Showing posts with label skateboard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label skateboard. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
New Band to Burn One To: PUSSYCAT AND THE DIRTY JOHNSONS
Directly from the sandy beaches and hot sun of...London, England...comes a raunchy, bawdy, in your face trio of rockers who deliver a high energy brand of rockabilly retro skate surf punk fuzz. The wailing, confrontational, all out vocals of frontwoman Puss Johnson (She's going to have to marry a Hampton, I think) are reminiscent of Sleater-Kinney's incredible Corinne Tucker. The dual guitars of Johnson and lead riff-meister Dirty Jake are a colossal sonic concoction of blistering be-bop and monstrous, memorable melodies. Filfy Antz drives it all forward in breakneck crescendo and perilous climax. This trio isn't climbing into any typical box of the usual fuzz labels, but the retro punk vibe is loud, raucous, and diabolically fun.
bandcamp ^~^ facebook ^~^ website ^~^ twitter ^~^ instagram ^~^ youtube
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Quick Hit: THE ELECTRIC SHAKES - "ELECTROHYPNOSIS"
Europe gives us a TON of great underground rock bands that run the gamut of styles we lump into stoner/doom/psychedelic/desert/retro/blues rock (even the genre lump is sizeable), and the UK is no exception. The trio The Electric Shakes, out of Bournemouth, are another of an impressive group of UK fuzz monsters.
Most trios are set up as one member doing double duty as the vocalist in addition to playing an instrument, but one impressive aspect of The Electric Shakes, in addition to their awesome fucking moniker, is that each brandisher of a musical apparatus performs vocal duties as well. The more vocals the better, whether it's a sharing of song leads, furnishing backup service, or in harmony, and these guys sweep all obligations.
The music they make is infectious, rawking, and fun. It's heavy on the riff and quick on the tempo. The drums are virulent and catchy, engaging head and hips in a dance of infectious rhythm. Monstrous basswork bolsters the heaviness of tracks that otherwise rocket and zoom in gravity defying exhilaration. The guitar brings all the highlights expected of excellence and quality, with a colossal fuzz enclosure punctuated by searing, soaring solos. The songs themselves are melodic masterpieces of amalgamated rock standards with traits of punk, stoner, garage, blues, and 70s era rock. The Electric Shakes' approach to music is a brilliant combination of those great rock sounds of past and present without any direct reflection of one legend over another, which allows them to forge something exciting and new and wholly their own.
bandcamp <{}> facebook <{}> soundcloud <{}> twitter <{}> youtube
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Album Review: Why Desperados - "WD Crew"
Like most of you I listen to lots of new music, new in the sense that I've not yet heard it whether it was released today or last decade. Each new album begins with anticipation, wondering whether this
one will be a gem, the Arkenstone languishing among a sea of rudimentary treasures. Of course, one person's Arkenstone is another person's Hope diamond, I suppose. Today I present to you a rare gem of rock, with Why Desperados' "WD Crew". Self proclaimed as part of the stoner rock genre this band certainly has a heavy, delicious guitar presence combined with melodies and beats that vigorously vibrate down those primal music cords of our rock n' roll soul, but I would claim they have carved out their own sound that, of course, borrows from many great rock bands of past and present, but exudes a uniqueness that is fun, fantastic, and outright fabulous in presentation. Spinning through the tracks goes much too quickly, leaving you wanting....MORE....please! If this is your first encounter with Why Desperados, and you find, as I have, that after listening to this new release you want more, there is an earlier release, "Sand Flood", as well as a single, "Careless" available on their Bandcamp and SoundCloud sites (links below).
Why Desperados, hailing from Dormolletto, Italy, include band members:
Matias Peruch - guitar
Gianluca Barbaglia - guitar
Nicolò Cagnan - drums
Giuseppe Muscatelli - bass
Andrea Archita - vocals
The driving forces of Cagnan's drumwork and Muscatelli's bass in exquisitely delivered time provide the rock solid platform for both Peruch and Barbaglia to grind, experiment, and soar with their blissful twin guitars. Topping it all off are Archita's truly beautiful vocals, raw and poignant, strong and yearning, pleasantly in sync with the finely crafted melodies this Italian fivesome have bestowed upon the rock loving world to enjoy.
bandcamp || soundcloud || facebook || twitter || instagram
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Nuclear Dog's Atomic Split: Thaddeus Anna Greene - "Directory of Thieves" / Hot Lunch - "Hot Lunch"
One of the most oft used lines in recent culture has been that of The Grateful Dead's "what a long strange trip it's been". This could well be used to describe the musical path that young Mr. Greene traveled to arrive at the excellent, hard rocking, and intelligent debut album "Directory of Thieves". His story is intriguing and fun, his music is raucous, raunchy, and full of retro rockin' grooves. Hot Lunch, as a band, are new, but the members bring loads of experience that matches their musical prowess, allowing them the opportunity to create some granite blasting, face melting, one of a kind brand of music. The trip for them may or may not have been strange, but it surely has been long, which bodes well for those of us who get to hear their incredible music. Today, the Atomic Split steps into an alternate universe where the music draws on much of the past to create something special for the present, with hope that more is in store for us in the not too distant future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THADDEUS ANNA GREENE - "DIRECTORY OF THIEVES"
The first thing you think of when listening to "Directory of Thieves" is Jimi Hendrix, and there is certainly a strong element of Jimi's style on this album. It's refreshing to hear something new that could've been his, but more importantly the music is simply good, intriguing, and loads of fun, something that would be evident to a generation of rockers who may have never been introduced to the Hendrix catalogs.
Thaddeus Anna Greene are a three piece band comprised of:
Thaddeus Anna Greene - guitar, vocals
Matt Augusta - bass
Anthoni Foti - drums
While Thaddeus Anna Greene is the progenitor of the band's songs he is more than ably accompanied by bandmates Matt and Anthoni, who contribute greatly to the finished products on the album. Both demonstrate dexterity and vision of their own in blending the rhythm to Greene's masterful guitar work. Long before forming this incredible trio, though, Thaddeus had begun to teach himself the guitar at the age of 14, spending untold hours in his room figuring out the intricacies of chords, keys, riffs, and solos by emulating his favorite rock magicians Jimi Hendrix, Jack White, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Black Keys. The strange part of the journey is prior to this point, beginning with his introduction to music through his father's indie record label where the music was solely gangster rap. His early musical penchants were for Michael Jackson and Bone Thugs N Harmony. From there he fell in love with . . . Fall Out Boy. Yes. You read that correctly. Keep in mind we're talking about a young man who had yet to reach 14 years of age and had very little access to rock n' roll of any sort. Glam metal of the 80s became another big influence, and between the 2 styles of music a young Thaddeus Greene picked up the guitar wanting to emulate the sounds he loved. From the rococco of 80s glam metal he eventually came full circle to the songs of Jimi and the blues of Muddy Waters, among other blues rock influences. This is where the strange trip began to turn to one of genius and delivery. Not only did he teach himself how to play the guitar, and not only did he learn to emulate all of his favorite guitar wizards, he found within himself an ability to create a new kind of magic, something all his own, something unique, and most importantly, something important because it was GOOD.
Thaddeus has developed a style of music that is both recognizable as music similar to thousands of songs we've loved through the years, and equally discernible as something we've never quite heard, which makes for excitement when listening to the songs of "Directory of Thieves"
The first full length song on the album, "Driving Dr. Gonzo", is a definite nod to Jimi Hendrix, sounding like something Thaddeus might have found to play as a cover, but instead it both shows his own song writing ability and pays homage to a rock artist legend. On this song we are introduced to 2 incredible things about Thaddeus Anna Greene's music; the first, of course, being his guitar, full of power and effortless grace; the second being his incredible voice, deep, rich, and vibrant, soulful and sugary sweet.
The next three songs are heavy blues rock pieces, laden with fuzzy guitar, rife with beautiful vocal delivery that doesn't conform to typical blues lyrical repetition, but instead plays out like standard rock tunes, moving seamlessly and enjoyably through the songs in a mesmerizing odyssey.
"Let Me Be" has Thaddeus stretching his writing chops and coming through beautifully. For me it has a nice original sound to it, incorporating what he knows with a vision of how to play it out in a style all his own. The guitar is haunting and deliberate with an incredible extracted solo of sheer beauty and grace.
"Midnight Snow" is the bittersweet loss of affection and the unrequited love of the one you just knew was the one, all magnified through the prism of blues rock guitar, where heartfelt hurt comes in the form of razor sharp solos and incredible riffs of soul scarred clarity.
The penultimate tune, "No More", is a powerful play of deliberate, forceful pace, relaying a haunting tale of woe and pain and pent up anguish. This song demonstrates a maturity of song writing ability, refraining from simply throwing guitars tricks and laser beams at the song, but instead laying down a preciseness that accurately reflects the discomfort felt by the teller of the tale.
The closer adds a bit of a country / americana twist before ending with a sample that seemingly describes a nuclear blast, but perhaps, instead, gives fair warning to anyone who cares to listen that the radiation initially felt is only a precursor of what's to come. We can only hope this is indeed the case.
"Directory of Thieves" is available as a download from bandcamp, Amazon, as well as iTunes.
Thaddeus Greene: Live From Bad Racket from Bad Racket on Vimeo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOT LUNCH - "HOT LUNCH"
In San Francisco Parchman Farm was well known and well liked, but not destined to stay together. Eric Shea, the lead singer for the ill fated band, knew he wanted to continue to create and play punk n' roll music, so called on some of his favorite musicians from other area bands to form Hot Lunch. He was fortunate in obtaining the services of Aaron Nudelman on guitar, Rob Alper on drums, and Charlie Karr on bass. For those of us unfamiliar with the San Francisco skate and music scene perhaps this incorporation doesn't mean much beyond the obvious sound they were able to create and display on this debut LP, but for Shea and Nudelman it was, to use one of the worst cliches ever, a dreamteam of raunchy, raucous, raw, and ridiculous punk acid rock n rollers the like the world has never heard and will likely never hear again beyond whatever Hot Lunch conjures beyond this initial release.
Hot Lunch are incredibly unique, fitting no mold, no genre, although they do have a similitude for some of the bands reviewed in past posts on Heavy Planet such as Lecherouse Gaze and The Shrine. I would even say there is some similarity to Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovell. Similarity means only sharing some aspects. Hot Lunch are an incredible blast of hot dragon breath melting your face on every riff and frying your bones with gatlin blasts of molten solos. The particular heat, intensity, and smell of what they produce isn't replicated anywhere else, nor should it be. If you think you can take it, and I'm sure you can, stout hearted purveyor of Heavy Planet, dig into some Hot Lunch, morning, noon, and most especially night.
Right away on "Handy Denny" you are treated to the raucousness of Nudelman's guitar, it's overwhelming power and drive, and the multitude of layers laid down throughout the song. Nudelman is a virtuoso of cutting loose and playing dirty with purpose. Shea's lyrics only enhance it immensely. It's a controlled screech, a wail of the bastard son of a wendigo raped by a banshee on tour with a 17th century traveling Irish circus. All the rock bands that use the guttural growl for vocals could improve greatly on their music by switching to something with this kind of sheer and exquisite effluence.
Throughout the album you can see why Shea and Nudelman heavily recruited Alper for the drumwork. Delicate opening interludes or all out assaults are handled with equal dexterity and exultation. This is rhythm work that doesn't sit in the background, but rides up front with the main drivers, exhorting directions in which the troupe should take.
And lest you think the bass sits under the stairs as so many do, it's not happening here. Never to be outdone by the flashy frontman and his axe wielding accomplice, Karr plays the bass dexterously and energetically, piling up heavy, dripping, sludge that coats everything in a perfect glaze of rock and roll gravy. Perhaps the best example of his dexterity and grace is displayed on "Tragedy Prevention".
There are ten tracks on "Hot Lunch". Pick one if you want. You can't find one that will bore you, or that you will ever think to listen to just once. Taken together they are a tremendous ride on top of Panzer Division tanks blasting through urban streets of old concrete and corroded steel, filling the countryside with a sound that trumpets the coming of awareness and excellence in foreign yet exciting cadence and timbre.
"Ripped at the Seam" is a perfect example of how a band can conjure pure excellence using sounds and tempo fitted to match perfectly to all contributors. It's a hot furnace blast of pure exhilarating energy.
Just when you're in a groove of heavy punk n' roll, Hot Lunch throw a curve with a Medieval Fair offering in "Lady of the Lake" that still manages to out raunch the most lilting of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer style music, making it incredibly intriguing and totally gorgeous in its audacity and impeccable delivery.
My favorite song on the album is the one that takes you on an eight minute journey through the best of the exquisite sounds Hot Lunch fry up and slather with punk n' roll grease on a hot summer day. Starting out like some perverted Gregorian chant it slides right into the main groove that somehow plays on a deep tribal rhythm coursing through your core, energizing that part of your inner soul over and again, continually adding layers of spectacular guitar, moving the tempo in and out, rolling a flurry of drumwork, bomb blasting the bass, slowing down for the monks to echo a chant before revving the engines again for flight on Nudelman's guitars and dispatching enemy intruders with Shea's glass shattering vocals. It's just a beautiful ride of a song that is as enjoyable to experience as a song can possibly be.
Hot Lunch has an official release date of March 12 at which time it can be downloaded from iTunes, where you will get 2 bonus tracks, from bandcamp, and from Amazon, where you can either download it, get the CD, or order the vinyl.
The Atomic Split today provided some pretty groovy music, special songs, and incredible performances. I suspect one or both of these albums will show up again in 11 months when this 2013 journey has come to a close. We'll see. There's a long way to go and lots of great music to discover. Today we discovered some of it, to say the least
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THADDEUS ANNA GREENE - "DIRECTORY OF THIEVES"
The first thing you think of when listening to "Directory of Thieves" is Jimi Hendrix, and there is certainly a strong element of Jimi's style on this album. It's refreshing to hear something new that could've been his, but more importantly the music is simply good, intriguing, and loads of fun, something that would be evident to a generation of rockers who may have never been introduced to the Hendrix catalogs.
Thaddeus Anna Greene are a three piece band comprised of:
Thaddeus Anna Greene - guitar, vocals
Matt Augusta - bass
Anthoni Foti - drums
While Thaddeus Anna Greene is the progenitor of the band's songs he is more than ably accompanied by bandmates Matt and Anthoni, who contribute greatly to the finished products on the album. Both demonstrate dexterity and vision of their own in blending the rhythm to Greene's masterful guitar work. Long before forming this incredible trio, though, Thaddeus had begun to teach himself the guitar at the age of 14, spending untold hours in his room figuring out the intricacies of chords, keys, riffs, and solos by emulating his favorite rock magicians Jimi Hendrix, Jack White, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Black Keys. The strange part of the journey is prior to this point, beginning with his introduction to music through his father's indie record label where the music was solely gangster rap. His early musical penchants were for Michael Jackson and Bone Thugs N Harmony. From there he fell in love with . . . Fall Out Boy. Yes. You read that correctly. Keep in mind we're talking about a young man who had yet to reach 14 years of age and had very little access to rock n' roll of any sort. Glam metal of the 80s became another big influence, and between the 2 styles of music a young Thaddeus Greene picked up the guitar wanting to emulate the sounds he loved. From the rococco of 80s glam metal he eventually came full circle to the songs of Jimi and the blues of Muddy Waters, among other blues rock influences. This is where the strange trip began to turn to one of genius and delivery. Not only did he teach himself how to play the guitar, and not only did he learn to emulate all of his favorite guitar wizards, he found within himself an ability to create a new kind of magic, something all his own, something unique, and most importantly, something important because it was GOOD.
Thaddeus has developed a style of music that is both recognizable as music similar to thousands of songs we've loved through the years, and equally discernible as something we've never quite heard, which makes for excitement when listening to the songs of "Directory of Thieves"
The first full length song on the album, "Driving Dr. Gonzo", is a definite nod to Jimi Hendrix, sounding like something Thaddeus might have found to play as a cover, but instead it both shows his own song writing ability and pays homage to a rock artist legend. On this song we are introduced to 2 incredible things about Thaddeus Anna Greene's music; the first, of course, being his guitar, full of power and effortless grace; the second being his incredible voice, deep, rich, and vibrant, soulful and sugary sweet.
The next three songs are heavy blues rock pieces, laden with fuzzy guitar, rife with beautiful vocal delivery that doesn't conform to typical blues lyrical repetition, but instead plays out like standard rock tunes, moving seamlessly and enjoyably through the songs in a mesmerizing odyssey.
"Let Me Be" has Thaddeus stretching his writing chops and coming through beautifully. For me it has a nice original sound to it, incorporating what he knows with a vision of how to play it out in a style all his own. The guitar is haunting and deliberate with an incredible extracted solo of sheer beauty and grace.
"Midnight Snow" is the bittersweet loss of affection and the unrequited love of the one you just knew was the one, all magnified through the prism of blues rock guitar, where heartfelt hurt comes in the form of razor sharp solos and incredible riffs of soul scarred clarity.
The penultimate tune, "No More", is a powerful play of deliberate, forceful pace, relaying a haunting tale of woe and pain and pent up anguish. This song demonstrates a maturity of song writing ability, refraining from simply throwing guitars tricks and laser beams at the song, but instead laying down a preciseness that accurately reflects the discomfort felt by the teller of the tale.
The closer adds a bit of a country / americana twist before ending with a sample that seemingly describes a nuclear blast, but perhaps, instead, gives fair warning to anyone who cares to listen that the radiation initially felt is only a precursor of what's to come. We can only hope this is indeed the case.
"Directory of Thieves" is available as a download from bandcamp, Amazon, as well as iTunes.
Thaddeus Greene: Live From Bad Racket from Bad Racket on Vimeo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOT LUNCH - "HOT LUNCH"
In San Francisco Parchman Farm was well known and well liked, but not destined to stay together. Eric Shea, the lead singer for the ill fated band, knew he wanted to continue to create and play punk n' roll music, so called on some of his favorite musicians from other area bands to form Hot Lunch. He was fortunate in obtaining the services of Aaron Nudelman on guitar, Rob Alper on drums, and Charlie Karr on bass. For those of us unfamiliar with the San Francisco skate and music scene perhaps this incorporation doesn't mean much beyond the obvious sound they were able to create and display on this debut LP, but for Shea and Nudelman it was, to use one of the worst cliches ever, a dreamteam of raunchy, raucous, raw, and ridiculous punk acid rock n rollers the like the world has never heard and will likely never hear again beyond whatever Hot Lunch conjures beyond this initial release.
Hot Lunch are incredibly unique, fitting no mold, no genre, although they do have a similitude for some of the bands reviewed in past posts on Heavy Planet such as Lecherouse Gaze and The Shrine. I would even say there is some similarity to Admiral Sir Cloudesly Shovell. Similarity means only sharing some aspects. Hot Lunch are an incredible blast of hot dragon breath melting your face on every riff and frying your bones with gatlin blasts of molten solos. The particular heat, intensity, and smell of what they produce isn't replicated anywhere else, nor should it be. If you think you can take it, and I'm sure you can, stout hearted purveyor of Heavy Planet, dig into some Hot Lunch, morning, noon, and most especially night.
Right away on "Handy Denny" you are treated to the raucousness of Nudelman's guitar, it's overwhelming power and drive, and the multitude of layers laid down throughout the song. Nudelman is a virtuoso of cutting loose and playing dirty with purpose. Shea's lyrics only enhance it immensely. It's a controlled screech, a wail of the bastard son of a wendigo raped by a banshee on tour with a 17th century traveling Irish circus. All the rock bands that use the guttural growl for vocals could improve greatly on their music by switching to something with this kind of sheer and exquisite effluence.
Throughout the album you can see why Shea and Nudelman heavily recruited Alper for the drumwork. Delicate opening interludes or all out assaults are handled with equal dexterity and exultation. This is rhythm work that doesn't sit in the background, but rides up front with the main drivers, exhorting directions in which the troupe should take.
And lest you think the bass sits under the stairs as so many do, it's not happening here. Never to be outdone by the flashy frontman and his axe wielding accomplice, Karr plays the bass dexterously and energetically, piling up heavy, dripping, sludge that coats everything in a perfect glaze of rock and roll gravy. Perhaps the best example of his dexterity and grace is displayed on "Tragedy Prevention".
There are ten tracks on "Hot Lunch". Pick one if you want. You can't find one that will bore you, or that you will ever think to listen to just once. Taken together they are a tremendous ride on top of Panzer Division tanks blasting through urban streets of old concrete and corroded steel, filling the countryside with a sound that trumpets the coming of awareness and excellence in foreign yet exciting cadence and timbre.
"Ripped at the Seam" is a perfect example of how a band can conjure pure excellence using sounds and tempo fitted to match perfectly to all contributors. It's a hot furnace blast of pure exhilarating energy.
Just when you're in a groove of heavy punk n' roll, Hot Lunch throw a curve with a Medieval Fair offering in "Lady of the Lake" that still manages to out raunch the most lilting of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer style music, making it incredibly intriguing and totally gorgeous in its audacity and impeccable delivery.
My favorite song on the album is the one that takes you on an eight minute journey through the best of the exquisite sounds Hot Lunch fry up and slather with punk n' roll grease on a hot summer day. Starting out like some perverted Gregorian chant it slides right into the main groove that somehow plays on a deep tribal rhythm coursing through your core, energizing that part of your inner soul over and again, continually adding layers of spectacular guitar, moving the tempo in and out, rolling a flurry of drumwork, bomb blasting the bass, slowing down for the monks to echo a chant before revving the engines again for flight on Nudelman's guitars and dispatching enemy intruders with Shea's glass shattering vocals. It's just a beautiful ride of a song that is as enjoyable to experience as a song can possibly be.
Hot Lunch has an official release date of March 12 at which time it can be downloaded from iTunes, where you will get 2 bonus tracks, from bandcamp, and from Amazon, where you can either download it, get the CD, or order the vinyl.
The Atomic Split today provided some pretty groovy music, special songs, and incredible performances. I suspect one or both of these albums will show up again in 11 months when this 2013 journey has come to a close. We'll see. There's a long way to go and lots of great music to discover. Today we discovered some of it, to say the least
Saturday, May 9, 2009
16 Unveils Official Skateboard Deck Line
Los Angeles, California's 16 has teamed up with Substance Abuse Skateboards for a run of official 16-related skateboard decks. The decks feature artwork from the band's catalog of releases, including those done by Pushead and Florian Bertmer.
To view the 16 skatedeck store, click here.
At one time, members of 16 were sponsored skateboard riders and have appeared in magazine ads and on skateboard DVDs.
16 will perform on May 10 at the Los Angeles Murderfest alongside EYEHATEGOD, DESPISE YOU, GRAF ORLOCK, AGENDA OF SWINE and more.
16's latest album, "Bridges To Burn", came out in late January. The CD is being streamed in its entirety at BridgesToBurn.com.
Since forming in the early '90s, 16 has released a number of full-length albums and split releases. 16 has also toured the globe, sharing stages with SLAYER, NEUROSIS, GRIEF, MELVINS, UNSANE, MASTODON, HIS HERO IS GONE, BOTCH, and many more.
For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.
To view the 16 skatedeck store, click here.
At one time, members of 16 were sponsored skateboard riders and have appeared in magazine ads and on skateboard DVDs.
16 will perform on May 10 at the Los Angeles Murderfest alongside EYEHATEGOD, DESPISE YOU, GRAF ORLOCK, AGENDA OF SWINE and more.
16's latest album, "Bridges To Burn", came out in late January. The CD is being streamed in its entirety at BridgesToBurn.com.
Since forming in the early '90s, 16 has released a number of full-length albums and split releases. 16 has also toured the globe, sharing stages with SLAYER, NEUROSIS, GRIEF, MELVINS, UNSANE, MASTODON, HIS HERO IS GONE, BOTCH, and many more.
For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.
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