Saturday, December 27, 2008

SEVEN INCHES OF WAX 2008 alphabetical

Bad Luck # 13- The Rocky Road To Ruin 7" NIM Records

I saw Bad Luck #13 live for the first time in '89 or '90 and thought they were horrible. What a shitty punk rock band with an annoying singer. That was my first encounter, a year or so later I wound up seeing them perform in Fredericton where I met Mike for the first time [we were waiting in the washroom and in typical Mike fashion, he asked me if I minded and I ask "minded what?", he said if could he piss in the sink, great first meeting]. Anyways, Mike and I struck up a friendship which continued when he lived in Saint John. He turned me on to all sorts of '77 punk and whatnot, shit like the Dickies, SLF, Forgotten Rebels and many many more so I grew to love Bad Luck #13 and began to hear their influences. During this time, I also became close friends with Ray 13 who to this day still points me in the right direction of bands to check out. The rest of the lads I came to respect, admire and consider friends, thanks Denis, Chard and Claude. But enough history, on with the review..
What we have in "The Rocky Road to Ruin" is four classic three chord{?} punk rock songs from a veteran band who are also Maritime punk rock legends [in my mind]. These guys were a band I would travel to see whenever I could and always had a blast due to some of the songs found on this release.
The A side contains the number "Never Need a Reason" a beer drinking song if there ever was one, a classic to be heard live with a pint in hand and singing along too. Next up "My minds made up..again" a catchy punk rock song that'll have you dancing in your room.
The B side contains one of my all time favorite Bad Luck #13 songs "The Power and The Glory", a song about the changes the guys have seen in the punk rock scenes over the years and the fact that a lot of the old punks don't stick around. The line "Shithead and DeSadist know what I mean, there's been too many changes in a punk rock scene" hits home. It's songs like these that make me glad to be in my late thirties and still love punk rock. Now the final track" The F13 Soccer Squad" a fun song and even more fun when you know the guys it's written about. I made the mistake of playing soccer once with these lads and was sore for a few days afterwards... memories.
So to sum it up, an important release from a great band with the sound being touched up since the original recording and for songs that were written 12 to 15 years ago, they have stood the test of time.
The 7" was released on Dec 1, 2007 at the Bad Luck #13 reunion show, there is only 300 made of which there are 200 black vinyl and 100 green vinyl [the green completely sold out at the show]. (DB)

The DAMNSELS – s/t 7” (no label)
Surprise debut release by this fairly new trio that deserves kudos for opting for the glorious vinyl format. Right from the opening track Legend, the listener is in for a fun listen. This is firmly set on the poppier side of punk which may dissuade some AKG readers, but given a chance one will hear the a scrappy young punk band with vocals not unlike vintage Kim Shattuck (without overdoing it). The playing is rock solid but thankfully, there still is a certain un-jaded amateurishness in evidence that only a young band can possess and once lost, can never get back. Very good. (RA)

FEAR of LIPSTICK - Indie Band 7” (It’s Alive)
Finally, we have the long awaited vinyl release by Fear of Lipstick who were inexplicably trumped last year by their offshoot band the Varsity Weirdos. Was the wait worth it? You bet. Four slabs of high-energy modern-day pop punk with nods to Screeching Weasel and Green Day. The title track is worth the price of admission alone, a biting stab at local bands applying for and receiving government grants. As with all releases on It’s Alive, it’s a pretty slick presentation with great production. This band is definitely ready and worthy of a full length. (RA)

Sunday, February 10, 2008

2007 WAX alphabetical

The Kids - The Kids LP 2007 reissue (Havoc/Sonik Chicken Shrimp)

To call this record a punk classic is, of course, subjective. Yes, the curled lipped punk surliness of prime '70s punk is evident in the attitude and execution of the music, but, to me, this is simply a really good--but not classic--slab of '50s inspired rock 'n' roll with a twist of punk mixed in for good measure (wince worthy lyrics included).

Simply put, the music found in the grooves of this fine record is anthemic, lively, unsophisticated, warts 'n' all punk rock that evokes--at least to my ears--the fiery spirit of some mighty musical mavericks: Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Damned and The Ramones (heck, throw in a some Pistols for good measure).

The Kids play a blistering brand of punk rock that is loud, swift and surly. It is the sound of a band hopped up on cheap booze, bravado, youthful energy and a strong dose of cut-price speed. The music isn't anti-social or nihilistic; rather, it's music that embraces the communal spirit. It is music that--like all good music should--inspires people to dance, engage in drunken revelry and enjoy the company of the opposite sex. I think even old Chucky B. would be roundly impressed by these brash and bold Euro punk rockers!

Having said this, The Kids cannot match the adrenaline fueled mayhem of the first Damned record nor can they equal the aggressive energy, street smarts and pop sensibility of The Ramones. How could they? Both bands produced genre defining debuts, records that are primo slabs of punk rock godliness! Christ, the Damned even had Rat Scabies, the Keith Moon of punk rock, on drums!

For me, the beauty of this record lies in the energy and simplicity of the music. The songs, for the most part, are quite good and are played with attitude, energy and conviction (terrible lyrics included). The Kids should be commended for successfully amalgamating (and unapologetically embracing) the primitive energy of '50s rock 'n' roll with the attitude, angst and working-class grit of '70s punk rock. Just ignore the terribly dated lyrics. (MG)
Rating: 3.75/5


Mob 47 - Karnvapen Attack 7" reissue 2007 (Havoc)

At long last, we get a legitimate reissue of this hardcore classic by the fine folks at Havoc. In what is now a common trait in Northern European punk, this young band took the raging power of Discharge and injected it with the hyper speed of North American bands such as the Neos and MDC. The result was a furious assault that set the bar for all Scandinavian hardcore. The influence and importance of this Swedish trio cannot be overstated. Recommended. (RA)
Rating: 4.5/5

The Sadies - New Seasons LP 2007 (Yep Roc)
With each new album, the Sadies are more confident and rely more on their secret weapon: their songwriting. Any idiot can acknowledge that they have been the country's best live band for years, but now the novelty instrumentals and well-chosen country covers have given way to fantastic psychedelic/country folk/rock n' roll masterpieces. Every new album is better than the last, so let's hope they stick around for at least another decade. (RA)
rating: 4.5/5

Monday, February 4, 2008

LAST CALL - Ale Knight Obituary

Rock n' roll is now well over fifty years old so it is eminent that its practitioners go over to the other dimension regardless on how they conducted themselves here on Earth. As my good friend Tuna observed, "It's only gonna get worse". Have a drink for those who have served.

Mickey Dread -
reggae musician and producer (died on March 15, 2008, aged 54 of a brain tumor)
Born Michael Campbell in Port Antonio, Jamaica, Dread first made waves as the host of the overnight JBC radio show Dread At The Controls. The pioneering show was the first Jamaican radio program to focus on then-underground reggae music. Dread championed the cause by playing artists like King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and Linval Thompson, none of which could otherwise be heard on the conservatively run station. Moving into producion Dread was a vital contributor to the Clash, producing their "Bank Robber" single and co-producing the Sandinista! full length. While in the UK he narrated a six-part series on Jamaican culture for the BBC entitled Deep Roots Music. The early 80s also gave rise to important solo full lengths such as `81's Beyond World War 3 and `84's Pave The Way. A true pioneer who will be missed.

Mike Smith - lead singer of The Dave Clark Five, died Thursday Feb 28, 2008 aged 64.
The cause was pneumonia, a complication of a spinal cord injury he sustained in 2003.

The Dave Clark Five were a big part of the British Invasion of the early 1960s and had lots of hits including “Glad All Over,” “Catch Us If You Can” and “Over and Over.” The band made 12 appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show by 1966. Smith also played keyboards and co-wrote songs for the band, which was founded by its drummer, Dave Clark.

Mike Conley - vocalist for early eighties hardcore outfit M.I.A. (found dead in a hotel parking lot early on Feb 28th 2008).

While never hugely popular in comparison with heavyweights such as Black Flag or Dead Kennedys, M.I.A. did have a decent following due to some excellent melodic hardcore. As time went on, their sound changed and progressed much to the ire of influential punk zine Maximumrockandroll.

At the time of writing, the coroner report stated that he appeared to have suffered head injuries and his death is deemed as being suspicious.

Willie P. Bennett - Canadian folksinger and mandolin player (died Feb 15, 2008 of a heart attack, aged 56)
This revered singer-songwriter was a veritable institution at folk festivals across the country during the 1970's. After several records under his own name and with other groups, he became of prominent member of country-folk singer Fred Eaglesmith's Flying Squirrels band playing harmonica and mandolin.
He gained renewed fame in the late 1990s, when the band Blackie and The Rodeo Kings (Stephen Fearing, Tom Wilson and Colin Linden) formed to do a tribute album to him. The band itself was named after one of Bennett's songs. He had suffered a heart attack in 2007 and had effectively retired from Eaglesmith's touring band but was reportedly in good health just before his death.

Sean Finnegan - drummer Void (died January 30, 2008, aged 43 of a heart attack)
Alas, does anyone remember Void? The one heavy band to come out of the DC hardcore era will forever be enshrined into the hardcore punk hall of fame for that incredible split album they released with fellow punks The Faith in September 1982 known simply as the Faith/Void split. Their song Who Are You is alone worth the price of admission and Sean's drumming is manic to say the least.

Dave "Day" Havlicek - banjo player The Monks (died January 10, 2008 as result of injuries suffered during a heart attack)
Anyone familiar with The Monks will know that they were the least conventional of all the proto punk sixties garage bands. For one thing, they were all US marines stationed in Germany and secondly they had a banjo player that made that instrument sound like something from another dimension. No, these were not ordinary guys. Thanks to this golden age of reissues, their fantastic landmark album Black Monk Time is readily available from finer record shops in your area.

Friday, January 4, 2008

2007 TOP TEN LISTS

From a myriad group of idiosyncratic twits:

Ray 13 (AKG editor, rock n' roll epicure, armchair anarchist, ale drinker)
1. The Sadies - New Seasons LP
2. Exploding Hearts - Guitar Romantic (vinyl reissue) LP
3. Subhumans - Internal Riot LP
4. Rick White - Memoreaper LP
5. Exploding Hearts - Shattered LP
6. Feist - The Reminder LP
7. Tranzmittors - s/t LP
8. Bad Brains - Build A Nation LP
9. Wolfbrigade - Prey To The World LP
10. Petunia & The Loons - s/t CD

Matt Mean (increasingly domesticated man about town)
No particular order:
- Twistin Rumble Volumes 1 - 4 (Hip-dislocation inducing party platters sold to me by Crypt Tim personally!)
- The Fleshtones, Lyres, Wildebeest, Sonics, DJ Norton Billy & Mariam, DJ Jeff Connelly (Cavestomp 07)
- The Sadies – New Seasons LP
- Loco-Moncton vinyl releases - Fear of Liptick, The Damnsels, Bad Luck #13 and Varsity Weirdos
- The Exploding Hearts – Guitar Romantic (reissue) – LP
- Sweat (book) – The story of the Fleshtones, America’s Garage Band by Joe Bonimo
- Bloodshot Bill pomade + Live Show + Rolling Stones Juke Box Series Split 7 " w/ Rockin’Enocky
- King Kahn and BBQ Show – Teabag Party 7" ep
- The Laundromat Bar featuring the Tropical Wheat barf-o-rama in the summer of 07 – Sorry Jen!
- Tony Truant & the Fleshtones – Allo Brooklyn, Ici Montmartre 10"

Craig Pinhey (drinker of beer, wine & spirits)
1. Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder CD
2. Any Trouble - Life In Reverse CD
3. Graham Parker- Don't Tell Columbus CD
4. Joel Plaskett - Ashtray Rock CD
5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga CD
6. Nick Lowe - At My Age CD
7. Buck 65 - Situation CD
8. Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen (reissue) CD
9. Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True (reissue with bonus live CD from 1978)
10. Robbie Fulks - Revenge (live) dbl CD

Tuna (former rock n' roll manager, alcohol vendor, bbq king)
In reverse order
10. The opening of The Laundromat Expresso Bar in Moncton, NB
9. C.W. Stoneking - King Hokum LP
8. The Emperors - Karate b/w My Baby Likes To Boogaloo 7"
7. Bloodshot Bill (and his Nice & Greasy Pomade) live at the Paramount Lounge X 2
6. Bad Luck # 13 -The Rocky Road To Ruin 7" + reunion/release show
5. Luis & The Wildfires - Brain Jail LP
4. Tony Truant & The Fleshtones - Allo Brooklyn ,Ici Montmartre 10"
3. The Wildebeests - Annie Get Your GNU LP
2. The Black Lips/King Khan & the BBQ Show - Merry Christmas 7"
1. Cavestomp 2007 Featuring The SONICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ken Kelley (Monoxides, music columnist)
1. The Bees – Octopus CD
2. Bloc Party – A Weekend In The City CD
3. Jesse Malin - Glitter In The Gutter CD
4. Kings Of Leon – Because Of The Times CD
5. Los Lobos – The Town & The City CD
6. Queens of The Stone Age - Era Vulgeris CD
7. Rooney – Calling The World CD
8. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger & Follow The Lights CDEP
9. Teddy Thompson – Up Front And Down Low CD
10. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky CD

Glen Bourgeois (prog-centric DJ, archivist, web master, fan etc.)
1) Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 CD
2) The Travelling Wilburys - Travelling Wilburys (boxed set) CD
3) Morse Code - Procreation (reissue) CD
4) Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full CD
5) The Moody Blues - Seventh Sojourn (reissue) CD
6) Maneige - s/t (reissue) CD
7) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand CD
8) The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (reissue) CD
9) Radiohead - In Rainbows CD
10) Rooney - Calling the World CD

Metal Matt (record store clerk, vinyl addict)
1. Brutal Knights - Feast of Shame LP
2. D.I. - Horse Bites, Dog Cries (Reissue) LP
3. The Kids - S/T (Reissue) LP
4. Bad Luck #13 - The Rocky Road to Ruin 7"
5. Career Suicide - Attempted Suicide LP
6. Statues - New People Make Us Nervous LP
7. Fear of Lipstick - Indie Band 7"
8. Brutal Knights - Living By Yourself 12"
9. Wolfbrigade - Prey to the World LP
10. Damnsels - s/t 7"

Mark McGrath (unassuming audiophile, consumer of heaviness, beer hunter)
1. Aerogramme - My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go CD
2. Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade CD
3. Cobalt - Eater of Birds CD
4. Deathspell Omega -
Fas, Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum CD
5. The Editors - An End Has A Start CD
6. Interpol - Our Love To Admire CD
7. The End - Elementary CD
8. Band of Horses - Cease To Begin CD
9. Sigur Ros "Hvarf/Heim" CD
10. Air Formation - Daylight Storms CD


PJ Giant (music promoter, alcohol drinker, bass player, local legend)
1 - High On Fire - Death Is This Communion CD
2 - Pride Tiger - The Lucky Ones CD
3 - Clutch - From Beale Street To Oblivion CD
4 - C'mon - Bottled Lightning LP
5 - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 CD
6 - Fu Manchu - We Must Obey CD
7 - The Sadies - New Seasons CD
8 - Baroness - The Red Album CD
9 - Alabama Thunderpussy - Open Fire CD
10 - Monster Magnet - 4-Way Diablo CD


Remi Leclair ( a comic hunter indeed )
1. The Sadies - New Seasons CD
2. Clutch - From Beale Street To Oblivion CD
3. The Ocean - Precambrian CD
4. Zozobra - Harmonic Tremors CD
5. Pelican - City Of Echoes CD
6. Rush - Snakes & Arrows CD
7. Monster Magnet - 4-Way Diablo CD
8. Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris CD
9. C'mon - Bottled Lightning Of An All Time High LP
10. Akimbo - Navigating the Bronze CD


Eric Neurotic (very polite record store clerk, Fear of Lipstick, Varsity Weirdos)
1. The Exploding Hearts - Shattered LP
2. The Chinese Telephones - s/t LP
3. The Vicious - Igen 7"
4. Red Dons - Death to Idealism LP
5. Revisions - Revised Observations LP
6. The Damnsels - s/t 7"
7. Statues - Same Bodies Same Faces 7"
8. The Potential Johns - s/t 7"
9. Bad Luck #13 - The Rocky Road to Ruin 7"
10. The Cute Lepers - So Screwed Up 7"


Marc Doucet (currently drummer for the Robins and Burnt Offerings / vinyl junkie)
1. Bad Brains - Build A Nation CD
2. Warsaw - s/t LP (reissue w/ bonus tracks)
3. The Kids - s/t LP (reissue)
4. Rick White - Memoreaper LP
5. Subhumans - Internal Riot LP
6. The Damnsels - s/t 7"
7. White Stripes - Icky Thump CD
8. Bad Luck #13 - The Rocky Road To Ruin 7"
9. The Eat - It's Not The Eat, It's The Humidity dbl LP
10. Eric's Trip - Bootleg LP

Steve Hickox (The Monoxides / fabulous impersonator)
1. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 CD
2. The Redwalls - s/t CD
3. The Redwalls - The Wall to Wall Sessions CD
4. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times CD
5. The Go - Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride CD
6. Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full CD
7. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss - Raising Sand CD
8. Clutch - From Beale Street to Obliveon CD
9. Down - Over The Under CD
10. John Mellencamp - Freedom's Road CD

Mark Gaudet (Purple Knight / The Robins / Funeral Fog / Eric's Trip etc.)
1. Subhumans-Internal Riot LP
2. Funeral Fog-Channeling Ancient Shadows CD
3. Darkthrone - Fuck Off And Die CD
4. Mayhem-Ordo Ad Chao CD
5. Bad Brains-Build A Nation CD
6. H.I.M.-Venus Doom CD
7. White Stripes-Icky Thump CD
8. Paul Stanley-Live To Win CD
9. Rick White Album-Memoreaper LP
10. Ronnie LeBlanc - Jack Slaps Magic Hat CD

Gavin MacNeil (AKG contributor / dangerous man / noise merchant, CBLA agitator)
1. Nappy Brown - Live performance in February, George's Roadhouse Sackville, in a snow storm.
2. Statues - New People Make Me Nervous LP
3. Bad Luck #13 - Live performance w/ Fear of Lipstick, The Manhattan, Moncton, Dec 1st.
4. Minutemen - We Jam Econo DVD
5. Bloodshot Bill - Live performance, The Paramount, Moncton
6. The Evens - Live performance in Fredericton, Charlotte Street Arts Centre
7. The Moths! - Games/Wild Birds/Valentine - ep
8. Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets LP (check out their Police Story cover)
9. C'mon - Bottled Lightning LP, great packaging and an absolute amazing single track - "unh"
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows - I own a couple of tracks but I am putting this up for the pure corporate chaos it created.

Mike Gerber (AKG contributor / music junkie / bass player)
1/ Betty Davis- They Say I'm Different (reissue) CD
2/ Sandy Denny- Live At The BBC CD
3/ Betty Davis- Betty Davis (reissue) CD
4/ Unsane- Visqueen CD
5/ Profanatica- Profanatitas De Domonatia CD
6/ Ramesses- Misanthropic Alchemy CD
7/ OM- Pilgrimage CD
8/ Mayhem- Ordo Ad Chao CD
9/ Queens of the Stone Age- Era Vulgaris CD
10/ Cadaver in Drag- Raw Child CD


Daryl Buote (AKG contributor/ correspondent / rock n' roll enthusiast)
1. Jesse Malin - Glitter In The Gutter CD
2. Saint Alvia Cartel -s/t CD
3. Neurosis - Given To The Rising dbl LP
4. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger CD / Follow the Lights EP
5. Manic Street Preachers - Send Away The Tigers CD
6. Coffin Birth - The Miracle Of Death CD
7. David Francey - Right of Passage CD
8. Discipline - Downfall of The Working Man CD
9. Bruce Springsteen - Magic CD
10. Norma MacDonald - Nothing Is Where It Was CD

Bruce McKiel (Prodigal Son Living in Vancouver)
1. Brant Bjork & The Bros - Somera Sol CD
2. The Pack - Tintype CD
3. Bison - Earthbound CD
4. The Forbidden Dimension - A Cool Sound Outta Hell LP
5. The Fucking Champs - VI LP
6. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy CD
7. The Great Outdoors - Food, Booze & Entertainment CD
8. Rick White -Memoreaper LP
9. 3 Inches Of Blood - Fire Up The Blades CD
10. Akron/Family-Love Is Simple CD

Billy Battershill (Saint-John rocker)
1. Jesse Malin - Glitter in the Gutter CD
2. Saint Alvia Cartel - s/t CD
3. Coffin Birth - The Miracle of Death CD
4. Chaz Matthews - I Hate These Songs CD
5. Bruce Springsteen - Magic CD
6. Manic Street Preachers - Send Away The Tigers CD
7. Arch Enemy - Rise of The Tyrant CD
8. Dropkick Murphys - Meanest of Times CD
9. Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell CD
10. King Diamond - Give Me Your Soul...Please CD "

Grant Forsythe (Cranky Fredericton rock n' roll curmudgeon)
(in no particular order)
1. Super Destroyer play their first show opening for The Mudmen. We play like men. They play like radio friendly shmucks. If the two pipers weren't huge gorillas, we woulda punched their lights out on general principle.
2. Opening for DOA is the Port City cos not only was it Super Destroyer's first outta town show, but I banged some chick in the bathroom almost immediately after our set. Yeah, I'm a classy guy.
3. Jesse Malin - Glitter In The Gutter CD.
4. I win a copy of Stuart Gordon's Master Of Horror episode, Dreams In The Witch House autographed by the man himself. Fuck I rule.
5. Bad Luck #13's reunion show. Good times. Good drinks.
6. Slut Fest. Hippies run amuck having a good time until we take the stage and if I may borrow from the mighty Anti-Seen, we definitely "ruined their groove."
7. The Super Destroyer/Trole show. Not so much for the gig itself, but for the floor show outside. Once again, Saint John never fails to entertain me.
8. My (then) girlfriend greeting me at the door in a fishnet catsuit with a six pack in her hand.
9. John Skipp's novel. The Long last Call. Strippers and demons duke it out in a seedy backwoods strip club. Hells yes!
10. A lady friend of mine sends me the new Ghastly Ones CD for my birthday. Another also sends me a Black Halos tee. They're cool like that.

Terry Gorman (Reclusive pop music authority)
( in alphabetical order )
Beirut – The Flying Club Cup CD
Bright Eyes – Cassadaga CD
Future Clouds & Radar – Future Clouds & Radar CD
Great Lake Swimmers – Ongiara CD
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights CD
Paul Kelly – Stolen Apples CD
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Raising Sand CD
The Sadies - New Seasons CD
Judee Sill – Live In London: BBC Recordings 72-73 CD
Waterboys – Book of Lightning CD