DIY graphics

Extract taken from John Peel’s Arena – Today Carshalton Beeches… Tomorrow Croydon documentary.

Watch it here.

How minimal can you get? #37

Czechs
“Brilliant minimal DIY.” Chuck Warner

“Inspired sampler of four bands (The Boywonders, The Ghoulies, The Czechs and the Decadent Few) two of which tell us their age on the cover (The Boywonders are all 16, The Czechs are all 17). Humbling thought that such musical spirit could be mustered at such a tender age. Great variety of flavors too: The Boywonders great inept, spooky DIY strut where the band might think that a reggae influence is prevailing, us knowing that the stumbleblock shuffle bears more resemblance to ancient Celtic airs, the unbearable beauty of the Czechs utter disregard of tone, meter and signatures or the Ghoulies oddly Booker T-esque chug n' scrape. The business, all and all.” Johan Kugelberg

VA Rough Cuts 7" EP (Z Block Records, 1980)

Czechs – Suffocation
Get it here.

More info here and here.

How minimal can you get? #36

Aural Indifference / Denial
Different name for the same band from Sydney.

VA A Selection LP (M Squared, 1981) 

Aural Indifference – Baby Love

Denial California Dreaming 7" (M Squared, 1982)

Denial – California Dreaming

More info here.

Xmas Eve

Originally posted February 19, 2008
Never been sure to start a project like this blog. First, because I am not a huge record collector; second, because I usually don't have interesting things to tell. But things like the following story make me change of idea and keep blogging. Here it goes:

It all started getting a sample of Homework #4 CD from Hyped To Death, listening to it and being blown away for the music – specially for the song “Pot of Gold” by a band called Yo. Almost at the same time, I was addicted to Collector Scum – in fact, I had printed out the International Discography of the New Wave – and one day, looking at the list of records, an intriguing black & white cover got my attention. It was from a band called Xmas Eve. What was my surprise when reading these lines about the record: “All four tracks are cool artpunk. Pre-Yo, similar sound but a bit punkier. [BD]” Wait a minute… Was there a band before Yo? Thanks again to Hyped To Death, I was able to listen to Xmas Eve for the first time, on the Homework #103 CD. The song was “My House”, and as what happened with “Pot of Gold”, it turned out to be a masterpiece.

Xmas Eve: Eric Capers (drums), Jerome Capers (bass), Bruce  Rayburn (guitar).
Pic by Catharine J. Anderson

Just few weeks ago, I discovered that Mutant Sounds had posted all Yo's stuff. I went nuts and asked for Xmas Eve as well. What happened then, there's no words to describe it: Bruce Rayburn, the original vocalist and guitarist of Xmas Eve / Yo got in touch via email… and he was so kind to send me the complete Xmas Eve record! I don't know how to give him thanks for this beautiful present and express how amazingly kind he is. Maybe this post will work.

Xmas Eve Xmas Eve 7" EP (1982)

Xmas Eve – Paint It Red
Get the whole EP here.

By the way, this is the song that started everything:

Yo Good Tidings LP (Deadbeat Records, 1984)

Yo – Pot of Gold
Get it here.

Asbestos Lead Asbestos

Originally posted December 20, 2008
“This is without doubt the sound of the mid 1980's from W11. Their first single and never bettered, despite being recorded in possible one of the worst studios in London. They had already been around for years on the free tours and playing in squats as part of the Street Level Organisation under the name The 012, who released the seminal 'Fish From Tahiti' and the even more seminal Weird Noise EP on Fuck Off Records. Anyway 'Asbestos Lead Asbestos' must be in the top 20 debut singles of all time? Discuss! But not with me.” Sean (Rough Trade)

World Domination Enterprises – Asbestos Lead Asbestos (1985)

The 012 – Asbestos Lead Asbestos (1984)
Get it here.


World Domination Enterprises – Asbestos Lead Asbestos + Interview

More info here.

Campingsex

Campingsex – Fall ich hinein

This performance by Campingsex changed my life when I saw it on TV by pure chance years ago.

Church Police

Originally posted September 12, 2007
“Once there was a band called The Maroons which tried to be the stupidest band ever. It consisted of: Bruce – organ, Dave – guitar, Tim – drums, and some other people. Some of the band got mad at Dave for getting so wasted at a big gig that he couldn't play. Bruce ended up kicking him out of the band. After that everyone slowly but surely quit the band until there were no more maroons. Then Tim & Dave decided to form the loudest, most depressing band ever. Tim wanted to sing and Dave continued to play guitar then they got Eric to play drums. They needed a bass player so Bruce joined and thus formed the Church Police. They played countless nigths at The Sound of music for no money but they didn't care too much. It was fun and worthwile. They opened for Flipper at the Throbbing Gristle show last march. And it was ‘a real scream’. Subterranean Records keeps saying that the show will be released on a live record. They even have it in their catalog but nobody has seen it yet.” Cometbus

Church Police (clockwise from top left): Tim (vocals), Dave (guitar), Bruce (bass), Eric (drums). Dave Blakeslee

“The Church Police were one of the earliest underground punk bands to emerge from suburbia. The band performed their first live gig at the Sound of Music, a cheap, sleazy and accessible club in San Francisco's Tenderloin district, in the fall of 1980. An amateur studio recording was made around that same time at Diablo Valley College, in which the band's guitars were plugged directly into the sound board because live electrical performances would have been too loud and disruptive to the nearby classes. Only the drums were mic'ed. A cassette recording of this session began circulating through the San Francisco scene, gaining particular favor with two bands who had identified themselves as ‘pet rock’ bands: Animal Things and Flipper. The Church Police, mainly through Bruce's persistence, were able to land weeknight gigs at the Sound of Music with some regularity. One particularly memorable show occurred when Bruce Loose, lead singer of Flipper, made his enthusiastic appreciation of the band highly visible by dancing wildly in front of the stage as they performed. This convinced many trendies in the audience to consider the Church Police ‘cool.’ Even though their musical abilities were lacking, they had a unique stage presence and represented something fresh and unpredictable within the local punk community.” Dave Blakeslee

Church Police poster

“Unfortunately, along with their lack of humor comes a lack of originality, which negates taking any of their copycat antics seriously. The Church Police play and everyone stares woodenly. What is this shit, man? We thought this was gonna be a punk rock show. To put it lightly, the Church Police are not your garden variety thrash band. Not knowing what to do with this strange emanation, the crowd takes the easy way out and snarls its hate. They spit, yell, make gestures, throw things, hit – you know, your typical Type A look-in-your-punk-textbook-do-I-look-mean-enough bullshit. The band reacts in an exemplary manner and just goes about their business. After all, they were asked to play, no one asked the crowd to come and make trouble. And 'twas surely a loutish crew. I mean, ready to kill. They really loved the band (even if they wouldn't see it that way) simply because they hated them so much. Finally the Church Police were pulled off stage, which was wise. I would like to see them play again. Their steadfast behavior at this show again proves the motto: Church Police is God. Church Police is Disco.” Eric Bradner

Church Police – The Oven Is My Friend


Church Police – Life Is Fun
Get it here.

More info here.

Vibrant Fiasco

Originally posted June 12, 2009
“What a piece of shit!! Why don't you idiots out there send us somethingood.” Dave Damage's review on Vibrant Fiasco 7" (Flipside #22)

I like it when music is so bad that makes people get angry, because there's a point when the bad is so bad that it turns into good. Not everybody can appreciate that, though. That said, this song by this rare art punk combo from the Midwest is not so bad to be good. Instead, it is just great, catchy and addictive!

Vibrant Fiasco – Lizard Lips

By the way, this song also appeared on the Sub-Pop 7 compilation released in 1982.

More info here.

The Terrace scene: Wellington Punk & Post-Punk 1979–81

“The Terrace scene in Wellington, an arty, vaguely nihilistic, vaguely decadent post punk scene unlike any other in the country.” Gary Steel

“The Terrace scene was so named because of the area of relatively cheap housing around which the people and parties moved, giving rise to a group of bands with similar musical taste and outlook. The scene began with ‘underground’ parties for the punk set, which began to feature bands, or just as often, jam sessions within a small group of like-minded people.” Wade Ronald Churton

“Wellington's emerging punk and post-punk scene made it's home in a couple of houses, (212 and 246 The Terrace) occupied by members of Beat Rhythm Fashion, RIOT 111 and others. Located only 5 minutes from parliament the ‘Terrace scene’ as it became known was a key location from 1979–81 with house parties by touring and local bands. It's place in the local scene was considered prominent enough to feature as the principle location in Chris Knox's documentary on the Wellington Scene featured below.” Up The Punks


Wellington Scene – Part 1

Wellington Scene – Part 2

“The Terrace scene spawned several shortlived bands, only one surviving into 1982. The overall sound was harsh and confrontational with a strong emphasis on improvisation, contrasting sharply with the other centers' general revved-up dance-pop zeitgeist. Punk here meant anti-stardom, and an attendant militantly uncommercial musical stance; art as opposed to crowd-pleasing pop. There was much more of a psychedelic influence at work; the Cure, the Fall, Beefheart, PIL… all in a punk-fuelled witches' brew and available at Thistle Hall, Billy The Club, or someone's party.” Wade Ronald Churton

Thistle Hall at the top of Cuba Street in a photo dated 1980.

Life In The Fridge Exists (LIFE)
“Life In The Fridge Exists could have been brilliant if they had practiced, but when they did practice, it was in front of an audience.” Alan Jimson

LIFE playing at Thistle hall.

“LIFE was largely the conception of artist/guitarist/vocalist Michael Gallagher, with vocal and musical support from Samantha Swan and her guitarist brother Nick. In the early days there was also guitarist/bassist Adrienne Hally. The drum stool was taken by a succession of candidates with varying degrees of ability over the band's chaotic six month existence, notably Wellington's own answer to Sid Vicious, sheep-immolator Rhys Bassett. If spontaneity and loose jamming was the prevalent attitude amongst the Terrace scene musicians, then the envelope-pushing LIFE made a positive virtue out of non-practice.” Wade Ronald Churton

LIFE, Billy The Club, May 1980

“In late 1980 LIFE recorded a number of original tracks at Sausage Studios, three of which feature on the **** (Four Stars) compilation of bands that made up the Terrace scene. Track one on this LP, Have You Checked The Children, is regarded by some as the theme song for this period of first wave Wellington punk/post-punk. The title references a 1970's slasher horror movie in which a babysitter is tormented over the phone by a unseen psychopath. LIFE's song neatly turns this around casting the children (who have all become ‘punks’) of Wellington's complacent middle class as the imminent threat to polite adult society. Wade Churton's 1999 book on New Zealand punk and post-punk from 1977–81 references this song in it's title. The group played in the Cuba Mall and Thistle Hall circuit during 1980–81 before splitting with guitarist Nick Swan continuing the use of music and ‘theatrics’ in New Zealand's first political punk band RIOT 111.” Up The Punks


Life In The Fridge Exists – Have You Checked The Children 

Beat Rhythm Fashion
“This band is different – the two very British Birch brothers have spent most of their lives in Hong Kong and view New Zealand as a cultural wasteland. They don't even want to be associated with local bands. ‘We're a solar system band,’ Nino chips in. Even Kiwi drummer Glen whose nasal twang stands out from these toffee tones whispers ‘I hate New Zealand bands’.” Gary Steel

Beat Rhythm Fashion

“Formed by brothers Dan and Nino Birch in 1980 Beat Rhythm Fashion made some initial sporadic appearances as The Westown Quintet and The Mixers before settling on the BRF moniker. Conceived of initially as a studio only project the band recorded two tracks for the **** (Four Stars) album released in August 1980. Living in one of the flats (no. 246) that made up the vibrant Terrace scene the brothers appear playing in a living room and interviewed outside by Chris Knox in his documentary on the Wellington post-punk scene.” Up The Punks


Beat Rhythm Fashion playing and interviewed at The Terrace flats, Wellington 1980.

“BRF made wistful, introspective art-pop with complex arrangements and an immaculate sound (the production on their singles is uniformly excellent). They were a great deal less improvisatory than most of the other Terrace scene bands, but prone to preciousness and fussy arrangements which could become a minus (‘Art And Duty’, based on a Coleridge poem, sounds uncomfortably close to progressive rock).” Wade Ronald Churton


Beat Rhythm Fashion – Beings Rest Finally

Naked Spots Dance
“Originating from a High School garage jam in 1979 (Stephen Norris, Phil Harfield and Geoff Smith), Naked Spots Dance formed in 1980 with an original line-up of Kate Walker, Stephen Norris, Phil Harfield and Jenny Leyland and were an integral part of the Terrace scene with three songs included in 1980s' compilation album **** (Four Stars). Heavily improvisational and accompanied by an ethereal vocal style NSD were regarded as one of Wellington's best bands of the time, releasing one album and two EPs between 1981 and 1983.” Up The Punks

Naked Spots Dance in In Touch magazine.

“The music the early band made was recognisably punk but different; short and spiky songs alternated with long, rumbling, improvised epics going well past the three-minute barrier. Lyrics were discontented, sullen and often ‘you’ scenarios. Norris and Walker achieved a fine musical rapport early on with their highly individual yet complimentary styles; raw, sparse and scouring guitar scraped over a warm, fluent bass which provided both rhythm and melody. They took their time over the music, and would not make a live appearance until well into 1980.” Wade Ronald Churton

Naked Spots Dance – Governed By You
Get it here.

Shoes This High
“With an anti-pop Public Image Limited/Pere Ubu/Fall sound, Shoes This High were one of the key defining outfits of the post-punk era. Formed around the hub of Hawkins and Walker in late September [1979], Hayward joined on vocals in November, and the band began to have the familiar drummer problem. There were one or two more in circulation by this time, however, and the band tried a few out, playing increasingly over summer, which was rich with parties, Cuba Mall and Thistle Hall events.” Wade Ronald Churton

Shoes This High (Dec 1980). Pic by Peter Avery

“The band were plainly punk-based (though influences like funk and even disco were coming through) but shared little of the form's clichés. Plummer and Walker locked together to form one of the country's finest post-punk rhythm-sections; taut, slippery, staccato and even funky (and remarkably reminiscent of 1980s' Features). Fused with Hawkins' menacing jangle and unusual melody-lines, the three were exemplary improvisers who could extemporise on a theme on a par with most jazz-rock hotel outfits. Shoes This High were working with much more exciting rhythms, however.” Wade Ronald Churton

“Unfortunately for Shoes This High, their music is just too extreme, too intense for the average Joe Public who frequents The Last Resort, Willy's Wine Bar etc. The band aren't prepared to compromise their music to gain commercial acceptance… A Shoes This High concert can be a pretty intense experience. Chris and Jessica lay down a solid, rhythmic foundation around which Kevin weaves patterns of jangling, often discordant guitar. Above all this Brent spits out the words as if his life depended on it. A lot of people I've talked to about Shoes This High complain that they can only take so much of Brent screaming insults at the audience in the songs.” Dave Maclennan

Last gigs in Wellington, 1980

“I was living out in Wellington's suburbs. I was psycho. I was going off my tree. I just had the most violent thoughts about stuff.” Brent Hayward

“Inevitably this doctrine of ‘rile up the punters’, together with the band's singularly abrasive, difficult music meant that Shoes This High was always going to be the proverbial acquired taste, only ever appealing to a few fellow travellers and hardy souls (and very few hotel venues). From the word go they were destined for cult status for the whole of their 28-month existence.” Wade Ronald Churton

Shoes This High – A Mess
More info here and here.

* * *

Excerpts taken from the book Have You Checked The Children? by Wade Ronald Churton and the website Up The Punks – Wellington Punk Culture.

Cassandra's Ears

“Dunedin was surely safer than many places in the country to be 'different'. (It still is.) It was also prime garage band turf, with the Dunedin Sound syndrome testament to that fact. Things could be tried out in (relative) safety, so even though they were not locals – not part of the Dunedin Sound scene per se – this was the perfect location for Aucklander Jan Hellriegel and her friends Venessa Anich, Felicity Rhind, Sarah Macnab and Meaghan Millar to form the next ground-breaking all-woman band. In doing so, they carved out for themselves a small but vital place within the rich and varied history of New Zealand rock music.” Ian Chapman

Cassandra's Ears

“It's any teenagers dream to be in a band. We will be rock stars and we'll be on the road together – forever. And for a time the dream is very real. We are five girls in various groupings, we travel up an down the country for five years. We record our tunes and grow into our 20s knowing the joy and challenge of collaboration. Life long friendships are firmly established and our creativity fed and honoured. In 1989 we play our last gig at the Powerstation and the dream comes to an end. We part ways and it's very sad but we are all the richer for our experiences together.” Felicity Morgan-Rhind

Cassandra's Ears flyer

“We toured the country countless times in an old Bedford van with a couple of cushions thrown in the back, played loads of orientation shows, got thrown off stage on occasion, released a five-track LP and a three-track EP, and apart from a $500 grant from the Ministry of Women's affairs we did this under our own steam.” Jan Hellriegel

Cassandras Ears Private Wasteland 12" (Jayrem Records, 1988)

Cassandra's Ears – My Command

Update July 23, 2013
 
Cassandra's Ears – Silver Sheen (1988)

* * *

Excerpts taken from the The Cassandra's Ears story CD. More info here.

Making Waves #1

ISSUE #1: AUGUST 2011 | buy |
A5 / 88 pages / English
Cover: Anna Nasty (Phoenix, US)
Contributors: Anna (Leeds, UK), Camille (Paris, FR), Constance (Rennes, FR), Darryl (San Francisco, US), Edu (Barcelona, ES), Jaspin (Auckland, NZ), Jenn (UK), Mary (Los Angeles, US), Jenny Woolworth (London, UK)

MAKING WAVES ZINE TAPE #1 | download |
01. Jeri Rossi - I Left My Heart But I Don’t Know Where
02. Dolly Mixture - Shonay Shonay
03. All Girl Summer Fun Band - Charm Bracelet
04. Finally Punk - Environmentality
05. Ludus - Too Hot To Handle
06. The Petticoats - I’m Free
07. Chalk Circle - Easy Escapes
08. LiLiPUT - In A Mess
09. The Bags - Violent Girl
10. Devil’s Dykes - Fruitless

More info here.

How minimal can you get? #35

Concrete – Ghoulish Practices 7" (1981)
“Concrete once got yanked off an Xmal Deutschland bill for showing up to play with four Sony Walkmans and a banjo…” Chuck Warner (Hyped to Death)

Not sure if they considered themselves a minimal band, but one thing I am sure of: they got attitude and they must had been fun lads to hang out with.

Concrete – Uranium Plant
Get it here.

More info here.

Hose

Originally posted June 27, 2008
Hose was the first band by now legendary cult figure Rick Rubin. What got my attention was the fact that Rubin was a really huge Flipper fan, and also that both releases made by Hose were not so well known. Maybe were those records not so great? Was Hose just a bad copy of Flipper? I couldn't disagree more! Hose was great noisy artcore – or call it as you want – at its best. Because let's face it… how can you go wrong with slow bass intros and feedbacks?

 Rick Rubin

“A chubby NYU student from Long Island wearing tight leather pants and bullet belts, Rick was quick to throw dad's money around. His first Rock Biz foray – an uptown/downtown fusion gig with Heart Attack, Liquid Liquid and Treacherous Three at the Hotel Diplomat – was a total flop. Before he got involved with the Beasties, Rubin played in THE PRICKS and in HOSE – a funny Flipper-style act who'd do ultra-slow versions of Rick James' Superfreak and Black Sabbath's Sweet Leaf.” Steven Blush (American Hardcore)

Rick Rubin and Mike Espindle performing at Maxwells around 1985. The Mystical Beast

“Flipper was a conceptual art project masterminded by a group of (relatively) old San Francisco punk hippies. No doubt, the first few singles and the Generic Flipper LP are crucial records, among my favorites. And Hose desperately wanted to make records that sounded like Flipper. But Hose were an uncalculated, reckless and downright foolish band, just happy to be there, pissing off their neighbors. Flipper is smart, Hose is dumb. And dumb usually wins in rock.” James Barber (Reckless Country Soul)

“Released in the same year as their other record, but unlike on the 12", their NYC adaption of the Flipper sound works pretty well here. Mobo and Zoo are extremely noisy mid-tempo hardcore songs with really evil feedbacs, similar to Flipper but not as weird; Girls is a fast simple thrasher. Cool EP.” Burkhard Järisch (Flex! #3)

Hose – Only The Astronaut Knows The Truth

Hose – Mobo

More info: Where’s Your Bag? and Rick Rubin, The Early Years (bottom of the page).

* * *

Last but no least, endless thanks to Rockin' Rex for being so extremely kind to send me the mp3 files and to Mike Cutlet for getting in touch.

In search of the catchiest garage-pop song ever recorded Pt. I

Crystalized Movements – Mind Disaster LP (1983)
Grow-Up – A Manchester Collection V/A LP (1979)
The Numbers – Sunset Strip 7" (1980)

Crystalized Movements – Sandy Roy
Get it here.

Grow-Up – You Are The One
Get it here.

The Numbers – Sunset Strip
Get it here.

How minimal can you get? #34

Six Minute War – 33.3 EP (1980)
Six Minute War – More Short Songs EP (1980)
Six Minute War – Slightly Longer Songs 7" (1981)
“Six Minute War arrived on the scene a bit late (1980), exploring minimal lengths as well as minimal lyrics and instrumentation. It'd be a stretch to call them England's answer to the Urinals, but you get the concept: their 11-song debut (…) was called 33.3; the next was More Short Songs (though there were only 5 of them). Their 4-track swansong was (naturally) Slightly Longer Songs. After that a couple of them morphed into Fallout, and Rob Taylor later joined Andrew Beer in Concrete and 400 Blows.” Chuck Warner (Hyped to Death)

Six Minute War. Messthetics #107

“One fanzine gave us a right panning because we never looked 'punk' enough – Charlie, Steve and I all had long hair… Another review said 'I know appearances aren't supposed to matter but the singer is a fat Angus Young clone and the rest aren't much better.” Rob Taylor (Six Minute War)

Six Minute War – Camera
Get it here.

Six Minute War – Sell Out
Get it here.

Six Minute War – Weathermen
Get it here.

More info here.

How minimal can you get? #33

Anne Bean & P. D. Burwell – Low Flying Aircraft 7" (1979)
“Pulp: ‘Low Flying Aircraft’ is what happens when avant-garde meets punk on neutral ground, a wonderfully delirious disaster area. I love it.” New Musical Express 

Anne Bean & P. D. Burwell – Low Flying Aircraft

More info: Pulp Music

Limbo District

Limbo District – Carnival (Athens, GA, 1983)

More info: Limbo District – Athens' Biggest Puzzle (At Least To Me)

How minimal can you get? #32

Doof – Exist 10" (1981)

Doof – Treat Me Like (The Man I Am)
Get it here or here.

How minimal can you get? #31

Partly Cloudy – Excess Verbiage LP (1986)

Partly Cloudy – Bus Ride
Get it here.

Dybbuk

Dybbuk – Ale čert to vem (1985)

How minimal can you get? #30

Come – Come Sunday 7" (1979)
The very beginning of Come Organisation.

Come – Come Sunday

DA

DA – Dark Rooms (1981)

“Chicago is funny in that they have their ears focused intently on what the hell is happening in Britain while ignoring our own shores. DA is a classic example in that even before one side is over, you're muttering to yourself; now they sound like something I've heard before, if I could only place it. Trouble is, you do finally figure it out… only to realize that this town is full of technicians, who while they may be very competent, don't have an original idea among them. I'm almost embarrassed to say who they sound like, the resemblance is so clearcut. Alright I'll spill the beans, the band I'm refering to did a song called 'Happy House', which comes closes to what DA sounds like. A little like any of the unsteadily wailing cuts off of 'The Scream', if you happen to need more of a hint. DA sounds fine, recorded very well, very clean, but I just don't have an appetite for this kind blatant emulation.” Dave Stimson (Touch & Go #15)