Monday, November 30, 2009

ACTION REACTION


It was probably last April or May when Paul Fenton rang me to ask if I would handle a reunion show for the fabled Canadian punk rock band the Action. As a fan of the quintet's minimal recording legacy and never having seen them perform (last gig 30 years ago) I jumped at the chance to be involved. Not wanting to put the cart before the horse we spent most of the last 5 months or so doing a minimal amount of "word of mouth" promotion and then of course the media hit hard and did the rest in the 2 weeks prior to this past weekend's spectacle. Despite some naysayer bullshit leading up to the big event I can safely say that the Dominion Tavern set a damn good stage for the triumphant return of one of Canada's 1st Punk Rock outfits...The fucking ACTION were GREAT!!!! Falling tightly between late 60's era Stones and Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers the guys were on top of their game...rawk solid, tight, pro playing, stage presence and a 10 outta 10 rock quotient! The response was awesome(kinda brought a tear to the eye if ya know what I mean?) The White Wires on Saturday and the Suppositories on Sunday were both killer, justifying why I asked them to play with the legends and their forefathers to begin with...thanks guys and girls!! I would just like to say thanks as well to Peter Simpson at the Citizen and to Bill Guerrero at CKCU and Aardvark at CHUO for spearheading the radio spots and of course to everyone else for helping with the push for the ACTION. To Paul, Michael, John, Scott and Ted I would like to say congratulations gentlemen you guys fuckin' RULE and I don't think anyone who witnessed one or both shows will ever forget them! Looking forward to your future...Thanks again! (above photo : Stephanie Kepman)

Friday, November 27, 2009

Friday Morning Cartunes...November 27th, 2009


Current 93 - Not Because The Fox Barks (Durtro) LP
Hills - Death 1 (IGT) LP
Ash Ra Tempel - Amboss (Spalax) LP
Sabu Martinez - Afro Temple (Grammofon Verket) LP
Electric Orange - Koodu (Sulatron) CD
Mutantes - Jardim Electrico (Polydor) LP
Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Ojo Al Cristo De Plata (RLP)LP
Ararat - Dos Horses (Meteor City) CD
Flasket Brinner - Di Dumme Sma Bjornarna (Polydor) CD
Life On Earth! - Listen (Subliminal Sounds) LP
Eternal Elysium - Northern Smile (Electric Earth) 10"
Lowrider - Flat Earth (People Like You) LP
Reverend Bizarre - Strange Horizon/The Ambassador (Svart) LP

Sister Hyde - You Look Better On My Space (Indie) CD
Ted Axe Interview Live In Studio
Action - T.V. Is On The Blink (Rave Up) LP
Action - Do The Strangle (Rave Up) LP

Vee Dee - Blood Zombie (Criminal IQ) LP
Seeds - Fallin' (Get Back) LP
Ancestors - Mother Animal... excerpt (Tee Pee) CD
Mono Brow - Naught Witch (demo) cdr

M. Mucci...Live In Studio...
"I Should Have Guessed", "Untitled # 1", "Untitled # 2"

Out Of Focus - Fly Bird Fly/Television Program (Missing Vinyl(LP)

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Pantheon Of Fuckery


Playing Current 93, Hills and the first Ash Ra Tempel LP at the same time produces an astounding sound collage...the soundtrack to my existence at this moment in time! "the band whose name is a symbol" are in the process of looking at/listening to, an enormous amount of recording that will culminate with the release of "Biker Smell" in the coming new year. Alternately titled "Pantheon Of Fuckery" the album will be "created" in the spirit of the aforementioned spontaneous mix which occured moments ago. I can only say that I think our next record will be a great listen for anyone with discerning musical inclination. The gal that will adorn the LP jacket will be annoyed and flattered in the same breath, but really, she brought it on herself and in the end it may well be her "5 Minutes of fame".

On another note... next week I will post, for you here, some and only some of my favourite records of the year....this will not include records I have not yet received in 2009 which will mean that the list will be updated every so often until the end of December. I am also working on a list of "best" reissues for 2009 which has become a laborious task given the magnitude of wicked items to consider.....so much music...so little time....!

Top Albums 2009


Trad Gras Och Stenar "Homeless Cats"
Kebnekajse "S/T"
Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band "Bird Head Son"
Acid Mothers Temple "Lord Of The Underground..."
Serpent Cult "Weight Of Light"
Ancestors "Of Sound Mind"
Woods "Songs Of Shame"
Trembling Bells "Carbeth
Horisont "S/T"
Lord Newborn & The Magic Skulls "S/T"
Current 93 "Aleph At Hallucinatory Mountain"
Headdress "Lunes"
Omar Rodriguez Lopez "La Grup Neuvo"
Pontiak "Maker"
Arbouretum "Song Of The Pearl"
Sleepy Sun "Embrace"
Brain Donor "Wasted Fuzz Excess"
Astra "Weirding"
Sylvestor Anfang "II"
Bushman's Revenge "You Lost Me At Hello"
Baby Woodrose "S/T"
Church Of Misery "Houses Of The Unholy"
Firebird "Grand Union"
Motorpsycho "Child Of The Future"
Black Merda "Force Of Nature"
OM "God Is Good"
Leadfinger "Rich Kids"
New Christs "Gloria"
The Amazing "S/T"
Life On Earth "Space Water Loop"
Sienna Root "Different Realities"
Six Organs Of Admittance "Luminous Night"
Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh "Overloaded Ark"
GNOD "S/T"
Hills S/T"
Nebula "Psych Rock"
Eternal Tapestry "The Invisible Landscape"
Atavist "II:Ruined"
Sula Bassana "Night"
Circle "Triumph"
Acid Mothers Temple "Dark Side Of The Black Moon"
Black Sheep "Kiss My Sweet Apocalypse"
Cave "Psychic Psummer"
Weird Owl "Ever The Silver Cord Be Loosed"
Zoroaster "Voice Of Saturn"
Naam "S/T
Baby Woodrose "S/T"
Fire "You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago"
Jack Rose & The Black Twig Pickers "S/T"
Pontiak "Sea Voids"
Rick White "Album"
Gary Higgins "Seconds"
Neokarma Jooklo Trio "Time's Vibes"
Lisa O Piu "When This Was The Future"
Plankton Wat "Dawn Of The Golden Eternity"
Steve Gunn "Boerum Palace"
Polytoxicomane Philharmonie "Go Ape"
Eagle Twin "The Unkindness Of Crows"

Friday, November 20, 2009

Friday Morning Cartunes...November 20th, 2009

Popul Vuh - Die Umkehr (Brain) LP
CAN - Future Days (UA) LP
Sergius Golowin - Die Hoch Zeit (Wah Wah) LP
Kraan - Kraan Arabia (Spiegelei) LP
Gila - Around Midnight (Second Battle) LP
Wolfgang Dauner - Flute Woman (Brain) LP
Shawn Lee & Clutchy Hopkins - Name Game (Ubiquity) LP
Husnu Ozkartal Orkestrasi - Su Derenin Sulari (WPFC) LP
Staff Carpenbourg... - P.A.R.T.Y. (Daily) LP
Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Perder El Arte De La Razon (RLP) LP
The Brimstone Solar Radiation Band - Medic (Karma) CD
Colour Haze - Love (Elektrohasch) LP
Hansi Biebl Band - Klunken-Soul (Nasoni) LP
Osibisa - Ayiko BIA (Decca) LP
Alain Kan - Speed My Speed (Born Bad) LP
Dionysus - La Colere (Jupiter) LP
Scorpions - I'm Going Mad (Brain) LP
Astra - Broken Glass (Rise Above) LP
Yahowa 13 - E Ah O Shin (Prphase) CD
Blues Control - On Through The Night (Siltbreeze) LP
"the band whose name is a symbol" - Quo Raga (demo) cdr
Fiftymen - Shine A Light (Indie) CD
Fiftymen - Sick Of Being Tired (Indie) CD
Sleepy Sun - Sleepy Son (ATP) LP
Crooked Hook - Mystical Beauty (Safety Meeting) CD
Amon Duul II - Surrounded By The Stars (UA) LP

Friday, November 13, 2009

Friday Morning Cartunes...November 13th, 2009

Space Debris - Second Sight (Indie) LP
Grails - Outer-Banks (Temporary Residence) LP
Alumbrados - The Riddle Of Consciousness (Important) LP
La Ira De Dios - La Senal (Nasoni) LP
Helios Creed - Big Bang (Amphetamine Reptile) LP
Sun Araw - Hive Burner (Woodsist) LP
High Tide - Inflight (Akarma) LP
Sula Bassana - The Night (Pancromatic) LP
Terry Brooks & Strange - It's A Beautiful Day (Star People) LP
Vee Dee - Midnight Sun (Criminal IQ) LP
"the band whose name is a symbol" - Fender Bender (demo) cdr
Marble Sheep - From The Centre (Captain Trip) LP
Zoroaster - Seeing The Dark (Kreation) LP
Niagara & The Hitmen - TV Eye (Steel Cage) CD
Naam - Kingdom/Stone Ton (Tee Pee) LP
Moon Phantoms - Departure To The Space (Important) LP
Hills - Ex Oblivione (Intergalactic Tactics) LP
Bush Pilots - Neopunk Postapocalyptic Girl (Burning Canoe) CD
M.Mucci - Fishing With Boston (Tall House Recording Co) CD
Mono Brow - Naught Witch (demo) cdr
The Action - Darts (Sudden Death) CD
Sienna Root - The Road To Agartha (Head Spin) LP

Friday, November 6, 2009

Friday Morning Cartunes...November 6th, 2009


Grobschnitt - Nickel-Odeon (Brain) LP
Steve Hillage - Light In The Sky (Atlantic) Lp
OM - Cremation Ghat II (Drag City) CD
Circle - Understanding New Age (No Quarter) CD
Polytoxicomane Philharmonie - Lokus Pokus (Nasoni) LP
Eloy - Illuminations (Harvest) LP
Julian Cope - Psychedelic Odin (Head Heritage) CD
Witchcraft - Lady Winter (Rise Above) CD
Jane - Daytime (bRAIN) cd
Gomorrha - Dance On A Volcano (Brain) LP
Acid Mothers Temple - Space Labyrinth or Eclipse On Friday (Important) LP
H.Espvall/M.Batoh - Vem Kan Segla (Drag City) CD
Swara Samrat - Mr.Rainbow (Coloured Rain) CD
CAN - Auf Der Einbahnstrasse Part One (indie) LP
Moon Duo - Killing Time (Sacred Bones) 12"
Eternal Tapestry - Night Realms (Not Not Fun) LP
Soft Machine - Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' (Harvest) LP
Mike Mucci - The Red Pony (Tall House Recording Co.)
Guru Guru - Oxymoron (Brain) LP
Imaad Wasif - Priestess (Tee Pee) CD
Ancestors - Mother Animal (Tee Pee) CD
Mono Brow - The Man Time Forgot... (demo) cdr
Trouble - The Fall Of Lucifer (Banzai) LP

BIG THANKS to all who donated over the last 3 radio shows. A total of $ 4591.00 was collectivlly pledged !!!!!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Biker Smell...


"the band whose name is a symbol" have just finished recording trax for their 3rd albumentitled "Biker Smell". The new album will be heavier, more fucked up and in yer face than "Superficial Marks" (some copies left...if you don't have it get it soon!). New compositions recorded include: "Nervous Pooch", "Once We Were", "Humidex", to name but a few. Several improv psych jams were laid down and there's probably enough killer material to release 4 albums(AMT anyone?). The idea for this album is to edit 2 complete, continuous sides of psych reverie so the lp will appear with only 2 tracks but contain "suites". Much fun was had and we'll post a few pictures when Nat decides to send some......Thanks to Andrew Carver for the pic above...

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Oh Brother...!





Well you know yer in trouble or should be on "What Not To Wear" when the person who works next door dresses as YOU on Halloween...pretty funny actually but flattery will get you nowhere!

The Ottawa/Montreal Bi-Annual record show happened or did it this past Sunday? I ask this question, cuz in all honesty ya coulda fired a cannon through that room and not killed anyone ! As usual Aardvark, Ian Manhire Mr.Tierney and D.B. Schmirnoff and myself had the strongest 2 tables in the room...the kinda stuff you'd see at a "GREAT" record show. Speaking of such, check this article out sent to me yesterday by "...symbol" guitarist Nat Hurlow. http://www.furious.com/perfect/recordfairs.html

Records ???... oh yeah and Birdman is even more packed this week than last...tons of new 2nd hand wax and new wax from all over the galaxy !!! From Moon Duo (Wooden Shjips) to Moon Phantoms (Bardo Pond). Please come by for a visit and check it out...more stuff enroute as well. Thank god for overdraft!!!

"Friday Morning Cartunes" (9:30 am - 1:00 pm every fried-eh) tries to complete the hat trick this week by ending the funding drive run with a big one! So far the first 2 shows brought in pledges totalling nearly $ 3000. !!!!! That's great but we still need support so if you have not pledged for community radio to continue in the style you have become accustomed to please DIAL and DONATE.....locally 613-520-3920, long distance toll free at 1-877-520-3920 or online through www.ckcufm.com , online pledge forms are available there. Over and out for now, hope to see you soon...