHASE Bust Out! HERE: https://thefoxsisters.bandcamp.com/album/bust-out

SPIDERS -Killer Machine

A little while ago, during an interview I did with Zack from Blues Pills he mentioned SPIDERS as being one of the major bands in Sweden. So I immediately checked these guys out on the internet and I was amazed to discovered this 4 piece from Gothenburg. 

Their latest release, "Killer Machine", produced by Swedish legend Chips Kiesby, is filled to the rafters with catchy tunes and heavy riffs. Here is the interview of London born guitar player John Hoyles.

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you  tell about SPIDERS to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys  together as a band? Who is playing what instrument in the band  nowadays? 

John: We are a Swedish rock band based in Gothenburg and have been  around almost ten years. The group consists of Ann-Sofie Hoyles on  vocals, John Hoyles on guitar, Rickard Hellgren guitar, Olle Griphammar bass and  Ricard Harryson on drums. We have released three albums over the years  and done a bunch of tours  in Europe and the States.  

2) About the latest full length record "Killer Machine", what can you tell  about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or  a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

We recorded the album in Gothenburg at the studio Music A Matic with  Chips Kiesby as producer. Hes a bit of a legend here in sweden and has  produced loads of bands like The Hellacopters and Graveyard so it was  really interesting and educational working with him. He had a lot of good  references when it came to guitar and drum sounds and understood what  we wanted to achieve. On Killer Machine we worked track by track and took  our time with overdubs on each song. On our previous albums we have  recorded live using analog tape machines with just a few overdubs so it was  cool trying something new.  

3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you guys  only work with analog machines in analog studios? 

Both, our latest album was recorded digital but our other albums were  analog. I think computers are so good nowadays that one cant hear the  difference anymore but I prefer recording analog because you don't look at  a computer screen all the time and just uses ones ears.  

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

Previously I used to write most of the songs but now it's more of a joint  effort. Someone in the band comes up with a riff or idea for a song and then we jam on it in the rehearsal room until we find a structure for a song. We  usually record a pre production of the song so we can work out details and  stuff before going into the studio.  

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new  song? 

I don't know. I like songs to be simple and I suppose most of our songs are  about love, being mistreated, doom and gloom and a little bit of politics. I  find it difficult to write lyrics so they don't sound stupid or pretentious.  

6) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers? What were your  favorite bands as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still  have an influence on your own work today. 

I grew up listening to my parents records. A Lot of The Rolling Stones and  Bob Dylan. When I was 11 I was looking through an old photo album of my mum's and found some photos she had taken of the band Cream back in 1967 when they played in her hometown. They really blew me away, Eric Clapton's early stuff influenced me a lot.  When I became a teenager I started listening to Black Sabbath , Led Zeppelin and going to record fairs buying obscure records with 70's bands like Bang, Dust and Sir Lord Baltimore. Three bands that have  influenced us as a band could be Black Sabbath, Heart and The Runaways.  

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP?

Yes, we did a video for Dead Or Alive, you can find it on youtube.  We also have some other videos from our previous albums. 

8) What can concert goers expect at a SPIDERS gig? Are you playing any  famous cover songs during the gig? 

Our singer Ann-Sofie is a mix of Iggy pop and Mick Jagger on stage so its  always a good show to watch. We also have one of the best drummers around  and lots of guitar riffs and solos. So if your into hard rock I don't think you'll be  disappointed. 

9) Are there any bands in Sweden today you consider yourself close to  musically speaking? 

I think we are usually associated with bands like Graveyard, Blues Pills and Horisont. We have done a lot of tours together and are good friends. There is a big rock scene in Sweden with lots of good  bands like Lucifer, Dead Lord and Hot Breath to name a few.

10) How would You describe the music you're playing? Is this "vintage  rock'n'roll" or do you consider there is way more than that? 

That's a difficult question. I used to play in a band called Witchcraft that was quite heavy 70's rock sounding back around 2004. People at the time called our music doom rock and then we went to the US people called us hipster metal and then a few years after that  we were called retro rock. And now all the bands that played similar music was categorized as retro rock including us. I prefer just saying we play classic rock. 

11) What are the plans for the rest of 2020 as far as SPIDERS is concerned?  When can we expect a new SPIDERS full-length? 

We had a few tours booked in Germany and Spain that have been postponed to 2021 and we had some festival gigs that were cancelled. It's been tough for everybody this year and I hope the music venues are going to survive. There's going to be a lot of bands touring when this Corona situation passes. We have been recording demos of some new songs and I hope we have enough songs soon to record an album. 

12) A special question for you John: You were born in London, UK and Moved  to Sweden in your teens. Do you believe that the kind of music SPIDERS is  playing could much easier come to life in Sweden rather that in the UK where everything is either indie rock or dance music? 

Probably. I lived in a town called Örebro in the middle of Sweden and was fortunate to meet a lot of musicians that liked the same music. There was a a lot of tape trading among friends and an obsession of finding albums of old 70's bands that sounded like Black Sabbath. The US group Pentagram was really big in Örebro before many people had heard of them. There were many bands from Örebro that were inspired by 60's and 70's rock like Witchcraft, Norrsken, The Strollers,Dead Man, Great Mammoth, Troubled Horse, and Asteroid.  Music and style comes round in circles and I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. 

13) Anything you wanna add?

Stay safe out there and I hope we can meet up and have a few beers at a rock n roll show soon

Purchase the previous releases HERE: https://www.facebook.com/wearespiders/shop/?ref_code=mini_shop_page_card_cta&ref_surface=page

The Fuzz​-​O​-​Phonic Sound of​.​.​. The Ev!l FUZZHEADS

THE EVIL FUZZHEADS are a wild fuzzy trio from Brussels featuring 2 members of the VICE BARONS: Guitar player Eric St JOHN and drummer Paul HAMESSE. The third member of the band is bass player Iris St JOHN, daughter of Eric.

Their splendid and very exciting debut full length album 'The Fuzz-O-Phonic Sound Of' is proudly released by German label SOUNDFLAT RECORDS. 

Expect some very powerful Hammond-driven fuzzy garage rock with a heavy influence of the 60's sounds and a hint of psychedelia.

The record is featuring twelve original tunes penned by Eric St JOHN that certainly won't disappoint you! Starting off with an absolute killer-song 'So Strange So Strange' that is extremely addictive and wild.

Further you'll be amazed by tracks like 'She's Wearing Rainbows In Her Hair' or 'Make Her Mine'. 

And finally you will also discover the slightly softer garage psych-tunes of the Ev!l FUZZHEADS in songs like 'You Creep Me Out' or 'My Hands Belong To The Devil'.

The perfect mix for any garage head who digs fuzzy, organ driven 60's garage-psych-rock!

WAY COOL SPLATTERED WAX, LIMITED TO 100 COPIES ONLY, JUST AVAILABLE FROM SOUNDFLAT MAILORDER !!!

Support the band by purchasing a digital copy here: 

https://theevilfuzzheads.bandcamp.com/releases

Blues Pills - Holy Moly!

Originally planned for April 2020,  NUCLEAR BLAST Records finally released at the end of August, "Holy Moly!" the third and long-awaited studio album of the Sweden's rock sensation BLUES PILLS. 

This new full length is certainly the band's best record to this day, displaying a fantastic range of psychedelic tunes, soaring soundscapes, emotional hymns and Elin Larsson's powerful soul voice!

So it was time for this blog to talk to guitar player and founding member Zack Anderson.

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about Blues Pills to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys together as a band?  There have been various changes in the band over the years. Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? 

We are a rock band with blues/soul/psychedelic influences.  Elin and myself formed the band in 2011, and there’s been various line up changes over the years.   Currently our lineup is: Elin Larsson - Vocals; Zack Anderson - Guitar; Andre Kvarnström - Drums; Kristoffer Schander - Bass

2) About the latest full length record "Holy Moly!", what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

The recording process was somewhere in between.  It was important for us to get a live feeling, but since this was before Kristoffer joined the band it was just Me, Elin and Andre in the studio, so totally live wasn’t really possible. The three of us played together to track the drums and get as much live feeling as possible.  Then I would go back and add a bass, and more guitars.  And finally vocals.  The downside to recording this way is sometimes you don't know if you got it right until your at the end of adding everything, so some songs we would be done, then trash it all and start over up to 4-5 times.  Not because we felt it wasn't "perfect" technically, because we don't care so much about that, but if the feeling wasn't right or the emotion wasn't coming across right.


3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you guys only work with analog machines in analog studios?

The first two albums we recorded and mixed totally analog.  The newest album  Holy Moly! was a hybrid because it was all analog on the front end during tracking, but then everything was put to the computer and the files sent to Andrew Scheps for mixing. There is a lot of analog and vintage equipment which I love and wouldn't want to record without, but for me the question about analog vs digital is more about workflow than the sound for me.   My main concern is getting the source right.  I used to be firmly in the analog camp because my first experiences with digital were not that great, but nowadays there is some really good sounding converters, and my opinion is it's a lot more important the choice of guitar, amp, microphone, high quality preamp, etc.  If you get all that right, and use nice converters, its going to sound great, and I would choose a high end digital setup vs, a shitty tape machine any day.  Don't get me wrong though, I still love to record on tape.  It can be a lot more fun and exciting to see the tape machine running vs, looking at a computer screen, and it forces you to make decisions in a different way which I like.  At the end of the day it's all just tools and great sounding albums have been made on both.

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

Elin and I formed the band, and have always been the main songwriters.  That said the others are definitely involved as well.  Usually it starts with me or Elin, having a general idea or some kind of outline for a song, then we show it to the others and finish as a group.  In some cases, like with the song Proud Woman, it was actually born from a jam.  We just started to play and stumbled upon it, it kind of just happened, so every song is different.

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?

For me, I definitely get more inspired to write lyrics by negative emotions like sadness, anger, heartbreak, things like that.  I don't know, I am not a depressed person, but it just feels a lot easier for me to write songs when it gets triggered by those things.


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

In my early teens I was interested in music I was sort of searching and listening to different styles of music to see what I liked.  The thing that changed it was when I was 14 I first heard Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes.  I had just started to play guitar and I learned that song, and pretty much from that moment I got hooked and wanted to be in a band.  At that point my music tastes started to shift towards more "vintage" styled music.  Soon I bought a Jimi Hendrix greatest hits CD, and I listened to that constantly.  By the time I was 17 I discovered Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, and from there I just continued down this path of discovering more and more music from that era.  Even though it's old music, as a teenager in the early 2000's it felt like something totally new and fresh to me, because it was so different from what you heard on the radio.

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP? 

Right now there is three, Proud Woman, Low Road, and Rhythm in the Blood..  We also have plans to make at least one more.



8) What can concert goers expect at a Blues Pills? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the gig? 

The set is basically 98% our original songs, but we have sometimes done covers.  Some of them were more obscure unknown songs.  Although we did a cover of "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane...  The festival goers always liked it.

9) Are there any bands in Sweden today you consider yourself close to musically speaking?

There is quite a lot of bands playing music inspired by vintage rock, etc. in Sweden, so the list could go on forever.  But some of the more well known ones are Graveyard, Witchcraft, Spiders, Horisont, Troubled Horse...

10) How would You describe the music you're playing? Is this strictly blues, like the name of the band might suggest or do you consider there is way more than that?  

I think when some people think of the blues they think of more pure blues like BB King or something... and we are far away from that.  In comparison it's almost like hard rock, but for sure there's always this undertone of blues in our music.  When the band was formed we were so inspired by Peter Green and wanted to get a similar feeling into our music.  So our idea of blues when we named the band was more this progressive British blues, like Black Magic Woman, Green Manalishi, and Rattlesnake Shake type of songs.   I think of us more of a rock band in general as a base, but then pulling in other influences and adding them, like soul, psychedelic, blues, country... etc.

11) What are the plans for the rest of 2020 as far as Blues Pills is concerned?
We are just rehearsing and waiting to be able to tour and play live again.  It's about all we can do now in these corona times unfortunately.



Purchase the goodies HERE:
https://www.nuclearblast.de/fr/products/tontraeger/vinyl/lp/blues-pills-holy-moly-red-black-splatter-vinyl.html

Special Thanks to Markus.

The Reflectors - First Impression

The REFLECTORS are a power pop/rock'n'roll four piece hailing for Los Angeles, California. Influenced by the likes of Buzzcocks or, closer to their hometown, The Plimsouls or The Nerves, the quartet has released the most utterly perfect debut album, the aptly titled "First Impression". And never was a first impression so convincing. Just the right amount of crunchy guitars, hooks a plenty and instant melodies.

The expression "All killers and no fillers" is often used but in the case of The REFLECTORS, it is the totally true. Purchase immediately two copies of this brilliant album because this record is so good that your first copy will very quickly be worn out! 

This blog had an interesting conversation with James Carman, singer and guitar player in THE REFLECTORS.

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about The Reflectors to introduce yourselves? How long are you guys together as a band?  Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? How are you doing in these strange times?

Greetings - We are The Reflectors and we are a Los Angeles based punk and power-pop entity. Formally known as "Images", The Reflectors have now been together for 2 years. We have been a band ever since our childhood, each one of us listening and loving the same music. It's what ultimately inspired us to begin our journey.

The Reflectors are: James Carman (guitar/vox), Johnny Reyes (drums), Ryan Miranda (bass), Nick Faciane (guitar/vox). We are doing pretty good during these strange and Orwellian times. Every day there is a new challenge but as a society we need to recognize and be aware of our surroundings and the people that occupy them. Treat one another with respect and dignity, be the change that we all speak of. I hope for the best outcome after this is all said and done.

2) About the full length record "First Impression", what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

We recorded "First Impression" at Jazzcats studios in Long Beach with Jonny Bell. He has an incredible set up with analog tape machines. It is eventually processed into ProTools Digitally - but the charm is always there. We always record live and then overdub what we need to. We like to keep the process as simple as possible.

3) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you guys only work with analog machines in analog studios?

Always prefer Analog first - we haven't experimented outside of it but we may in the future.

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

James and Nick are the main songwriters but everyone has a massive role on how these songs pan out. We have been playing so long together that we can sort of read each other's minds when it comes to songwriting.

5) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?

 Anything that is troubling, really. Most songs stem from a way a person feels or a message they are trying to get across. It's also fun to create a narrative in songs - something people can recognize and relate to. And almost every song sounds better with some good harmonies!

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

We grew up listening to all things punk, new wave, rock n roll in all shapes and forms. 3 bands that we loved as a teenager and still inspire us today: 1) Buzzcocks 2) Exploding Hearts 3) The Cars

7) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP?  "Storm And Thunder"



8) What can concert goers expect at a gig of The Reflectors? Are you playing any famous cover songs? 

Well don't expect a gig for a long time! But we like to play with pure excitement and energy. For all of us, there's no better feeling! We hope to get back to gigging soon. Once in every blue moon, you'll hear us playing "Ever Fallen In Love" by Buzzcocks. A tribute to the great Pete Shelley.

9) Are there any bands in California today you consider yourself close to, musically speaking?

The Tearaways featuring Clem Burke, Exploding Flowers, Adult Toys, The Resonars (from AZ), Mogg.

10) Can you explain what the beef is with Burger records and why you choose to longer continue your partnership with Burger Records? Here in Europe we did not get the full explanation and we really would love to have it.

Sexual allegations against some of their earliest bands signed to the label and within some of the staff as well. Once we learned of these allegations, we decided to separate all ties from the label immediately.

11) What are the plans for 2020 as far as The Reflectors are concerned?

We have plans to track our second album with a single. Stay tuned!

12) Anything you wanna add?

Hope everyone is well and safe! These troubling times have been detrimental to our souls - we need to be stronger inside as well as outside. Make sure to support locally and not large corporations who are turning a massive profit at the expense of our lives. Keep up your faith, good health, and be kind to one another! Over and out.

Purchase this flawless album HERE: https://reflectors.bandcamp.com/album/first-impression

Psychotic Youth celebrates 35 years in 2020

Despite Corona and the lack of a live stage, 2020 is the year for the Göteborg band 
PSYCHOTIC YOUTH to shine. The band turns an incredible 35 years old and celebrates this by reissuing two of their most famous full lengths, by releasing a brand new album and by streaming a live show.

The band arose in 1985 and by 1989 the label Radium Records released the album "Some Fun" which would become style-forming in its genre of hard fast guitar-pop with voices that would make Beach Boys jealous. Surf, punk and power-pop have been mentioned in the band's wake. 

And with additional albums in the 90's like "Be In The Sun", "Juice!" and "Pop" these gentlemen made their mark on many bands around the world before dropping the guitars (temporarily) in 1999. 

CASSETTE PRINTED IN 60 EX

On July 1, the cassette "RETRO" was released with 14 newly recorded songs in the true garage rock spirit and printed only in 60 copies. 

This is to celebrate their very first release in 1985 which was a - cassette, which was also printed in 60 copies. Sold only through direct contact with the band to affectionate fans.











STREAMED CONCERT ON 28 AUGUST 2020
First up is a streamed concert through the streaming company QTech (broadcast on Friday 28 August 20:00 via Facebook and www.qtech.se).


"STEREOIDS REVISITED" will be released on 29 AUGUST 2020

And the very next day, a remixed version of "STEREOIDS REVISITED" will be released in
transparent green vinyl. This version will feature a new mix by Christian Jacobsen - the Norwegian wizard who is internationally known for working with bands like Yum Yums, The Dahlmanns etc. 



"FOREVER AND NEVER" will be released on October 30 

This will be the 14th album by PSYCHOTIC YOUTH  and  it's featuring new material of driven Power pop that mixes with heavier Detroit punk, fuzzy garage and a slew of 50's influences. The vinyl will come in a tasteful turquoise vinyl.  

Waterslide Records in Japan will release a CD version that will include 2 bonus tracks.



"BAMBOOZLE" will be released on November 6


This is the second reissue. This album is best know for its covers of the hit "Japanese boy" and for its brilliant rendition of "How long will it take" originally by the Plimsouls.

The record will  be pressed on a beautiful red transparent vinyl.  


For more information about the various reissues or about the brand new record you can easily go to: 
www.redwest.se

The Yum Yums - For Those About to Pop

Since the release of their first single "Girls Like That", in 1994, The Yums Yums have always been a band dear to my Powerpoppers' heart. 6 years in the making, but finally here is their latest release, the aptly titled "For Those About To Pop!" And it was certainly worth the wait because this is probably their best offering so far. 

It's got everything one loves so much about the Yum-Yums: instant vocal melodies, powerful playing, bubblegum backing vocals, hooks a plenty and endless stories about girls, girls and girls. 

There are many versions of this new album but this blog choose the Japanese version released on WATERSLIDE Records. 

Today Morten Henriksen is the only remaining member of the Yums-Yums yours truly witnessed at the Pit's way back in the day. So it was a pleasure for this blog to have the opportunity to interview him. Here it goes:

1) For the viewers of this blog who would not know you, What would you tell about The YUM YUMS to introduce yourselves? What was your musical background? Who is playing what instrument in the band nowadays? 

Well. The Yum Yums are a power pop / pop punk band from Norway, who has been around since 1993. We have released 5 albums, a 10’’ mini album and a bunch of singles and toured all around the world!

2) One quick look at the names of the people who played on "Girls like that" and the ones who play these days on "For Those About to Pop" and it is obvious those are totally different musicians. So are YOU the Yum-Yums? Could you play the same music with anybody filling in on bass, drums and 2nd guitar?

Ha ha… yes, I think we can say that I am The Yum Yums as I am the only member of the band from the start, plus I am the songwriter and singer of the band. We have had lots of lineup changes, but the sound of the band seem to be consistent. We actually just got a new bass player, a good addition to the band! A good back-up singer, too!

3) Usually the voice of a singer tends to get deeper and deeper in tones with the age. Iggy Pop is a fine example, he started out, ....well like Iggy... and now he has the voice of a Baritone. So my question is: From one grandpa to another, how do you manage at your venerable age to still have the voice of a 16 years old teenager?

I don’t really know. I haven’t done anything to keep it this way. I didn’t start singing before I was 30, so the voice wasn’t worn out already. That may have something to do with it. I write songs that don’t need a graspy rock’n’roll voice. Nice pop songs do the trick! I remember, at a very early age, that I would never be Noddy Holder (Slade) or Paul Stanley (Kiss), anyway.

4) About the newly released full length record "For Those About to Pop",  what can you tell about the recording process? Was this a "live" in the studio recording or a track by track recording with lots of overdubs? 

We actually spent 6 years writing songs and recording them. It was when the Covid thing hit in the middle of march, I found time to draw the line and finish the album… We really had too many songs to choose from, but I am really happy with the choices we made. A little bit of pop punk, a little bit of standard pop, a little bit of glam rock and hints of doo wop and surf music thrown in. I think it’s our best album so far! So, we sent the files to our mixer, who also suddenly had time to mix. Luckily Perry Travolta also had time to master it!

Usually we record the drums in a real recording studio, with click-track demos. The guitars we did in our practice place. The bass, vocals and percussion I did at home, on my mac! I have to give it to our mixing guy Christian Jacobsen, who did a fantastic job! He is also my son in law, and helps out on keyboard!

5) Do you use the nowadays digital recording technology or do you only work with analog machines in analog studios?

Being a Mac guy, I LOVE recording digitally! I like being in control of the process! I got to have real drums and real guitar amps, though.

6) To what kind of music did you listen to as teenagers? What were your favorite bands as a teenager? Name 3 bands that you consider still have an influence on your own work today?

I can name one. The Ramones!!! Well, actually the whole punk rock movement were a huge influence, and so were the late 70’s power pop bands. I also have to mention the glam/glitter wave of the early 70’s, who I still listen to and steal ideas from! Oh… and 60’s bubblegum, of course!

7) What is your favorite topic/topic that comes easily when you write a new song?

I’ll give you one guess…

8) If I were to describe The YUM YUMS as a "power pop band with a lot of power and a little bit of bubblegum pop", would you agree with this description? Would you be proud of it or do you consider there is way more than that?

It’s a pretty good description, and I would be proud to claim that. There is more though. I get inspired by all kinds of music with good melodies. Standard pop, vocal surf, girl groups, doo wop… and more!

9) Do you have a new video on youtube featuring a track from the LP?? 

No, we don’t… The Covid situation put a stop to that, but we’re looking into it! We absolutely should make something.

In the meantime, here is some live footage at Punk Rock Raduno 4

10) What can concert goers expect at a The YUM YUMS gig? Are you playing any famous cover songs during the concert? 

It’s hard for me to say what to expect. A good time, I guess! We always do some covers, especially some from our early recordings. Out Of Luck, Chewy Chewy, Valerie, Wig Wam Bam, All Kindsa Girls, Walking Out On Love, We Just Wanna Dance, Rush Hour… We have too many originals to focus on, these days. And a new album doesn’t make it easier… but we may surprise you…

11) Are there any bands around the world today you consider yourself close to musically speaking?

With Lucy and Geoff

Yes, quite a few… musically and personal… Psychotic Youth, The Queers, Chixdiggit, Dan Vapid, Kurt Baker Combo / Band, Tommy and The Rockets; The Spazzys  / Lucy and The Rats; Geoff Palmer; Suzy and Los Quattro and many more!

12) What are the plans for the rest of 2020 as far as The YUM YUMS are concerned?

An old dream is to play Belgium’s Sjock Festival. Maybe next year? Due to the already mentioned Covid situation, we’re not getting our hopes up for this year. I guess we’ll just keep on writing songs and release new records! Hopefully it won’t be 6 years until the next album. Famous last words ha ha…

13) Anything you wanna add?

Caroline and The Treats are back! Look out for a new album this year!

Purchase the Japanese CD version here: http://watersliderecords.net/?pid=152176447

CDs are also available on:
Rum Bar Records in the USA
House Of Rock Records in Norway / Europe
And the LP is released on Screaming Apple Records in Germany

Thee MARTIAN BOYFRIENDS! - Take Over The World

 

It's been exactly 10 years since the release of Thee MARTIAN BOYFRIENDS self titled debut CD. Things changed radically in this period of time. Eric St John is the only remaining original member of Thee MARTIAN BOYFRIENDS. From a quartet the band is now reduced to a 3 piece. New comers are drummer Paul HAMESSE with whom Eric also plays in the VICE BARONS and Eric's daughter IRIS who is now playing bass.

So it is fair to say that half of the VICE BARONS are present on these recordings.

The sound of the band has also evolved during this period of time. 10 years ago Thee MARTIAN BOYFRIENDS were some frantic 60's garage outfit mainly influenced by the "Back from the grave" compilations.

These days, the fuzz is still there but way more in the background of the songs. On most of the tunes, clean, drenched in reverb guitars are mostly playing in the foreground and they wrap all these newly recorded tracks up in some melancholycal mood. You might even hear some acoustic guitar on "Dance around the fire". This new guitar sounds is really a direction in which Thee Martian Boyfriends want to experiment in the future.



The group is really proud of these new recordings that manage to capture the primitive and melancholical side of their sound. All the tracks on this new album are originals written and composed by Eric St JOHN. No covers on this one.

The cover art of the album, as for the previous one, reflects the band's love for 50's Sci-Fi movies. But this time around you will notice that all ambiguity is gone: creatures from the Red Planet (that is Mars, for you Morons) are REALLY gonna take over the world!

 







The vinyl version will be release on RAVING POP BLAST on September 7th

To purchase a vinyl copy go to:

raving-pop-blast.bandcamp.com/album/take-over-the-world