“DON’T SHOOT” – DEVO from DEVO Channel on Vimeo.
Great new song, great new video from the Casale/Mothersbaugh axis. I knew those inflatable-fan-guy things that you find parked in front of muffler shops and flea markets were totally Devo. Word is there’s a new Devo album in the works for Fall of this year. Oh, Dad, we’re all Devo!
For more DEVO at RW370:
Led Zeus Shit Jar – On Devo’s Gerry Casale and the Jesus Lizard
Bob Bogle, Ventures co-founder, bassist, and guitarist, (pictured, far right) has passed away at 75. The heart / arm mechanics of a great, driving bass player are a thing to behold, and Bob had one of the best. Forged in the heavy twang crucible that was the Ventures, founders Bob and Don Wilson found the vein of solid rock underneath the repertoire of the day (Walk Don’t Run) preferring a pushy, lyrical, powerful approach to guitar that would launch a million bands in a billion basements. Originally the lead guitarist, Bob stepped aside and into the bass player role when they found the awesome Nokie Edwards, giving their instrumental combo full throat and giving the world the prototype of the surf-rock sound. Bogle performed with rhythm guitarist Don Wilson as if they were brothers, inseperable in their energentic readings of world-renowned tunes that sold somehwre between 200 to 500 million records worldwide. He is already missed. So long, Bob. Tell Dee Dee we said hello.
In a world filled with Daves, we need all the help we can get keeping them straight. If you doubt, just watch Kids In The Hall’s Bruce McCulloch sing the central anthem of Dave discernment, “These Are The Daves I Know”
Dave management is even tougher than McCullough says if you are a fan of the UK rock bands. Take the case of two: The Stranglers and Morrissey, who each wrote two different songs named “Dagenham Dave”. Two bands, two songs, separated by 18 years, same title.
In 1977, The Stranglers penned their “Dagenham Dave” to commemorate the life and tragic suicide of a friend and major fan, a guy who found and adopted the band in its earliest years of struggle. His story is heartbreeaking, to say the least. But he was one Dagenham Dave who found immortality in the catalog of his favorite band, so at least that’s something. Here’s the Stranglers’ “Dagenham Dave”, a rollicking post-pub punk-parallel number, very emblematic of the band, found on their 1977 No More Heroes LP:
Okay, one Dagenham Dave at a time, please. Next!
This Dagenham Dave was written by Morrissey and was released as a single from his 1995 LP Southpaw Grammar. A up / midtempo pounder driven by the meaty jangle of former Polecat guitarist Boz Boorer topped with the reliably savant melodicism of a Morrisey vocal, connection by lyrics to the original Dagenham Dave is not crystal clear, but is presumed:
Vote! Which Dagenham Dave is the Davest?
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"It's just a rising tide of / Mediocrity"
Venerable Chicago record label Touch & Go has announced it is ceasing distribution operations to focus on its label operations. This is horrible news for the many small labels distributed by T&G as well being a huge blow to the future of the independent artist’s work appearing in chain stores alongside the tons of calculated careerist drek on their shelves. Every such story removes another avenue for the Best Buy shopper to take when their tastes rise out of the slop.
I realize this economic news isn’t as sad as hearing that Mitt Romney had to sell off two of his four mansions, but I’m an American, and we each suffer in our own way.
Good goddamn song by the Resonars: “Riding Backwards On The Moon”
MySpace jump to several million bits worth of of aggro-garage-desert-reverb vinyl from beneath the manicured golf courses of Tucson, AZ New album “That Evil Drone” coming out on the Burger label. Convincing, speedy, Electric Prunsey, pointy clicky. Yep, Evan “Funk” Davies at WFMU knows his onions. Hats off.
I…yeah.
Take the name of Chicago perv-rock legends The Jesus Lizard. Scramble up the letters. Scramble ‘em good. What do you get? Zest Jihad Rules. Jeez, Radish Slut. Hertz Used Jails. And, of course, Led Zeus Shit Jar, which is a name TJL played under for one secret show at Czar Bar in ‘91 or so.
Why the logophilic reminiscence, you ask? Well gee, William Fuckin’ Buckley, it’s because the almighty Lizard — broken up lo these many years — is signed on with original members to play an alleged 30 shows this year, including All Tomorrow’s Parties in the UK. This calls for commentary.
Where do I even begin? First of all, there’s this: TJL’s Bass Officer David Wm. Sims, Chicago’s raised-bet answer to The Stranglers’ JJ Burnel and The Birthday Patry’s Tracy Pew, provider of monstrous, gulping low frequencies in the late lamented outfits Rapeman and Scratch Acid — has been blogging. Too Big To Fail, he calls his effort, and for all we know, this fine bit of WordPressery may indeed be the result of the Federal Reserve bloating Mr. Sims’ institution with freshly minted greenbacks by the trailerload — it’s not as if they’re keeping any records over there. But more likely, TBTF is simply another enjoyable expression of the aggro-musician-with-great-taste phenomenon Chicagoans are appreciated for – even when they come from Texas and live today in NYC. Several thumbs up.
Then there’s these upcoming Jesus Lizard shows. The first time I saw this essential band was at Edge Of The Looking Glass in…I dunno, 1990? (Singer David) Yow was wearing a suit and had a huge sponge soaked with what appeared to be ink and kept sqooshing it over his head – when he wasn’t delivering interperative-dance moves akin to a woozy Bob Fosse. I knew the Davids from Scratch Acid, but had never before seen and been blown away by the full combo. The diamond-sharp blare of Duane Denison and the sideways artillery of Mac McNeilly just made me want to quit music, because they had solved it. I saw ‘em with Slint. I saw ‘em out of state. I saw ‘em a lot of times, and every time was a joy. Yes, I’m going to some of these shows.
And then there’s this, a world-colliding (well, at least to me) double bill with Devo and The Jesus Lizard at All Tomorrow’s Parties. I guess now is the time to tell this one:
Around nine years ago, I worked at a record label/recording studio. I had a little latitude and was able to chase down a dream project – as a producer of sorts. So I went for it.
I had heard through mutual friends that one of my biggest musical mentors, Devo’s bassist Gerald V. Casale, was beginning to work on a solo record and had need of a drummer. I heard some tapes and they were cool. At the time, TJL’s Mac McNeilly was no longer with the band, so I figured I’d see if he was interested in maybe working with Gerry on his record at this studio. Amazingly, Mac was into the idea. I sent Gerry copies of Goat and Head. Then, even more amazingly, Gerry was into the idea. Or at least that’s what it seemed like, because he was super-appreciative of the Macness. The tapes I heard were grinding, raw and great, but…it turned out that Gerry saw all that as a problem to be overcome. He kept talking about scrubbing away all the dirt and making the record to a click track and laying the drums in last…which, I’m sorry to say, is a great way to make a shiny, quantized and very “L.A.” record. — and no way to waste the wind tunnel of Hurricane Mac. So it didn’t happen. Boo hoo.
But now – TJL and Devo on the same bill? Yes, please. In the words of Tina Fey: “I want to go to there.”
(Above: XTC’s Colin Moulding looks for the exit sign while Andy Partridge contemplates some “me” time)
XTC fans have probably already heard that Andy Partridge’s decades-spanning campaign to rid the band of members not named Andy was stopped two years ago due to its great success. After releasing the band’s Apple Venus/Wasp Star albums, co-writer and bassist extraordinaire Colin Moulding was the last out the proverbial XTC door. But why? Wherefore?
Well.
If you are a serious XTC fan (meaning: you are a nerdy male bass player) and have a strong stomach for quasi-amateurish podcast/radio production then the following two hours on the telephone with Mr. Moulding of Swindon will surely delight. All others may safely take a pass.
Highlights include details of the upcoming 2009 XTC reissues coming from Virgin, Colin’s biggest musical influences, fawning callers, Colin’s tremendous, refreshing shrugs of the shoulders when quizzed on gear, shocking revelations about the late River Phoenix, XTC’s working (overtime) methods, why it may not really be over between the songwriting pair and quite a bit more.
Slashfilm reports Alex Cox’s script of the follow-up to his 1984 classic Repo Man is set to begin shooting next month with David Lynch producing. Sure, subtract 100 points for even making a sequel, but add 50 points apiece for the inclusion of Lynch and Cox – then add 20 optimistic points for the below premise.
Alex Cox’s Repo Man sequel Repo Chick is finally going into production next month (January 2009). Production Weekly reports that David Lynch is producing the project.
The original 1984 film told the story of Otto, a newly hired repossession man who goes in search for a mysterious Malibu carrying a high value package which was taken from a government lab and has strange effects on anyone who views it.
Cox has previously said that the follow-up will “unfold against the background of the credit crunch and the subprime mortgage crisis in the US, where repossessions of homes, cars and other forms of property is at a new high. ‘The repo business has expanded to everything from boats, houses, aeroplanes, small nations…children”
Looks like good news so far from here. For reasons that will become obvious, art and media concerning Depression 2.0 is a special concern of mine, but beyond that, I have a musical question. Score-wise, I have to wonder who will fulfill the role of the noir-surf soundtrack now that the Plugz have broken up. Hmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmmm. *starts pestering people*
“Do you like music? In that case, you gonna love this.”
(The Week That Was: Just wait until their fans discover XTC)
When it comes to music on the internet, I’m a fan of Seeqpod. And when it comes to music of the rock and roll variety, I’m also a fan of the United Kingdom. Bless their snaggle-toothed, pasty-faced little hearts for what they’ve given rock music lo these many decades.
But what have they done for us lately? I try to clear up that question with my UK Late-Aughts Seeqpod playlist. From the dual-guitar harmony swagger of Lords to the thoroughly problematic Montana Pete to a very pretty pussy named Colin, the meat pies keep coming. Do enjoy.
NOTE: Embedding. WordPress no like today. Oh well, click it then.
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