Ignoring Objectivity Since 1998
WIG
WAM
BAM
“Albuquerque zine of music
& nepotism”
LOCAL
SHOWS
NM venues,
bands from here or there
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the DeathRay Davies, the Mindy Set,
Lousy Robot, the Foxx, the Giranimals, the Dirty Novels, the Universal: DJs
Obenjyo, Josh & Eve, Some guy playing blues covers @ Zinc, Nob
Hill Shop ‘n’ Stroll, Neko Case, the Sadies, Dexter Romweber Duo, the Okmoniks,
Freddie Raygun
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LOCAL
RELEASES
NM bands,
any label
|
Feels Like Sunday
3-song sampler from
Follow the Signs [CD 2004]
Detach Records
Volume .01
sampler [CD 2004]
Karen /Alan George
Ledergerber
Fuck Party / 255
Sec.
[spilt 7” 2004]
Ear To The Underground:
the Caterwaul Sessions
[CD 2004]
Things We Did
Last Summer: A Beach Boys Tribute
[2004 CD/download]
Romeo Goes To
Hell
Two Car Garage Rock demo and a bunch of other shit
[CD-R 2004] |
Jivin’ Scientists
The Paragraph
[CD-R 2003]
the Okmoniks
Compact 33/7
[7” vinyl 2004]
Mandy Mullins
s/t [CD 2004] |
the DeathRay Davies, the Mindy Set,
Lousy Robot
11/20/04 @ Launchpad
The Robot had some help tonight from Pauli B on keyboards, filling
in the sound a little since the departure of “New Sincerity” Chuck. Despite
some early sound glitches, Paul hit it good halfway through giving the band
a sound like Bender of TV’s Futurama vs Robbie the Robot
of Forbidden Planet. As usual, Gentleman Jim had some choice remarks
in between tunes. It would be amusing as hell to hear what he’d have to
say if he was really liquored up.
The Deathray Davies set was a revelation compared to their
last just so-so gig here a few months back, like night and day, May and December,
Lennon and McCartney. I did finally hear the Ray Davies influence from back
when the Kinks were more pop and less pissy. And for some reason I also heard
--ready for the obscure what-the-fuck reference of the month? -- a wee bit
o’ Scotland’s Angelfish, 1994, featuring Shirley Manson a year before Butch
Vig & the other Garbage boys “discovered” her.
Anyway it was much more danceable this time, catchy and
loads more fun than last gig’s hour-long indie-dirge.
The crowning jewel of tonight though was the absolute tip-top best-ever
mix of the Mindy Set. Mikey’s guitar was sweet and oh-so-clear, finally
mixed right in line with the rest of the band. Huzzah! This is what I’ve
been waiting for and hope it stays that way. Everyone sounded fantastic tonight,
like a well-balanced mix tends to do.
I could even hear what Josh was doing melodically-- not always apparent--and
Ms Jill was spot-on in her timing as always.
the Foxx, the Giranimals
@ Burt’s
the Dirty Novels
@ Atomic
11/27/04
Over at the Atomic tonight was some kind of celebration of equine
couture in the annual Horse’s Trot 2004 which I guess has taken place previously
in homes or something. Anyway, people came out dressed as jockeys, stable
boys, and Southern Gentlemen & Ladies to party while listening
to the Dirty Novels. Me, I’m usually such a horse’s ass that I declined
to dress the part, to no one’s great loss. Someone correctly pointed out
that because of his stature, Switchblade Dandee looked more like Bagger Vance
than a jockey. But the band sounded great, all that re-design of the Atomic
stage orientation and sound system paying off like a twenty-to-one longshot
at Santa Anita in the fifth.
Over at Burt’s I got to hear the pretty-new Giranimals for the first
time and pretty and new is what they sounded like: pretty as in reminiscent
of the lyrical lilt of Albuquerque’s Braddy Janet in 1996 (fronted by All-Girl
Summer Fun Band’s Kim Baxter when she was like just out of high school or
something) and new as in still working some bugs out of the set but with
lots of promise. Mom Crandall was busy taping the set and her boy Maury at
the drum kit: this is audience participation at its finest since
not even the biggest meathead in the scene could possibly mosh to the Giranimals,
lucky for us. The Foxx’s glam flavor continues to assert while retaining
bursts of dancepop. More and more, I’m convinced that Isaac “Ronson” is
one of the few people alive who understands what to do with leads of over
15 seconds and keep it smooth, tasteful and at the service of the tune rather
than the other way around.
The band is better all the time, the Bowie influence right up front but
true to the spirit rather than pale (haha) imitation of the Thin White Duke--which
only makes sense since Bowie himself was always --umm, let’s not say copycatting
but heavily influenced from everyplace & everyone else while keeping
it fresh and original (we’ll overlook Tin Machine here).
the Universal: DJs Obenjyo, Josh
& Eve
@ Burt’s
Some guy playing blues covers
@ Zinc
the FOXX
@ Nob Hill Shop ‘n’ Stroll
12/2/04
Its fuckin’ cold out and a guitar band has no business being outside, playing
‘til their fingers crack and bleed except that its all for the annual xmas
Shop ‘n’ Stroll cash-in event. Normally I’d say,
“Bah. Humbug” but having a few friends that represent businesses on Central
Ave (Abode, Bright Future Futons, Damaged Goods, AstroZombies) changes the
perspective and softens my ol’ Grinch heart that’s two sizes too small,
not to mention cha-ching! the kickback payments due from mentioning
those fine establishments here. Ahem.
Best of all though was the high school kids who got down with the Foxx,
bought CDs and even asked for autographs. Electronica and ecstasy hasn't
totally fried their impressionable young minds--there’s hope for the kids
yet! And Mr Legend snapping photos of his daughter and her bandmates?
Priceless.
Après- set, we warmed up inside Abode who were gracious
enough not to toss us out for sprawling all over their not-cheap furniture
like we owned the damn place. I tell ya, it got so comfy I was looking for
the remote..
Afterwards a few of us retired to Zinc for some libations. While
slowly squeezing a group of folks out of their own booth (we outnumbered ‘em)
we heard a guy (sorry man; I didn’t catch your name) playing the blues, solo.
Technically he was alright and did nothing wrong with the music except to
lose its soul entirely. It was readily apparent exactly who he was doing
each number: a Mississippi John Hurt, a John Lee Hooker… Falling back on
a couple of clichés, imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery
but flattery will get you nowhere.
As a genre I don’t think anyone's brought anything new, really new, to
the blues since --oh jesus--John Fahey’s 1959 Blind Joe Death LP and he
wasn’t even a bluesman. Being reverent to your sources is acceptable, even
necessary but not when you have nothing to offer but style sans substance.
Its no secret the Detroit Cobras are my favorite rocknroll band and yet
they play nothing but covers and only a song or two written after maybe
1966 but their versions bring a fresh excitement sometimes (I’m loathe to
say) surpassing their ‘50s R & B/soul sources.
Why has the blues stagnated? I really don’t know but I’m not gonna attribute
it to (as many writers do) to new musicians not growing up under Jim Crow
laws or being actual grandchildren of slaves. No, even people held in as
high regard as BB King have offered nothing innovative for decades. Its sad
when in comparison one of my other favorite traditional genres --standard
bluegrass (not newgrass; fuck Bela Fleck) -- has produced some lightning
fast pickers who “get” it , who can update the music without selling its
soul.
Sigh… until some real bluesman re-appear, give me my Lightnin’ Hopkins
and Little Walter records…
DJing at Burt’s, the current Universal crew on the other hand
have all done their homework and realize the continuum of R & B ? soul
? rock n’roll ? mod and thank god for that. Sure, there’s a few electro-type
tunes tossed in which I can take or leave but they keep the mostly uninformed
crowd’s attention. But anyone who can attend such an event and during a
cut like the Miracles’ 1963 Mickey’s Monkey request some “dance music” ought
to be beaten with a big stick.
The portion I heard of tonight’s set has made me much more positive about
DJ nights in general. All I’m (patiently) waiting for is the Lady Eve to
bust out her grandma’s pile o’ wax…
Neko Case, the Sadies,
Dexter Romweber Duo
12/8/04 @ Lobo Theater
Back in New Mexico for the second time in four months, Neko Case
commented about playing for a sedate theater crowd rather than booze-hounds
but her repertoire doesn’t much seem up to noisy honky-tonks these days except
for a few covers. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing (and hearing) her at
close range again without being jostled by star-struck twang-zombies elbowing
their way down front but I think she'd be a hell of a lot more fun if she
was boozing it up herself -- much like that other twangy redhead, the rockajilly
Kim Lenz who in her own words likes to “sit n’ drink” with the crowd wherever
she and her Jaguars gig. New Mexico hasn’t heard from Miss Lenz since she
cancelled a ‘burque show about three years due to havin’ a young’un. Guess
babies and rockabilly don’t mix much.
The acoustics of the theater were just right for Case tonight in spite
of the soundguy who looked so morose all night ya would’ve thought he was
about to blow his brains out right up there on stage-left. But damn! Neko
tunes her axe more than an emo-rock boy.
There was higher energy tonight than her Satan Fe gig in September thanks
in part to her back-up (and openers) the Sadies, another Canadian
crew eh. They have a decent enough mix of twang and rock perfectly suited
to keep Case from her tendency toward self-penned morose yowls. A low-key
cover but much appreciated was The Band’s (more Canadians!) Evangeline, topping
even Emmylou’s version. Every time I hear this swell two-stepper, it makes
me wish for a waltz partner.
The Sadies-alone set was pretty good at first, with echo and growl in the
guitars like mid-period Kinks (definitely not Canadians) but soon degenerated
into a damn electric hootenanny, not much fun after about forty minutes
in, I’ll tell ya.
For sheer caterwaul and energy though, the opening Dexter Romweber
(of Flat Duo Jets fame) stole the show with his howling and hi-energy bluesbilly
set. And was the most under-appreciated act of the night by the theater-sittin’
crowd.
the Okmoniks, the Foxx, Freddie Raygun
1/4/05 @ Launchpad
See, I have this tee-shirt theory : if you’re wearing the right tee at
the right time things happen. Like tonight for instance. I’d heard good
things about the Okmoniks: Farfisa/female-fronted, old-school garage hip-check
style -- what’s not to like? Oh, and that they’re from Tucson. So pre- show
while rummaging through my extensive wardrobe (ahem) I came upon an old
Fells shirt. It seemed appropriate since they (RIP) were also a Tucson band
and old friends with our own Drags.
So I waltz into the Launchpad and right off, one of the Okmoniks then another
compliments me on the shirt. But by crazy chance an ex- Fell, Mr Rob Yazzie
was in New Mexico and came by the show to support the ol’ hometeam. Merriment
ensued, comparing Rob to the old photo on the shirt, a round of drinks,
then another and so forth until a small after-party at his gf Sandra’s friend
Candace’s apartment with Mr Armijo (ex-Gina Go Faster, ex-Gaceystick now
Love Overdose) and Zac “King Beef” Webb.
We were checking out the gals’ high school yearbooks (volleyball and tennis
stars!), leaving rude drunken messages on Dave Hernandez’ (Scared
of Chaka, Shins) phone even though I barely know the guy, and talking shit
about punkrock until 430 AM. Too bad the Okmoniks didn’t join us but
they were all about some good sleep in prep for the next night’s show in
Clovis NM and wouldn’t you know it, I had just booked some work there….
for the following week! Curses! I’d have loved to see them in that cow-town
full of metal-loving farm boys. To top it all off, I showed up the next day
for work at noon instead of eight…oh wait, that wasn’t so good was it? Proof
positive: the tee-shirt theory works!
Here’s a tip though: NEVER wear the shirt of the band you are seeing and
especially not the one you just bought from their merch table, you dork.
I gleaned this from an old friend who wore an SNL Coneheads shirt to Dead
shows because on it, Dan Akroyd was wearing a Grateful Dead tee. I always
thought that was a classy strategy although he never had ensuing after-parties
with Jerry Garcia or Bobby Weir…
Our own Freddie Raygun (Tattersaints) opened on beautiful solo keyboards,
pleasant, disarming, hush-a-bye/ music-box melodies referencing Jim Morrison
and maybe a frightened Lou Reed crouching naked in the corner. As frank
and direct as an icepick to the forehead but much more pleasant, Freddie
played to the acclaim of the maybe eight or ten people in the know who gathered
to watch his talents. Freddie also had the recent honor of being yanked offstage
next door at the Golden West which, knowing the caliber & taste of the
owners for many years, was actually quite the compliment.
Next, a rollicking Foxx set and with new stuff. I suggested that
they reissue the CD again every time there’s a new song until it’s a smoking
behemoth. The only improvement would’ve been Helene 33 joining Juliette for
harmonies on the Landslide chorus. Really, its too good of a hook not to have
multiple voices.
Finally thee Okmoniks tore it up with a lo-fi dancing-in-the-garage
wail that kicked our asses even as we shook ‘em all about. I just couldn’t
stop jumping around like a madman. The band pulled out the stops, Helene
sang her little heart out and bounced around all cute-like. I knew
these types of bands still exist but they sure don’t play around here. Since
they’re our neighbors, I hope they come back sooner than later. Bienvenidos,
y’all. I’ve been wiggling ever since.
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LOCAL
RELEASES
NM bands,
any label
|
Feels Like Sunday
3-song sampler from Follow the Signs [CD 2004]
I’ve been putting off writing this up ever since one of the Sundays handed
to me at last Fall Crawl because they’ve never really grabbed me, strange
for a geek who has a Pavlovian response to most grrrl-fronted jangle-pop.
I tried it again today for about the eighth time since the Crawl and found
I liked it better than before-- which truthfully isn’t saying a lot but
is much more than I expected. It seems to me equal parts alt.rock with some
pre-emo fills and a dash of poppunk and a pinch of jamrock – all of which
aren’t always complimentary. But ok, instead of all these back-handed compliments:
I like it better than before, especially the first cut New Year which reminds
of a less-thrashy late ‘80s Samiam and good-emo-before-it-got-overdone Scarab
from NYC circa 1997. So what this says to me is that I better go see the
band already since I haven’t for, lord knows, a couple of years?
(de*tach”)
records
Volume .01 sampler [CD 2004]
PO BX 4058 Albuquerque NM 87196
www.detachrecords.com
Since I never got a copy of this at the Detach label kick-off/release party
last October, the label responded to my whining (bitch!) and sent one in
the mail.
It can only be to the good to have another homegrown label around although
writing up a sampler CD is not like a regular release since it’s a mix of
the bands represented thereon rather than a cohesive unit.
For my musical tastes, the Mindy Set and Austin’s the Onlys carry the weight
here. I think they’re better bands to begin with than Love Overdose and
Of God And Science but also because their material is much stronger. But
taken as a whole, the bands have more in common than meets the eye where
it counts: where it meets the ear.
Good luck to this fledgling label!
Karen /Alan George Ledergerber
Fuck Party / 255 Sec. [spilt 7” 2004]
Hype Machine
1405 Gold SE Apt R Albuquerque NM 87106
redhotandkaren@hotmail.com
I don’t why this pretty piece o’ vinyl (½ clear, ½
like it was dipped in pink bubblegum nail polish--stunning!) sat around
on my shelf for weeks before I got around to dropping it on the ‘table.
Fuck Party by Karen--the most under-rated (ex)band in Albuquerque--
is magnificent. Gentler than what you may expect from their live mind-fucks,
there’s a melody to the madness and though they might not want to hear this
but there’s a certain sweetness to the tune. The only complaint: its way
too short for seven-inch vinyl; they could riff on this for a good twenty
minutes or more. So to make up for that, I play it about three or four times
every time I listen --which has been over and over.
Alan’s side 255 Sec. too is like a snippet of what you’d expect live. If
I was a stoner idiot I’d go on about soundscapes and lunar mesas but thank
god I’m not that much of a dick --and thank god it doesn’t really sound
like that but that’s the kind of comment you’d get from your average
reviewer. Sometimes under the gravity of Alan’s live sets the musical portion
of his stuff (chord progressions) is covered but its welcomed and lurking
here in a few spots. Bravo.
Pretty looking (besides the double arm-amputee on the cover) and pretty
sounding, this one goes in my Top of 2004 7" pile.
Ear To The
Underground: the Caterwaul Sessions
[CD 2004]
locals live on KUNM’s Music To Soothe the Savage Beast
Hype Machine
1405 Gold SE Apt R Albuquerque NM 87106
Hype Machine release number two is another prize, the kind of thing I haven’t
heard for awhile --not that they’re not out there, I’m just way out of touch
with bands that rarely play booze joints and am stupidly shy about attending
house shows. Where’s Insurgo now that we really need it?
No surprise my favorite stuff is from my favorite unsung local outfits
Karen and Old Man but also goodies from Potty Mouth Sherrys and Lynida Caine
and more.
Derelict Caterwaul is our own local version of recently dead legendary
disc jockey John Peel, having live bands guest on his limited DJ time on
air --that alone is gracious of hell of Mr Caterwaul but to extract the
best for our listening pleasure? Outstanding! Don't expect melodic
easy listening but challenges to your comfortable auditory parameters.
Things We Did Last Summer: A
Beach Boys Tribute
[2004 CD/download]
Value Owl Records
www.gingerbreadpatriots.com/tedls.htm
Never a big fan of the tribute album, my interest in this one is its local
origin plus I'd been listening to lots of vintage Beach Boys material in
early 2004. The illustrious and industrious Mr J Brophy of Gingerbread Pat's
fame can take the credit (or blame) for pulling this together, whipping everyone
into shape and providing the free download. Yippee!
Much of the material here is new to me since I'm a fan of the Boys' old(ies)
stuff, back when they played the Ed Sullivan Show in matching striped shirts
with a li'l deuce coupe or surfin' safari Woody behind 'em onstage, that
is: the Beach Boy's pre-"dude" surf pop. No doubt Brian Wilson was a demented
genius but I'll take All Summer Long or Surfer Girl over Smiley Smile or
Pet Sounds any day. Speaking of which, the demented geniuses represented
here include: Foma, Gingerbread Patriots, Unit 7 Drain, the Isaac's Kappy
and Bonnell (separately), Awesome Cool Dudes, Javier Romero and many more.
My fave picks: Palisades' brooding All Summer Long, Johnny Cassidy's absinthe-drenched
In My Room, Nate Santamaria's spot-on bubble-gummed Transcendental Meditation,
Cue the Winged Serpents' sweeping Good Vibrations and The Tingley Beach
Boys (!) twanging away at Help Me Rhonda with maybe a fifth of Old Crow
in their back pockets. The latter sound suspiciously like a bunch of that
Little Kiss Records crew…
Its good. Its free: go download it! and tell 'em thanks…
Romeo Goes To Hell
Two Car Garage Rock demo and a bunch of other shit
[CD-R 2004]
This is sort of the Romeo Goes To Hell 2004 box set: rough mix of
the upcoming Two Car Garage Rock, some Socyermom label sampler tracks, live
Launchpad cuts and mono mixes of the long-in-the-works Roxieharts split
(c’mon girls! Where the hell are the tracks? Are we gonna have to wait until
Cara’s kid is in college or what? I swear to god I almost stole the copy
that Liz A. got at her birthday party).
As far as I know, hardly anyone else will see this particular CD because
Levi Eleven burned it to keep me from whining about having to wait. See?
Sometimes to pays to be a bitch. So if you think I’m gonna write good stuff
about this just ‘cause I get special treatment (an assortment of about seventy-five
pins from Levi’s Workgroup Buttons enterprise), you’re absolutely right!
I can’t remember the last time I threw a punk CD in and immediately starting
jumping around my living room pumping my fist in the air. Ummm.…probably
never.
Anyway, other local bands that call themselves punk ought to listen to
this first and see if they’re further inspired or ready to just hang it
up ‘cause they can’t compete. This ain’t no Lookout! poppunk but the kind
of band that ought to be asked to play Warped tours instead of backward-ball-caps
knuckleheads.
I know Levi’s still working on the final version but me, I like the rough
mixes, warts an’ all. I am however looking forward to comparing the two
versions.
There’s plenty of rattle-your-brains stuff here. Let’s Go Bang! is obviously
A-side single material while Petal to the Meddle sounds like Motorhead punk.
And I’m happy that there’s a recorded if truncated version of the Mike Check
song which I still insist ought to be at least a B side of a colored-vinyl
seven-inch.
With this demo and Romeo’s live gigs, my faith in punkrock is restored
which is pretty amazing since I’d pulled the life-support plug a long time
ago.
Too, I think the band would appreciate the fact that when I needed a jewel
case to put this in, I chose the Britney Spears one that I found in my neighborhood
dumpster yesterday
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Jivin’ Scientists
The Paragraph [CD-R 2003]
http://jivinscientists.com/
This one’s been sitting on the “listen” pile since last summer when it
was handed to me at a Garbage Pail Kidz show.
Downtempo hiphop happily without references to ho’z or gold chain but what
most pop music is about everyplace: girlz and boyz.. Another plus is rhymers
who enunciate so whiteys like me can actually understand what the
hell they goin’ on about. The Scientists crew got some influence from what
these days passes for R&B but if you ask me, the real thing’s been dead
since the Stax label shut down in 1975 (don’t even talk to me about miscreants
like Seal being R&B and Beyonce is nothing but pop). Lots of sad heartache
going on here, countered by one track whose continual refrain is Fuck him/He
ain’t me which is about as honest a sentiment about your ex’s new boyfriend
as I’ve ever heard.
the Okmoniks
Compact 33/7
[7” vinyl 2004]
Okmoniks 722 E 9th Street Tucson AZ 85719
http://www.okmoniks.com
It’s a couple of weeks after the Okmoniks show and I’m still spinning this,
their compact 33rpm, seven songs in seven inches, a brilliant package.
A smashing lo-fi Farfisa-driven garagetrash dance-party record the likes
of which you haven’t heard since the last time you bought a really great
Estrus record -- a long fucking time in other words.
Its loads of hip-shakin’ fun: catchy, cute and poppy but jittery rockin’
like the really hip kids on American Bandstand who (unbeknownst to Dick
Clark) were sneaking around backstage knocking back mom’s diet pills
with slugs of Canadian Club and Coke.
I can’t tell you anything else about it ‘cause I gotta go turn this record
over one more time!
Mandy Mullins
s/t [CD 2004]
Go Zombie! Records
www.gozombie.com
From Florida, this is half breathy strummers like early Mary Lou Lord just
discovered by Kill Rock Stars but with a taste of twang, the other half
jangly-sweet as bubblegum soda, like Lord and Juliana Hatfield frenching
with a sugar cube in their mouths.
If I had a breakfast cereal company, Hard To Say would be the first flexi
disc on the back of the box with a pic of Mandy drawn like Betty or Veronica.
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Wig Wam Bam (by Captain America PO BX
4865 Albq NM 87196 captainamerica1941@hotmail.com)
has
been around almost as long as Auld Lang Syne and is twice as creaky with
age and may (or not) be found monthly at the Launchpad, mecca Records
& Books, the Silver Board Shop, Abode furnishings & sundries,
Natural Sound, Free Radicals clothing & accessories, Damaged Goods
Records, Burt’s Tiki Lounge, Atomic Cantina, Newsland and in the US Library
Of Congress filed under "egregious".
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