THE TEEN SCENE
Issue #52
May, 1995
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

BUSINESS STUFF
       This stuff's mine!  (And other things that need to be said.)

SOME NEW FACES JOIN THE OLD FAVORITES
       The cast

WFUN DJ PICKS
       What's turning us on (musically speaking)

RANT
       Me gettin' all het up

ONE MORE TIME... THE SCIENTISTS!
       The original incarnation does a one-off on a Perth hotel rooftop

SHOOTIN' THE BULL WITH THE PLATTERPUSS
       Ace reviewer, The 'Puss, does what he does best

FORTUNE & MALTESE
       An interview with the boys who make all the noise

SAN DIEGO SEEN
       That was then

HELLO, CENTRAL?  CALIFORNIA, PLEASE?
       This is now

TRY THE FORGOTTEN ART OF READING
       Exercise that big gray muscle up top

FEBRUARY FREAKOUT
       A month to remember

SNACK-MATES
       Dunno if I could fit a 7"er in my lunch pail, but they're quite tasty
all the same

DEFINITELY NOT TO BE USED AS COASTERS
       CD reviews, y'know

BURPS, BELCHES, AND OTHER NOISES
       Other music-related news and stuff

CAN'T GET IT IN YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE?
       Then simply write to these nice folks

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BUSINESS STUFF

       The Teen Scene is the sole property of me, Blair Buscareno.  All
rights are reserved by the people who wrote the articles.  If you wanna
reprint something in your own mag (or whatever), just give me (and the
author of the thing) credit... and send me a copy (so I can feel all-
important.)
       And, for those of you who happen to be on-line... well, so's the Teen
Scene.  In a way.  I'm now offering this mag in text-only e-mail form.  Just
e-mail me at [email protected] and say you want to be on my list.
Hey... it's free that way... tho' you'll miss Quisp's cool lay-out.

AD RATES:

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Please contact us for details, either by regular mail or e-mail
([email protected])

The Teen Scene
34 Highland Cross #2
Rutherford, NJ  07070
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SOME NEW FACES JOIN THE OLD FAVORITES:
Blair Buscareno ... O Captain, Me Captain
Mick Seman        ... Reporting From Oz
Jeff Shore            ... The Platterpuss-Guru Offers Wisdom
Matt Fidelibus     ... California Man
Quisp N. Quake    ... Chained In The Basement, With Scissors, Tape, Etc.
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WFUN DJ PICKS
(OR, IN MATT'S CASE, KFUN)

Blair ... Fortune & Maltese, The Insomniacs, The DM 3, Cub, The Vikings,
Trick Babys
Matt ... The Choir, The Chocolate Watch Band, Plasticland, & The
Gravedigger V
Jeff ... The  Real Kids, The Vacant Lot and  The Vikings
Mick ...  The DM3, The Real Kids, Offspring
Quisp ...
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RANT

       Like I said, it's a new semester now... new challenges, etc.  Yeah,
whatever.  Unfortunately, this student teaching thing means that my
weekdays are pretty much devoted to schoolwork.  There really isn't time
for too much else.  What this meant was that I was no longer able to do my
Wednesday afternoon radio show.  While this was a bummer, I figured it
was a price I had to pay.  Too bad, I thought, as this was (as you, O
Faithful Reader, no doubt already know) one of the great pleasures I'd
been able to take in my return to the hallowed halls of academia.
       And then a ray of light.
       Our chief programmer told me I might be able to get a slot on
Saturday afternoon.  The downside of that, she told me, was that I'd
occasionally be pre-empted by the sports department.  Well, I thought,
that was OK, 'cuz I could use the occasional week off to get some extra
work done.
       I got the show.  Saturday afternoons, two till four.  Cool!  Biff-Bang-
Pow would survive.
       And so, Saturday the 21st, I slept late, got my records together in
the old wooden suitcase Bill Jones had given me upon his departure from
lovely New Jersey, and pointed the SmurfMobile towards the WRSU
studios.  Hey!  It was Saturday... that meant I'd be able to park in the tiny
lot behind the station without getting a ticket!  Less distance to lug that
heavy suitcase full of records.  I'd be right near the stairwell.
       First off... the damn thing was locked.  NEVER before has that door
been locked.  So I crossed the street, went in the student union building,
and got on the elevator.  A longer trip, sure, but it would get me there.
       I walked into the station about 1:30, all ready to meet the guy who
I'd be relieving and what do I see?  SPORTS!  This was a bad sign.
       "Uh... you know that Knight Line is on after the game, right?"
       No, I didn't.  They'd neglected to tell me.
       "Well... it's on the schedule."
       What schedule?
       (It seems they have a computer printout of all the times WRSU will
be broadcasting some Rutgers' athletic contest.)
       "They could have told me," I muttered in a rather surly manner.
       "There're schedules all over the station," said one bright boy.
       Yeah, great... one more meaningless computer printout... just what
everyone reads.
       Hell, I'd never had to deal with this crap.  The only time they
broadcast sports stuff on weekdays is when it's some special game... like
Rutgers making it to an NCAA final four thing in soccer.  (That one I was
sorta psyched about.)
       I asked for a print-out.
       "Yah, sure... it's on the computer... Look under Sports-Winter
Coverage."
       Well, another one of their genius types was using said computer
and he had no friggin' clue how to find this thing.  "But they're all over the
station," says Mr. Happy.
       Well why don't I just rip one of them down then?
       "Oh no!  Please don't do that!"  said Mr. Happy as he quickly
metamorphosed into Mr. Worried Sick.  "You can just come in every week
and find out if you've got a show that Saturday."
       No, dickhead, I can't.  I'm not ON campus all the time.  The only
time I've got class on campus is Tuesday afternoon... and by then I'm
FRIED.  The last thing I wanna do is head over here to find out if you
buttstains are pre-empting my show for the five millionth time!
       (Actually, as far as I knew then, this was an isolated occurrence.)
       Bright Boy came up with a solution.  Why don't you just write
down what weeks we'll be pre-empting you.  (Good idea... even if it did
kinda steam me.)
       Well... they only had the schedule up thru the end of February, but
I figured that'd do for now.  So I looked.
       Well, folks... for the months of January and February (and
probably, if the pattern continues... as it no doubt will), "Biff! Bang!!
Pow!!!" is a monthly radio program.  I'm slotted for January 28th and
February 25th.  The weeks in between are taken up by either a game or a
sports call-in show.  (Yeah... like the world needs another one of those!)

       Y'know... I don't hate sports.  Well, OK, I'm not much for watching
football.  (Kinda explains my annual AntiSuperbowl parties, doesn't it?)  I
do like to get out and play a pick-up game with friends, though.  Same
goes for softball.  And soccer and tennis.  I don't much like basketball, in
any form, but it's nothing I can't handle.  I won't go see a major league
baseball game for a couple years after they come back (my own protest
that I'm hoping more fans will take to heart... a fan strike would do that
crowd some good.)  I figure I can make do with a minor league game
every once in a while.  And I'm glad the hockey gang is back.
       Like I said... I don't hate sports.  I just hate having my radio show -
something I look forward to every week - pre-empted by a bunch of
amateurs going nuts over a college game.  I wouldn't even mind if it was
once a month.  But when they start to take over, I get pissed.
       OK, I'm done.

       We join the regularly scheduled programming already in progress.

SOME NEW FACES JOIN THE OLD FAVORITES:
Blair Buscareno ... O Captain, Me Captain
Mick Seman        ... Reporting From Oz
Jeff Shore            ... The Platterpuss-Guru Offers Wisdom
Matt Fidelibus     ... California Man
Quisp N. Quake    ... Chained In The Basement, With Scissors, Tape, Etc.

WFUN DJ PICKS
(OR, IN MATT'S CASE, KFUN)

Blair ... Fortune & Maltese, The Insomniacs, The DM 3, Cub, The Vikings,
Trick Babys
Matt ... The Choir, The Chocolate Watch Band, Plasticland, & The
Gravedigger V
Jeff ... The  Real Kids, The Vacant Lot and  The Vikings
Mick ...  The DM3, The Real Kids, Offspring
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ONE MORE TIME... THE SCIENTISTS!
WITH THE MANIKINS AT
THE GROSVENOR HOTEL, PERTH, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 10TH,
1995

       Sometime around the second or third week of February, I found
myself surfing the UseNet groups.  Having long had a fascination with
Aussie rock'n'roll, I'd occasionally been checking out the aus.music group.
This time 'round, I actually found something that caught my eye.  A
subject line saying something about The Scientists playing live in
Perth.  Here's how it started:  "Sometimes, I reckon I was lucky to be born
in the most isolated city on the planet. Because last night, the Scientists
reunited on the roof of a city hotel."  So I got in touch with the guy who'd
posted it, Mick Seman, for an update.  First, he sent me newspaper
reviews.  While I'd like to reprint those, copyright laws (even from over in
Oz) make me kinda wary, so I asked Mick to write his own impressions. --
ed.

       When I saw the flyers for this gig, I just had to go.  I never saw the
Scientists the first time around, but I got some of their early records, and
still treasure them even though they sound crappy to those weaned on
compact discs.
       I got there after the Manikins (also doing a reunion --- ed.) started,
but that was no big deal, as they only had one really good song
"Premonition".  I think most people had come to see the Scientists like me.
By the third number, there were people of all ages pogoing at the front.
       This was the late seventies lineup (Salmon, Baker, Juniper and
Sharples). They played their songs from that era like Frantic Romantic,
Pissed on Another Planet, and Baby You're Not For Sale (plus, Mick
related in a separate message, covers of The Undertones and Baker's punk
group with Dave Faulkner before their Hoodoo Gurus' days, The Victims
--- ed). This was punk/powerpop, whatever you wanna call it at its finest.
My only whinge was that they had a few more good songs that they didn't
play this night.  I suppose you can't expect them to remember everything
they did fifteen years ago.
       They came back for an encore with James Baker saying something
like "here's a song by the Troggs, they were always cooler than the Sex
Pistols".  Then a few more of their own compositions, and they went
offstage again. The euphoria I had felt quickly faded as I realised I would
never see the Scientists again.  But I knew I must be better off than the
poor sods who camped out to get tickets to the Rolling Stones or Pearl
Jam.  I had just seen the gig of the year, and it was only A$15. --- MS

       For those of you who only know The Scientists as  the predecessors
of the whole grunge thing (yeah, there's a definite argument to be made in
this direction), you might want to pick up Pissed On Another Planet
(Timberyard), a six-song EP of some of the early material, all of it being
exactly what Mick describes, "punk/powerpop (...) at its finest." -- ed.
       One final note... In the two "professional" newspaper articles Mick
e-mailed me, there was but one song mentioned... "Frantic Romantic", the
most popular for reasons obvious to any who've ever had the good
fortune to hear it.  Kinda makes you wonder if these "professionals" had
actually ever even heard the group before.
       Thanks to Mick for helping out. -- ed.
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SHOOTIN' THE BULL WITH THE PLATTERPUSS

       Hey ho, it looks like it's about time for me to spout more words of
wisdom for all my adoring fans (both of 'em) out there in Teen Scene land.
With Spring just around the corner, my thoughts naturally turn to baseball
but, alas, the almighty dollar has proven to be mightier than the bat.
Considering that we're talking about millionaires striking against
billionaires, it's hard to feel sympathy for either side. All I know is that I
should be picking up the paper and reading about Don Mattingly and
Paul O' Neill instead of labor negotiations and replacement players.  Oh
well, as it has so many times before, some good loud and fast Rock & Roll
will get me through these bad times. And I've got plenty of new and
wonderful rockin' stuff to tell ya about so let's get to it.
       While Don Mariani is not all that well known in these parts, his
former bands, The Stems and The Someloves were big favorites among
followers of the Australian music scene and lovers of poppy garage band
music. About a year or so ago he recorded a new album One Time, Two
Times, Three Red Light on Citadel Records with his new band the DM3. I
finally managed to track down a copy and, I'm glad to say that it was
definitely worth the effort. His new songs are more power pop and less
garagey which means that instead of reminding me of the Byrds, this has
more of a Raspberries sound to it, even though it's a lot more harder-
edged than Carmen and Co. ever were. Don's songwriting is still as sharp
as ever and songs like "Far From Here", "Blue Thing", "Like This", "Fall To
Bits" and the title track are nothing short of perfect. The bad news here is
that, if you want a copy, you're gonna have to order it from direct from
Australia. I got my copy from PolyEster Records at PO Box 73,  Fitzroy
VIC 3065, AUSTRALIA or for you on-line computer types, you can e-mail
'em at [email protected]. They accept credit cards so you needn't
worry about converting money. While I realize that this is a major pain in
the ass for most of you non-compulsive record collecting types, if this
sounds like your cup of tea, this is one disc you really shouldn't miss out
on.
       Fans of melodic punk and hardcore will definitely want to check
out Bubbling Under, the new CD by Finland's Hitmen 3 on NKVD Records
(PO Box 60369,  San Diego CA 92166). These guys are kinda similar in
sound and content to Bad Religion but I find these guys a lot easier to
listen to as their lyrics are less like Sociology courses than BR's are. As
much as I like Mr. Brett & Co., there's something to be said for not having
to keep a dictionary handy when listening to  Rock & Roll. Until now the
only way to get anything by these guys was to write away to their label in
Finland but, thanks to the folks at NKVD records, you can now get
everything they've ever recorded on one convenient little disc. Although
much of their material sounds kinda similar and I do find myself feeling a
little over loaded about halfway through the 27 songs included here,
there's no denying just how powerful these guys really are. If you're a fan
of BR or just hard hitting yet tuneful punk rock in general, you owe it to
yourself to get your hands on a copy of this.
       It's always cause for celebration here at Platterpuss HQ when Roy
Loney releases anything new and while my expectations for Full Grown
Head by Roy Loney & The Longshots on Shake Records (598 Victoria,  C.P.
36587, Saint Lambert, Que.  J4P-3S8,  CANADA)  were incredibly high, I
wasn't disappointed in the slightest as this might be his most rockin' and
consistent album ever, with a number of songs that are destined to become
Loney classics like "Get Off The Phone", "I'll Come Running", "Teeny
Weeny Man" and the title track not to mention a reprise of the old
Groovies classic "Slow Death". Co produced by Loney, Conrad Uno, Scott
McCaughey and Jim Sangster (the last 2 from the Young Fresh Fellows)
the sound is crisp and full. I was fortunate enough to see and meet him
when he was in town a few years ago and I know it's safe to say that as
long as there are folks like him still kickin' around, real Rock & Roll won't
ever die.
       Flexible Heads on Banda Bonnot records (V.Nomentana 113,  00161
Roma,  ITALY) is the second album by Italian popsters Gas and, as much
as I dug their debut, no way was I prepared for just how much I was
gonna love this one. Fans of girl-group poppy punk a la The Fastbacks
will be especially pleased listening to this as, one after another, these
catchy hook-laden gems just jump out of the speakers and grab you. If
you're as much of a fan of this kind of thing as I am there's no way that
you'll be able to sit still while playing this fine little slab of digital
plastic.
Although English is not their native tongue, their command of the
language is quite strong making this one of those rare instances when
reading the words on the enclosed lyric sheet actually adds to the
experience. If this sounds like your cup of tea, there are few that are doin'
it any better these days and this disc is well worth sending off a letter and
some cash for.
       And now for some of my seven-inch friends: On their latest (only?)
single "Blue Devil King"/"Tornado on Bad Karma Records (11 rue du
Canal, 87000 Limages,  FRANCE) The Blue Devils play some really
energetic Rockabilly that, while not quite as manic and over the top as
bands like The Meteors, still manages to get me up and shakin' my big ol'
butt. I especially dig the B-side, an absolute must for my next party tape...
Bum and Teengenerate are 2 of the hottest bands around these days,
needing no introduction to readers of Teen Scene. This new 2-single set
put out by Bum's Canadian label Lance Rock  (1223 College Dr.,  Nanaimo
BC, V9R-5Z5,  CANADA) finds each band doing one of their own songs
and one written by the other band. This couldn't be anything but totally
fuckin' amazing, both bands doing what they do best, in somewhat similar
yet also different styles. Definitely a 4-sided winner...The 4 slices of white
boy Rock & Roll/R & B on the "Tall Skinny Annie" EP by Clayton Watson
& His Silhouettes on Hillsdale Records (PO Box 641592,  S.F., CA 94164)
were originally recorded in 1959 and, with the exception of the title track,
have remained unreleased until now. While not as wild and frantic as
Mickey Hawkes or as classically tough as Gene Vincent, these 4 songs still
manage to pack a mighty mean wallop. If you like greasy, sleezy 50's Rock
& Roll, you'll wanna feast your ears on this...I can listen to stuff like this
new Perverts EP "Wildest Men In Town" on Out Now Records (c/o Rob
Van der Hoeven,  w.v.  killegaerbergstraat,  86C 3051 RN Rotterdam,
HOLLAND) all day long and never get tired or bored. These guys play
fast and primitive 3-chord garage noise that just jumps out of the speakers
and throttles the living shit out of ya. Picture if Billy Childish produced
the next Swingin' Neckbreakers 45 and you've got the right idea....Does
anyone remember the band Surfin' Lungs? Well, these 4 U.K. hodads are
back with their new 45 "Beach Bound"/"Camaro Custom" on No
Tomorrow Records (Apdo. 1134,  12080 Castellon,  SPAIN) and it's quite
obvious that they are still really into that whole surf/hot rod thing and
have definitely come up with 2 more winners. If you still love to play your
old Jan & Dean records, this is definitely right up your alley as surfin' on
the Mersey River never sounded any better...Last but not least, fans of
bands like Green Day and The Goo Goo Dolls who just can't get enough of
that melodic punk on hyperdrive stuff, definitely oughtta check out the
new power packed "Stinky Fingers" EP by Bracket on Fat Wreck Chords
(PO Box 460144,  San Francisco CA 94146). As on their debut LP released
last year, these guys combine lotsa rich harmonies with some incredibly
catchy songs and play 'em over a driving beat that just about dares you to
sit still. Sound like fun? You better believe it!
       Well, that about does it for this go round. As always, there was a
ton of stuff that I couldn't get to such as the new Muffs CD which I'm sure
Blair will have a full report on next ish, a Lyres disc on Norton which
collects all of their singles released on various labels over the last few
years and then throws in a live show from Norway as a bonus and a
whole lotta other neat stuff. Sayonara cats and kittens. --- JS

(The Platterpuss is a kindly gent whose taste in baseball teams is
questionable at
best.  Of course, that's a moot point these days.  E-mail him at
[email protected])
...........................................................................
.......................................................
THE ED. ADDS HIS $.02

       I was gonna write some big thing adding my thoughts on the DM3,
both in historical perspective (The Stems are my fave Aussie group ever;
The SomeLoves did some extremely pretty pop; and Dom Mariani even
did a cool surf EP in - I think - '86 with The Stonefish), but decided to tone
it down in favor of giving their disc a bigger shove onto your want lists.  It
may take a bit to track this down, but it's more than worth it.  Incredible
Power Pop.  Stress the power, stress the pop.  Dom Mariani is one of the
masters.  That title track is already on my list of all-time faves.
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       Ladies & Gentlemen... From Kalamazoo, Michigan... The Boys Who
Make All The Noise, Here They Are...

FORTUNE & MALTESE

       I first heard about Fortune & Maltese courtesy of Matthew T.
Kaplan, Esq.  While it's true that we all give him a trough-ful of hogshit
about some of the sheer crapola he listens to, 'tis also verily true that Mr.
Matt keeps his ear very close to the ground for wigged-out wildness.  And
so over a year back I remember his rants about this fab new group he'd
gotten a single from, Fortune & Maltese.  I kept meaning to get in touch
with the guys, but I'm a lazy sort and just never got around to it.
       Well, being on the Net has its advantages.  A couple months back,
somebody hooked me up with an e-mail address for Mike Maltese.  And
so I got in touch.  And pretty soon, Mike sent me both of their swingin'
seven-inchers.
       Mike informs me that the first record, No Dice (Leppotone/Happy
Hour), "was conceived, written and recorded in one weekend for less than
$40."  To think the major labels give some of their "artists" millions... and
still end up with complete crap, while a truly fantastic record like this can
be done for a fistful of George Washingtons.  Right off the start, it was
obvious that I'd just discovered a group that belonged right up near the
top of my list.  The EP's title cut is out and out fun-filled rock'n'roll with
Farfisa organ way up front (where it belongs).  The first thing that came to
mind was The Untamed Youth (and I still think that a perfect bill would
include Fortune & Maltese playing with Derek, Mace & Co., and maybe the Boss
Martians to boot -- ed.)  But these guys don't spend as much time on the
surf.  Or, for that matter, even hitting the heavy garage cuts.  Instead, they
spend most of their time right in mid-60s party-land, Farfisa hopping
around in and out with a big, wide grin.  But Fortune & Maltese's ace in
the hole is their vocals, as shown on their version of Bobby Fuller's "Take
My Word" (liner notes on this EP are by ex-Fuller road manager, Rick
Stone).  They stay pretty faithful to the Four's original here, with their
vocals equal to the task.  Heck, most bands don't even try to get a real
vocal thing going these days.  "Now, here's Fortune & Maltese for Pepsi-
Cola," says an announcer-guy, as the boys sing the praises, 60s radio-style,
of their fave beverage (I'm a root beer/birch beer man myself -- ed.)
They've
saved the best for last, though, in "Wicked Weed".  Which is not, as far as I
can tell, about what you may think.  Nope, this one's all about what the
Surgeon General warns us about over and over again.  And when they go
into the change, you hear 'em running rapid-fire thru a whole host of
brand names - and then blast rapid-fire into the break, flyin' full-on
straight through.  Definitely guaranteed to blow your next wing-ding into
next week.
       The second record, Wig Wam (also Leppotone/Happy Hour), is yet
another no-doubt-about-it, hands-down winner.  Starting with a perfect
rip-off of a Bobby Fuller radio spot, they slide into the title cut, another
sure-fire hit.  This certified raver sees the boys putting a pipe bomb
straight away in party central and making things really shake and
shimmy, as the Farfisa dances madly over, under, sideways, down and a
few directions we haven't even begun to imagine.  Next up is the change
of pace, a strong cover of The Everly Brothers' "Gone, Gone, Gone", giving
the boys another chance to show off their vocal prowess.  What's even
cooler, though, is that they toughen the track up a bit, shading the guitar
tone just far enough into the Nasty realm to offer a bit of a threat.  Flip
this
one over and we hear "(Kent Berglund) Action Man", a fun garage
stomper with the "Soapy" thing going, but morphing into an all-out romp.
"Don't Mind If I Do" closes it all out, changing things just a hair.  This one
may be the group's best actual melody yet, as it sings along nicely while
still rocking and rolling.  And therein lies the key... these guys know that
to rock and roll, you've not only gotta rock, but roll, as well.
       Fortune and Maltese are a group I wish I could get everyone to
hear.  Why?  'Cuz they're just plain FUN.  All I can say is, "It's about
time!"
Wanna Stomp & Shout & Work It On Out?  Then pick up one of these
dynamite seven-inchers.  Thank me later.

       It's been a while since there's been a real band feature in this mag.
But after going nuts to these two 45s, I decided it was high time everyone
out there became acquainted with Fortune & Maltese.  So I asked Mike for
an e-mail interview...

TS:  First off, who's in the band?
MM:  FORTUNE & MALTESE and the PHABULOUS PALLBEARERS
consist of: Freddy Fortune, voc.; Michael Maltese, Farfisa, voc.; Nat
Cromlech, guitar, voc.; J.C. Graves, bass, voc.; Dusty Sexton, drums.

TS:  Let's start before the beginning... What came before Fortune & Maltese?
       Fred & I have been in several bands, including the Detroit garage
combo The Covingtons. Fred had this band going for years in several
versions before I joined the ranks as Farfisa player & learned my organ-
grinder trade. This group took us from Detroit to Columbus, Ohio and out
to Holland for a few gigs at the Mojo Hand in Downtown Amsterdam.
Bootlegs from these shows have subsequently been floating around for
years, along with an interview we did on Radio Nederland.
       Before this, I had been in a band called The Churchkey 4 - started in
Bloomington, IN for a few Michigan shows - with KENT BERGLUND
(that's right, Kent Berglund) on bass! After getting into an argument with
the guitar player over songwriting credits and general musical direction
(Guitarist: "I don't like this reverb shit!"), I quit and joined The Covingtons
more or less full-time. The Churchkey-4  drummer, Tommy, later
switched to Farfisa and helped launch the amazing Royal Pendletons
down in New Orleans with pals Mike Hurtt, Matt Ulhman and King
Louie. When they went on tour last Summer, we hooked up with 'em for a
Chicago gig at the Lower Links.  Oh yeah, I also was in trash band Sir
Gluttiae & His Royal Flags of Maximae with Mike Hurtt and surf combo
Vibrolux with his brother Eric Hurtt.  Vibrolux got "signed" by Crypt back
in 1989 for an EP.  The day before we were to make it out to the Apple for
a Coyote Studios session, the whole thing was called off. This was at the
time when Tim Warren was in the process of moving to Germany.  Our
project was put under the charge of George from the Raunch Hands who,
not knowing what we were about, shelved the whole thing - that Bastard!
We had train tickets and everything.
       Old Fred was in several garage bands himself before the advent of
F&M.  The more interesting band titles include the caveman-inspired
Visigoths and Lincoln & the Slaves (crappy tape recording of the latter
available, as it was documented at a high school graduation party).  A
stable member of these bands (including the Covingtons) was guitarist
John Michaels, who moved to New York to start the incredible Johnny
Chan and the Original New Dynasty Six!

TS:  Now a history lesson, if you could/would.
MM:  Fortune & Maltese were formed in the Fall of '93, after Freddy called
me up one cool evening and told me of a dream he had where we
recorded a single that contained the song "Wicked Weed". It had been
months since I talked to him last (he had just discovered an utterly cool
girlfriend, Wendy Case of Maryland Records' Ten High, and hardly spoke
to me until the dream).  Two weeks later, he came down to Kalamazoo
when we wrote and recorded the first single in two days in our newly set-
up Omega Sound Studios (outfitted with as much ancient equipment we
could borrow from my father, a radio genius). Only one of the Phabulous
Pallbearers present at those sessions: Nat, the guitarist.
       The next record, Wig Wam, was recorded in the same place (after
returning from a trip to Bloomington when the songs were written) with
more actual Phabulous Pallbearers partaking in the session, notably,
Drummer Dusty Sexton. While we were trying to finance that EP, we got
an offer from Royal Records out of France to do another EP, which was
promptly recorded, this time in my living room but with the same
equipment. We sent the goods to Frog land and were shocked to learn that
the man in charge there thought the material was "too produced". What?!?
I guess it didn't measure up to Thee Headcoats style of production (anti-
production?) Either way, they're (Headcoats) are doing their own thing
with their own sound, something we can't, or especially want to,
duplicate.
       Our approach to recording is an attempt to get the clearest possible
sound in the most honest manner. That includes live recording with
minimal overdubs (or let's just say that we strive for that; it doesn't always
work like when somebody rings the doorbell or stomps through the door
during a session and ruins a take). We're not LO-FI. We strive for HI-FI,
baby!

TS:  Speaking of records, what's on the burner?
MM:  When we got the tapes back from France we sent 'em out to Italy to
be part of a garage comp headed by Brian of Misty Lane. Other groups on
it include the Mystreated and the Cynics.  Whatever is not used in Italy
will be included in a Garage comp from Detroit, to be released in a few
months.
       Right now, we're working on writing and recording for our debut
disc (record, that is) on Hillsdale Records, run by none other than the
sophisticated Johnny Bartlett of the Phantom Surfers. The man is
completely genius in his ways and, who knows, there might even be a few
collaborations with him in the songwriting. I CAN say, however, that
there WILL be a Fortune/Maltese/Usher composition in the new batch of
tunes.  (!!! -- ed.)

TS:  What are your live shows like?
MM:  I don't know. I never get to see them. Freddy usually manages to
knock something or other down during the course of a F&M concert (one
show in Ann Arbor at the Blind Pig, he went out into the crowd for a spell
during, I think, Dirty Old Man. When he came back, the mic cord had
been ripped from the XLR connector where it attaches to the mic. The
soundman had such a good time that he said he didn't care about the mic
at all!) The shows are incredibly loud and fast, thanks to our Phabulous
nutball drummer who - without being modest - can beat any drummer
alive! You can't tell from the record at all, but see the man once in action
and you'll be changed FOREVER! I guarantee it! He also signs autographs
like the rest of us.

TS:  What's the deal with the labels?  (Both 45s are on both Happy Hour &
Leppotone -- ed.)
MM:  When we did the first record, the dilemma was to decide whose
label would carry the thing. Happy Hour Records had a few releases at
the time including Ten High, The Hentchmen and Kiss Me Screaming - as
did Leppotone (mock opera band The Sleestacks, 3-piece pop swingers
The Sinatras, the garage-mod Twister, King Tammy and accordion-rock
outfit The Scary Tweezers). The other alternative was to do a completely
new label but we thought it would be more stupid to do the split record
deal.
(Label update: Happy Hour has new releases by Bootsy X and the Lovemasters
and the Luster Kings)

TS:   What are you trying to achieve?
MM:  We're just trying to have a good time with the music, the dancing
and general idiocy of the whole thing. Fred tries to get people to take their
clothes off at shows when we sometimes close with Ooh-Poo-Pa-Doo.  J.C.
& I try to find dates but it never seems to work.

TS:  What are you nuts about?
MM:  I'm nuts about girls and recording. Freddy digs surfing, roller-skate
chicks and canes. J.C. is nuts about girls and electronics. Dusty is nuts
afoul the Hi-Fi sounds, furniture and dragsters. Nat is just nuts. We dig
garage-a-go-go, baby, as well as the Kingston Trio & the vocal sounds.
>From the Lincoln St. Exit to Ken Nordine ("I think I'll eat the leaves"),
Doug
Clark & his Hot Nuts to Brian Wilson & his Beach Boys, we're into your
standard stash of teen trash.   Everybody have a taste.

TS:  Who're your current musical faves?
MM:  The Boss Martians, The Dave & Deke Combo, Bootsy X & the Love
Masters, The Royal Pendletons, the Phantom Surfers, Kevin Strange (the
Lonely Surfer), et al.  I proposed marriage to the 5*6*7*8s 2 years ago (in
full heartfelt honesty) and got no response.  I think some jealous
bookkeeper intercepted the letter and burned it. I LOVE those girls. Of
course, none of us can really think of the bands we like at the moment.
Always a hard question.  I think it's safe to say that we're all into this
Wham-O thing, as well as Boyce and Hart.

TS:  What bugs you?
MM:  Getting paid $20 at a show when you know damn well there was at
least 200 people there; Bad Blood; shoes coming untied; Fred living some
200 miles away from the rest of us (in Detroit, while we live in
Kalamazoo), making it impossible to write and record anything; skewed
typography; uncooked hot dogs; burnt coffee; Dick Clark double-booking
all of our shows; doing a cool song and finding the tape recorder hadn't
been switched on.

TS:  What was it like playing with Question Mark & the Mysterians?
MM:  They are truly the coolest band in the world! Everyone should get a
chance to see 'em live. The band is tight as H-E-double toothpicks, full
garage-a-go-go action ("Girl, You Captivate Me," etc!!!!). I mean, MAN!
They top the chart on our book, every time!. DAMN! Petition Happy Hour
Records to get 'em to play in your town. Send those signatures to Happy
Hour, Attention Wendy Case, 221 N. First St., Ann Arbor, MI  48104.
These folks are IT, daddy-o! Original members (except the organ player
who still lives in Texas, I think. The rest of the guys come from deep in the
heart of Michigan).  They're all a bunch of swell folks who generally like to
hang out, laugh a lot and tell stories from their days on the road with the
Seeds!.  They're supposed to have a few new tunes out soon, presumably
on Q's own record label...

TS:  What is it about an organ that makes a band sound so cool?
MM:  The fact that if it has an on-board spring reverb unit, you can shake
the thing and make loud explosion sounds!  My Farfisa is back in the shop
for the second time this year to fix the Vibrato and several of the keys that
come disconnected from time to time. Why Farfisa?  Because Sam the
Sham plays one!  I'd like to also have a Vox 'cause I think they sound and
look cool; they're completely streamlined.

TS:  What sets you guys on fire?
MM:  Screaming teen savages!  Kids decked out in fine threads!  Kids
decked out in not-so-fine threads! People saying they like the record!
Playing out of Michigan! The genius Internet interaction of all the cool
nutballs! Pet rocks! Del Shannon! Rudy Vallee! Bobby Fuller! Ice Bird! Fun
phone calls!


Write to Fortune & Maltese c/o Leppotone Electrical Recordings, PO Box
61, Kalamazoo, MI 49005-0061.  Phone (616) 383-3836.  Fax (616) 343-5865.

****************************************************************************
********
SAN DIEGO SEEN

       Once upon a time (oh, let's say the early to mid-80s... actually,
things were still pretty good for some time thereafter, but...), San Diego
had one helluva swingin' garage-beat scene.  I first got into the whole
thing thru what I'll always refer to as 1984's Summer of Fuzz.  Thanks to
Ron Rimsite's 99th Floor and a whole host of other folks, I soon learned
that California, in general - and San Diego, in particular - was home to
some of the wildest sounds around.  I guess the first thing I picked up was
The Tell-Tale Hearts' self-titled debut on Voxx.  Personally, I was pretty
into it, but Ron and others told me that, not only was the band itself
disappointed, but so were they.  Evidently the LP had been remixed
behind the band's collective back while they were making a grand tour of
Missouri.  But we've already checked out The Tell-Tale Hearts CD (see TS
#49 for the full review).
       I guess Voxx has decided it's time to open the garage doors and let
the cavemen roam free again, 'cuz not only did they re-release the TTH
stuff, but also discs by The Crawdaddys and The Gravedigger Five.  The
Crawdaddys are the only ones of the bunch to merit two discs.  Truthfully,
though, it makes sense.  These guys are really the ones who started the
ball rolling down this alley in the first place.  Well, sure, the Droogs had
made moves in the garage-beat direction as far back as (I think) '74, and
DMZ had covered  and The Sonics & The 13th Floor Elevators, as had
Radio Birdman, but The Crawdaddys were the first ones to really hit the
60s thing hard.  They were, with The Chesterfield Kings, the dawning of
what Mad Violet/Blacklight Chameleon Dino Sorbello (now of Laughing
Sky) once termed, The Second Garagic Era.  Their first LP, Crawdaddy
Express (Voxx), released in 1979, was a true reflection of the artists the
group claimed as influences in the liner notes:  "Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley,
Elmore James, and the Downliners Sect."  The 15-track LP contained but
two group originals, "Got You In My Soul" and "Crawdaddy Express".
The rest of the album was comprised of true-to-form mid-60s R&B-styled
(think Downliners Sect/Pretty Things/Them) covers of tracks like "I'm A
Lover Not A Fighter", "You Can't Judge A Book", "Down The Road
Apiece", Chuck Berry's "Oh Baby Doll", Them's "Mystic Eyes", Shel
Talmy's "Bald Headed Woman", and "Down In The Bottom" among
others.  The only disappointment, really, was that there weren't more
originals, 'cuz the two that appeared turned out to be right in line with the
group's well-chosen covers.  Well, I don't have the CD re-ish of this, but
from what I hear, it also includes a six-song EP released by this lineup of
the group.  I could be wrong, but I believe their version of "Why Don't
You Smile Now" and "There She Goes" is on this one.
       While their first full year ('79) was jam-packed with recorded
excitement (LP, EP, & 45), it wasn't until '82 that they even recorded again,
and another two years beyond that before they finished enough tracks for
another LP.  And even then, they didn't get around to it.  Nope, the band
was officially finito by the time Here 'Tis  came out in '86.     Of course,
even a guy like me who lives 3000 miles away can offer up a fair
explanation for all this.  First off, look at the starting lineup on Here
'Tis.
That's right folks, there's only one name that remains the same from the
'79 version of the group, Ron Silva.  Who knew then that Ron would still
be a scene mainstay in the mid-90s?  Look back on his personal timeline
and you'll see that Ron's done time not only with The Crawdaddys, but
with The Nashville Ramblers, The Blackmores (the NYC version of the
'Ramblers), The Optic Nerve, The Lyres (when the reformed 'Ramblers
backed Conolly in '89), The Untamed Youth (as drummer), The Shambles,
The Black Diamonds (who started life as yet another manifestation of The
Nashville Ramblers), and The Monarchs... and, folks, that's just a healthy
sampling.  (Geez, it makes me wonder when we'll see a Ron Silva box set.)
       The change in lineups also saw some changes in directions for The
Crawdaddys.  While Here 'Tis still includes some straight-up R&B-style
rockin', the group starts shading towards a smoother soul sound with this
one.  Included alongside such prime rock'n'roll tracks as Chuck Berry's "30
Days" are mellower gems (the kinda stuff that won't send unwary guests
running for the doors) like "Why Wait Until Tomorrow", with Fred
Sanders makin' pretty piano noises to move things along.  Interspersed are
ravers like the Silva-penned "You're Gonna Need My Love Someday".
Was this a holdover?  I'm not sure.  Maybe the change in direction wasn't
a change at all, but instead an expansion of the borders.  But even the soul
sounds of The Crawdaddys have their high points.  Just not as high as
such originals as their Animals/Them-styled "Start Talkin'" which sees
them settling into a cool groove and just letting the music do the talkin' for
a while before they let the vocals come thru again.  Current groups mining
this vein should be required to check this one out.  What's amazing is that
they completely change tack on the very next track, Ron's "I Believe In A
Woman".  Time again for the more soulful side of R&B.  Throw in some
sax and tinklin' keys and this thing swings along gently.  Repeated
listenings make it clear that Ron was being way too modest in the liner
notes, when he wrote that "we would sometimes drift too far into the often
too-boring world of soul music (boring when played too much by people
like the Crawdaddys.)"  For a long time, I'd believed that Here 'Tis was
nowhere near as cool as the band's first LP.  Well, this disc's been on
repeat play at Teen Scene central, so you be the judge.  Just be prepared
for more than straight-up rave-up.

       "It's rollin', y'queebs."
       "Last night I was digging in the cemetery... up jumped a ma-an, All
Black & Hairy!"  So began the debut LP by The Gravedigger Five, All Black
And Hairy .  These guys were really the next generation.  Well, sure they
were formed about the same time as The Tell-Tale Hearts, but most of
these guys were real young (high school age) when the group unleashed
its debut LP into the fuzztone jungle.  This one was pure cave-raunch...
very much influenced by the many 60s garage comps coming out at the
time.  The Five's debut spewed out pure cave-teen angst and attitude...
and still does over ten years later.  The CD version not only includes the
debut LP, but out-takes from the same sessions, plus a track with The
Pandoras' Paula Pierce ("No Good Woman") and a couple tracks from a
rehearsal in January, '84.  The last eight cuts come from a live show that
June.  Anyway, in addition to covers like "No Good Woman", "Do Like
Me", a wild take on "Hate", "Night of the Phantom", "One Ugly Child",
"Stop It Baby", and a host of others, the Five offered up some originals that
might well have dated to that much-heralded Golden Age of Fuzz, 1966.
Lead guitarist Ted Friedman was the source of more than a few of these,
including "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" and "She Got" (a particular fave of
mine since this LP came out oh-so-many years back), plus a couple co-
written with lead lungman Leighton: "It's Spooky", "She's Gone" and
"Stoneage Stomp".  One other G5 track deserving special mention is "She's
A Cur", co-written by Leighton with bassist Tom Ward (who'd later join
up with Ron Silva and Carl Rusk in a tail-end version of The Crawdaddys
before the three formed The Nashville Ramblers, then The Blackmores,
etc.  Tom, too, spent some time with The Optic Nerve in NYC before
moving back to Cali and reforming the Ramblers, then backing The Lyres.
Oh boy, this list is gettin' long... Manual Scan, The Black Diamonds, etc.
And Tom even did a San Diego scene report for this mag back in the first
year or so.)  But we're getting off the subject.
       If the Five didn't break any new ground, it's only 'cuz that had
nothing to do with what they were after.  These guys were a bunch of
teens playin' the music they loved.  The idea was not to blaze some new
musical trail, but instead to have a good time playing wild rock'n'roll.
They sang about girls... going nuts for 'em, getting 'em to come over to
their side of the fence (or the back seat of their dad's cars, as the case may
well have been)... and, as per the best garage fare, being thrown in the
trash heap.  As Ron Rimsite stated in his liner notes, "The Five are a
Garage band."  Not some cheapo imitation, but the real thing.  Well, they
were... and maybe they'll do a reunion someday.
       I can't say for sure what all Five are up to now.  A couple of them
ended up in the Morlocks for a bit.  One went on to Manual Scan.  Tom,
well, we've already seen all he's done.  John Hanrattie (rhythm guitar)
edited December's Children for a while (one of the first 'zines I ever mailed
away for), and ended up in Hoboken, NJ for a while.  If anyone's got info
on these guys, tell me what's up.

       Now, anyone who's paid attention to the SD scene over the years is
well aware that The Tell-Tale Hearts were formed when Mike Stax
left/was booted from The Crawdaddys.  The group, however, was
markedly different from Silva's bunch.  The Crawdaddys, by this point,
had moved to smoother material.  But even in their more pure R&B days,
they'd never been as wild as the Tell-Tale Hearts.  The Crawdaddys may
have been nuts about The Downliners Sect and The Pretty Things (at least
on Crawdaddy Express), but their music was much more Yardbirds/Who
older-style R&B than the genuine One-Ugly-Childishness of The Tell-Tale
Hearts.  The Crawdaddys may have kicked things off, and The
Gravedigger Five were certainly more solidly in the Pebbles/Back From
The Grave tradition, but The Tell-Tale Hearts were the wildest.
Thankfully, I've already reviewed the fantastic High Tide [Big Noses & Pizza
Faces]  comp of their recordings.  'Cuz it'd take just too long to get into it
again.  Simply put, these guys were IT!  You wanna know what it's
supposed to sound like?  Buy this.  From the opening rehearsal of "My
World Is Upside Down"  to the remixed LP tracks (a major improvement)
this is a non-stop musical adventure.  Listen to the TTH live on "Just In
Case You're Wondering" or "Satisfy You".  Check out the material from
The Now Sound of The Tell-Tale Hearts , the best sounding record they put
out.  Finish up your wigged-out wonder tour with the group's final 45,
"Too Many Lovers"/"Promise".  (Well, this depends how you score it... another
TTH lineup was formed a few years later.)  The Tell-Tale Hearts package
(unlike the other discs) also comes with some superb liner notes.
       As most West Coast folks know, The Tell-Tale Hearts did some
reunion shows last year.  Of course, they didn't make it to the East Coast,
but that would've broken their old tradition of leaving me in the lurch.
Such is life.  Wish I Were A Rich Man... blah, blah, blah.
       San Diego didn't roll over and die as these groups broke up.  Nope,
the members of these regrouped and got others to join their ranks.
Manual Scan, The Event, and a host of others kept things rolling.  And, as
I hinted before, The Tell-Tale Hearts were reformed with
a different lineup as the 80s lurched to a close.  Eventually, though, even
this bunch called it quits.  And so bassist Mike Stax (editor of the ace Ugly
Things mag) grabbed organ-meister Ron Swart (who'd played with the
2nd bunch of Tell-Tale Hearts, and before that with Just Colours in his
Holland homeland) and joined forces with three ex-members of The
Trebels to form The Hoods.  Yet another great group, these guys lasted but
a few short years.  These days, a couple of The Hoods play in The Evil
Eyes.  I'm looking forward to hearing some vinyl from them.

       Anyway, that's your history lesson.  Read on now and lett Matt
Fidelibus catch you up on California today. --- BB

(Just in case you hadn't figured it out, you can pick up all four of the discs
mentioned above from the fine folks at Voxx/Bomp. --- ed.)

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********
"HELLO, CENTRAL? CALIFORNIA, PLEASE."

       Although there are currently many California bands playing the
broad genre of "sixties music", when Los Angeles' Voxx records released
anthologies of San Diego's Crawdaddys, Gravedigger V and Tell-Tale
Hearts on CD last autumn, the scene responded as if the music was
reborn.  The Tell-Tale Hearts briefly reformed; playing to wildly
enthusiastic crowds in San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Members of the Gravedigger V were so taken with the Hearts' spirited
performances, that they toyed for months with the idea of their own
reunion gig--eventually deciding to remain in the grave.  At one point,
there was even talk of a new Crawdaddys CD to be released on Keith
Fisher's (ex-Crawdaddy keyboardist) new Spun label.  As of early 1995,
this project has neither been confirmed nor denied.
               Spun did recently release a new CD, "The Lonely Sock", by San
Diego's Ray Brandes, former singer of The Tell-Tale Hearts.  "The Lonely
Sock" is a collection of witty, melodic pop with a perceptible 60s influence.
Brandes has been playing in Los Angeles and San Diego to support the
CD.  His current band includes fellow Tell-Tale Heart Dave Klowden on
drums and Fisher on electric piano.
       Another busy Tell-Tale Heart is bass player Mike Stax.  Stax's new
sixties' influenced punk band, The Evil Eyes, also includes singer Jay
Wiseman and John Chilson (both ex-Hoods and Trebels).  The Evil Eyes
have been playing gigs from San Diego to San Francisco, and have a 7"
single (Guilty/You Burn Me Up and Down) on the German label
Screaming Apple.
               Former Hoods' keyboard player Ron Swart has formed a popular
San Diego band, The Ogres.  Filling out the San Diego garage sound is
Andy Rasmussen's re-formed Sleepwalkers.  The Sleepwalkers play a
spellbinding mix of garage, surf, and rockabilly, and have a song on a San
Diego compilation CD (Staring at the Sun 3) compiled by Bart Mendoza
(ex-Manual Scan).
               Mendoza's current band, The Shambles, are releasing their
infectious psych-pop on a variety of labels and formats; including a new
single on England's Detour records, four songs on a new Not Lame
compilation CD, and a song on a forthcoming Yellow Pills EP.  In recent
years, the Shambles have included former members of Manual Scan, the
Crawdaddys, the Tell-Tale Hearts, and the Hoods.  The Shambles mostly
play local (San Diego) gigs, though Mendoza also frequently plays solo at
the monthly "Bubble Gum Crisis"; a Los Angeles power pop/psychedelic
music showcase.
               The Jigsaw Scene, The Wondermints, and Baby Lemonade are
frequently on Bubble Gum Crisis bills.  All play what could be
pigeonholed as psychedelic pop, but the stylistic diversity of these bands
should not be dismissed.  Sixties fans will especially enjoy the Jigsaw
Scene; one of the best live bands in southern California.  Baby Lemonade,
in addition to playing their own music, are the current backing band for a
rejuvenated Arthur Lee and have recorded songs for an upcoming Lee
album.
               The Bomboras (ex-Finks, and Rasmussen, from the Sleepwalkers)
and The Neptunas are keeping surf music alive in Los Angeles.  The
Bomboras have recorded two singles for spring release.
               Currently, there are too many San Francisco Bay Area bands to
describe at length here.  Filling the Purple Onion and other local clubs are
Marzipan, The Scheme, The Termites (60s cover band featuring Ron
Silva and Alex Palao [the Sneetches]), The Tiki Men, The Trashwomen,
The Treblemakers, and The Troublemakers.  Silva has also been playing
with The Monarchs (who have a new single on Get Hip), but the future of
that band is in doubt.  Oakland's Loved Ones have a new CD out (Better
Do Right) on Hightone, and have been on an international tour.
Following Ron Silva's departure, Carl Rusk and Tom Ward revamped The
Black Diamonds, with two new members and a new musical direction (in
addition to excellent new material, the band covered Love and ELO!).  The
Diamonds have recorded a full album and are shopping it to labels. --- MF
(Matt will be giving us regular updates on the California scene from now on, as
well as contributing occasional articles and/or interviews. )

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********
STUCK IN ONE PLACE WITH NOTHING TO DO?
TRY THE FORGOTTEN ART OF READING
(THE FOLLOWING SELECTIONS SHOULD HELP EASE YOU IN)

       First off, a bit of news.  In one or two of the last couple issues of this
mag, I relayed the news of the demise of Cryptic Times.  Well, that hasn't
changed.  But, to paraphrase Billy Crystal in, I think, "The Princess Bride",
it's just "mostly dead, not completely dead."  See, Alan & Lisa also have
this mail-order catalog biz.  And with each one of those, they include a
sort of two page newsletter version of CT.  Basically just a bunch of
reviews Alan's written that haven't been published elsewhere for one
reason or another.  So what else is up with them?  Well, they've decided to
get back into the publishing world.  (Actually, Alan claims Lisa has
bugged him to do it.)  This time, though, the story is "no new bands."  This
one's called Do The Pop and will be dedicated to 70s punk, proto-punk,
power pop, etc., with the first issue featuring interviews, retrospectives,
and stories on The Droogs, The MC5, Radio Birdman, The Hates, The
Viletones and tons more.  Right now, Lisa says they're hoping to have it
out by late summer or early fall.  So keep your eyes wide open.  In the
meantime, you can write for the cool Ultra-Vixen catalog at 1011 Boren
Avenue, Ste. 114, Seattle, WA  98104.
       It's been quite a while since last we hooked up with the Foster
Child crowd.  But they're back, this time with #18.  Tons and tons of
reviews, including a gazillion by our very own Platterpuss (so many, in
fact, that he shares billing with the featured bands).  Plus a chat with Girls
vs. Boys.  But the real reason to pick this one up is the stellar interview by
Fred Mills with Kim Salmon (of The Scientists, the Surrealists, and
occasionally The Beasts of Bourbon).  While I always preferred the early
Scientists (the "Frantic Romantic" era) to the later, and the Beasts of
Bourbon to the Surrealists, I found this to be not only informative, but
extremely interesting, as well.  Fred's good at what he does, and so the
reader feels comfortable, almost like you're in on the conversation.  Add in
some 'zine reviews, Manor on Media, and a 'Lost & Found' section (a
section I've been meaning to add for years, looking at some cool records
that have been lost in the dustbins of time) and you've got some good
reading to while away your time at work.  Send $1.50 to Foster Child, 7635
Marcy Court, Blen Burnie, MD 21060.
       Another return contestant is John Chilson who, in addition to being
ex-drummer of both The Trebels & The Hoods, as well as current stickman
for The Evil Eyes, masterminds "The Journal of Low-Brow Cinema &
Culture," also known as Schlock.  #13 may very well be John's best yet,
with Beth Accomando turning in a fitting tribute to Peter Cook; Jeff Dove
(of Funhouse e-zine) giving forth with part two of "Cykles, Psychos and
Grease: The History of Biker Cinema"; an interview with Deep Girl  comic
gal Ariel Bordeaux, plus another with filmmaker Matthew Samuel Smith.
But John manages to squeeze even more into his four newspaper size
pages.  "Video Miscellanea" visits a whole bunch of cool vids, while
"Apocalypse Coffeeshop" looks at nuke devastation celluloid, print, and
true stories.  Once again, I'm probably staring right at the price and not
seeing it, so I'd suggest one US dollar for your contribution to the cause.
Send your money to John Chilson at Schlock, 3841 4th Avenue #192, San
Diego, CA  92103.
       Here  he comes again / Catch 'im if you ca-an... He's The Skeever,
and his mag, as you should all know by now, is CapSoul Reviews.  As
time skitters by, Mr. Skinny Alberts strays further and further away from
his original thrift store intentions and includes a wider assortment of
infotainment pleasures.  This time 'round, he's reprinted the "highlights"
of an interview I did (with a bit of help from TS cub reporter
Cunningham) with Jeff Conolly of The Lyres back in November of '92.
The interview starts with the real venom, when I asked Jeff about the San
Diego crew.  (For those few who don't know, Jeff moved out to San Diego
around the turn of '88-'89 to live "with a garage-rock scene chick."  While
there, he got The Nashville Ramblers to back him.  Let's just say it didn't
work out and leave it at that.)  Winding it up, I asked Jeff how his
nickname really came about.  After giving me the scoop, he told me how
sick he was of that whole thing.  "The 'Monoman' thing is really stupid.  I
hate it -- I outgrew that years ago -- If you really wanna bug me about it...
just kidding."  My only problem with Steve's reprinting of the interview is
that it's not complete.  Jeff just sat back, relaxed and we had a great
conversation.  Maybe one of these days, I'll print the article in
installments.
Or maybe another mag would like to do so... tho' you'll have to wait a bit,
so Skeever can reap the mega-profits of this fantastic coup.  Now that I've
tooted me own horn for a bit (or something like it), what else will your $1
buy you?  Well, a different take on the Lyres' February gig at Brownies
than you'll see in this mag for one... including more on The Bluesman's
cameo.  Also, an article on Paul Bartel, Steve's new computer toy
(Connectix Quick Cam), drawings courtesy of both The Skeever and Mark
Woody, this issue's "iditorial"  ("Haul of Lame" about the R'n'R Hall of
Fame),  Dario  Argento,

and even some records.  Oh yeah, and The Skeever tells what he knows
about the word "discretion" (and "the better part of valor" is NOT it.)  Like
I said, this one's a measly buck to CapSoul Reviews, 31-52 29th Street #6M,
Astoria, NY 11106.  (E-mail [email protected])
       Now for something... well, different.  My guess is some of you are
getting tired about reading about so many of the same damn zines time
after time.  Well, one of the benefits of being online is being able to access
a larger group of people.  I've met some great people thru UseNet groups
like alt.music.banana-truffle (the garage-punk/surf, etc. bunch) and
alt.music.independent, as well as thru electronic mailing lists (the Bomp
list and ModsList.)  Well, it was through one or a couple of these that I ran
into Judith Beeman, who publishes Back Of A Car, a mag focusing heavily
on yeah, you guessed it, Big Star and related items of interest.  Just looking
at the table of contents, you'll notice that more than half of the 'zine is
devoted to "Big Star Musings".  These range from reviews of the group's
SF show and the Big Star/Teenage Fan Club split 7" to words and music to
"Back of a Car" to the devotion of This Mortal Coil to Big Star.  But the
crown jewel of both this section and the whole issue (#1, by the way) is the
tour diary contributed by Ken Stringfellow of The Posies (who played bass
on the Big Star tour).  This is a definite must-read for all Big Star/Chilton
fans.  Ken makes sure to include "Alex's cruel remark of the evening" a
couple of times.  Mostly directed at drummer Jody Stephens.  The rest of
the 'zine falls under the combined heading of "Comics...Pop...Fiction".
Which pretty much sums it up.  BOAC is a nice piece of work.  Very well
put together, interesting, and looks really good.  On the back, "Back Of A
Cartoon".  Send $3 to Back of a Car, #4636 MPO, Vancouver, BC Canada
V6B 4A1. (E-mail [email protected]).
       Well, that's it for now.  Not much this time, I know, but considering
the ton of live reviews, you're probably better off.

****************************************************************************
********
FEBRUARY FREAKOUT!

       Living down here in (what seems like) the middle of nowhere is a
tough thing.  I find myself about 40-45 miles from the East Village, which
is about the same distance as I was back when I lived in Long Island in my
formative years.  There are a few major differences, though.  Firstly, let's
face it, I'm just not as young as I used to be.  (I hate to admit it, but it's
damn true.  The bones are getting creaky as the big Three-Oh looms ever
closer on the horrid horizon.)  Secondly, the tolls getting from No.
Brunswick up to NYC are killer, not to mention the gas.  And third, I've
got tons of work to do.
       But this time around there's been tons of great stuff to do.  By mid-
January, it had become apparent that February was going to be a
rock'n'roll dream come true.  Perhaps we've become weekend warriors,
marking time all week long at our day jobs (or in my case, student
teaching... where you do the work, but instead of getting paid, you pay
them.  Well, actually, not the school district, but the college... which gives
you very little in return, but that's a whole 'nother story.)  And it's also
true that about five or six years ago, Monday nights were something to
look forward to.  Every Monday night.  But let's get back to the subject at
hand.  February, 1995.

       Things kicked in right off.  Friday February 3rd was a swing up to
Maxwells in Hoboken.  We arrived in the midst of The Supertones' set.
For those unfamiliar with these guys, they're a local surf bunch who
believe in injecting The Ventures straight up.  Translated, this means the
occasional Ventures' cover, as well as some standard surf fare, plus
Ventures-like arrangements of other golden hits.  Add in the suits and a
go-go girl and you pretty much get the picture.  I can't say that they excite
me much, but they're pleasant listening.  Who knows?  Maybe I'd be more
into them if they didn't play so much.  Or if they were from some other
part of the country.  Hard to say.
       Next up were the visitors, the Michigan 3, The Hentchmen.  With
the mighty muscle of Norton Records behind them, these boys have
garnered quite the following in the NYC metro area.  Admittedly, that first
trip they made to The Big Town some time ago didn't do much for me.
Their second swing improved my opinion of them a bit, but it wasn't till
this time that I was completely sold.  Some friends of friends couldn't
quite deal with their lack of a bass (we're talkin' organ, guitar, drums with
these guys), but I'd have to call it their loss.  With the Farfisa way up
front,
these guys make like fun 60s frat-rockin' at breakneck speed.  But with all
their originals (which really are tons of fun), I think it's still their revved-
up take on "Red River Rock" that sends me over and out every time.
       Headlining the show this time out were local heroines, The Friggs.
These gals just keep getting better and better.  Kami's kit-bashing keeps
the group driving forward and Ms. Jezebel is in total control.  This group
has come a long, long way (and they were fun to start with.)  Be it one of
their old favorites ("Cheatin' Song", "Bad Word For A Good Thing") or
newer crowd-pleasers like "Juiced Up" or "On The Scene", they've got
everyone with 'em the whole way through.  As they grow more popular, I
find I know less and less of the faces in the crowd, but that's just a sure
sign that people are catching on.

       The next night's wing-ding at The Court Tavern in New Brunswick
had been a subject of some dispute for quite some time.  At least on the
alt.music.banana-truffle newsgroup on UseNet.  See, it was established
that The Swingin' Neckbreakers were playing, and it seemed pretty
positive that The Hentchmen were on the bill, as well, since they were
playing Maxwells the night before.  What wasn't clear was whether The
Insomniacs, Mondo Topless, or both were going to fill out the lineup card.
Right up till that afternoon, most of us didn't have a damn clue.
Sometimes it was looking like The Insomniacs weren't on the bill.  Then
like Mondo Topless weren't.  Then like The Insomniacs weren't.  Someone
even suggested that maybe The Hentchmen weren't doing it.  And then
that week it looked like all four were on the bill.  This seemed odd.  I
mean, four bands at The Court?  And, as it turned out, Mondo Topless
ended up being surgically removed from the bill.  Which pissed some
people off mightily.  And with good reason.  (You figure it out, genius.)
       Can The Court Tavern put on four bands in a night?  Good
question.  The way things stand now... with the door not officially opening
till 10:30 (which translates to 11 PM, with the first of three going on at the
ridiculously late hour of 11:15-11:30), the answer is an obvious... NO
WAY!  Not unless you chop everyone's set down.  Which could be done.
But the easy way out (and I can't see how the bar would lose on this one)
is to just open the damn door an hour earlier.
       OK... onto the actual gig.
       So, as per usual, I showed up long before they actually opened the
doors.  I never learn.  (Maybe my old boss was right in calling me a
raccoon.)  I must've been there by 10:15 the latest.  Everyone else knows
better; they show up no earlier than 10:45.  Well, there was the usual
trickle of folks showing up, including transplanted Californians Eric &
Ingrid, plus Billy Luther and Michelle.
       Oh yeah, I was gonna get to the gig, wasn't I?
       Well, The Hentchmen had first ups.  And they got their licks in
right off, going at it like the wildmen they are.  The Farfisa was once again
way, way up front, putting things solidly into party overdrive.  To be
honest, I don't know the names of most of their songs, so I can't really say
anything about those individually.  Once again, though, both Miriam and
I were going nuts over "Red River Rock", singing the words to "Red River
Valley" while the boys played the instro killer version first handed over
(as far as I know, anyway) by Johnny & The Hurricanes.  Not to mention
another cool rendition of their latest seven-incher, "So Many Girls".  Later
on in the night, I shelled out a few bucks to the guys for a couple of their
seven-inch snackmates... but you can read all about those in another
section.
       The Insomniacs had the middle slot.  With siblings, this is often the
most difficult position... my mom used to call it 'middle child syndrome'.
Which, come to think of it, probably didn't make brother Glenn all too
happy to hear.  But he was certainly the wild one of the three of us.  (And,
in all sincerity, has grown up to be one of the nicest guys any of you could
ever hope to know.)  Back to The Insomniacs.  Drummer Mike Sin called
me a few days afterwards to talk about this one.  He wanted to know my
opinion... 'cuz he didn't feel it went too well.  Mike's a good friend, so I
was honest with him.  While I enjoyed it (I've never disliked an
Insomniacs' show), it wasn't anywhere near their best.  Sure, they played a
solid set, but there was something missing.  I told Mike I thought it was
the set list.  The guys seemed to have picked too many of their darker,
moodier songs and too few of their upbeat ravers.  Things started off way
up with "Jump and Dance", but within a few songs they'd pretty much
locked themselves into their more atmospheric psych selections, only
occasionally straying out into the wilds of garageland.  For many bands,
this would've been a damn fine set.  In fact, if I'd never seen The
Insomniacs before, I'd probably be writing a rave review about this great
new group I'd caught.  Later on that night, things turned around for me,
'cuz I snagged a copy of their Estrus comp CD, Wake Up!  (yeah, reviewed
elsewhere in this oh-so-fine mag.)
       It should be no surprise to anyone out there that The Swingin'
Neckbreakers were headlining this shindig.  And, with the room jam-
packed for their set (even this late), it was obvious the crowd was up for it.
And the Trenton trio came on strong, playing a nice selection of material
from just about everything they've put out, plus some wild new additions
to the set.  A particular favorite moment came when they launched into
one-time garage-scene fave "The Girl Can't Help It", injecting their
Swingin'  sonic sound into this old fave.  But, for me at least, the highlight
of the set came when the guys invited pal Tom Bergin to the stage to blow
the livin' daylights out of the mouth harp.  I just wish I could find the set
list, so I could tell you exactly which wild ones Tom B. was a part of.  All
I'm hopin' for now is that they can get Mr. Bergin into the studio with
them.

       Saturday February 11th was one I'd been looking forward to.
While 1313 Mockingbird Lane, from Albany, have never done much for
me live, I was willing to give them another chance.  Partially because
singer Dave "Haunted" Hausmann had sent me a copy of their CD (which
has some pretty good tracks on it) and partially 'cuz ex-Projectiles' drum-
guy Brian Goodman (an old pal from my Rochester days) is now in the
group.  But, as luck would have it, Roberta and I couldn't find a parking
spot.  Well, OK, we left a bit late 'cuz we really didn't think anyone would
go on at 9 PM on a Saturday night in NYC, but we still could've caught the
second half of the set had we found a spot in a decent amount of time.  But
the snow really screwed up parking.  Such is life.
       Well, we got in about 10 minutes before Mildred Pierce went on,
which gave me enough time to look around backstage for Brian.  We got
to chatting and then MP hit the stage with a bang.  They were sounding
damn good, doing a set which made me feel bummed about having
missed their show at the Court Tavern the night before.  Pretty much the
same wildness they've been handing over for the past bunch of months,
but who's gonna argue with that?
       Next up were The Botswanas.  Now here's a group I first wrote
about in something like TS #10 or 11.  Well, folks, they've come a loooong
way since.  Well, first off, they're more heavily into playing shows these
days.  But they had finally gotten around to at least occasional gigging last
year.  Tonight they were o-n ON!  They just blasted it right out.  "Do You
Wanna Be Like Them?" really grabbed me, with strong backing vocals on
the chorus and solid drive.  What's nice is that the new ones are as good as
the old ones.  Of course, I still want to hear a couple of songs from the tape
they sent me back in '91... stuff like "Surrey Drive" (slower, but it moves
along gently, almost sweetly) and "Diamond Jim" (which knocks your
block off with its' Stooges' attack).  But they're still doing "Little Witch"
(possibly 'cuz it's on their debut 45), which is another winner.  I gotta
admit, I was kinda stunned by this set.  I mean, I've seen these guys
before, but they never hit me like this.  Maybe the addition of ex-V. Lot
drummer Mike Z. has something to do with it.  Well, they've got a CD on
the way on guitarist Price Harrison's Feralette label.  I'm looking forward
to hearing it.  And to seeing them again.
       Finally, then, it was time for the headliners... The Lyres.  All I can
say (well, not really) is WOW!!!  I'd gone in, half-expecting yet another
night of old faves from the mid-80s done pretty well, but nothing that
would get me raving.  Yeah, I'd reached that point where I was long past
expecting The Lyres to be truly great.  (Sorry, Jeff.)  Sure, they've put on
some strong shows in the past few years, but nothing truly awe-inspiring.
They weren't consistently reaching the heights that The Lyres should.
Once in a while, yeah, sure... but definitely not every time.  I had almost
lost hope.
       I'm happy to say that Jeff Conolly and Company got me good.  This
night was over-the-top, over-under-sideways-down fantastic.  Something
clicked.  Jeff had the guys going strong and he was full-throttle all the
way.  Some said they weren't sure from the beginning, a cool take on The
Chesterfield Kings' "She Told Me Lies", but it seemed like that was enough
to get this packed house moving.  (Though I have to wonder how many in
attendance actually knew what the song was?)  Pretty soon, they were
ripping into the meat of their set, mixing up the pitches with tracks from
the last few years' of 45s (and Happy Now), along with old favorites like
"Help You Ann".  Better yet, Mr. Conolly had a surprise in store for us... a
new original.  Since Jeff keeps his set lists to himself, I can't say exactly
what the title is ("Tear It Up", maybe?).  But it was definitely rock'n'roll
supreme.
       I think one of the best things about this night, though, was that the
place was so crowded... and into The Lyres.  I'm used to seeing the same
faces at show after show, but this was something different.  New blood.  It
gave me hope.  Everyone, new faces and old, grinning madly, sweating
and dancing and loving every Lyres-fueled minute of it.
       And they just kept coming back out.   At least three times, thanks to
the exhortations of Boston scene mainstay/nutcase Bill Tupper.  (Wonder
when Worcester wildman Captain PJ will rematerialize?)  Personally, I
thought Jeff would decide the fat lady had sung when, about halfway into
"No Reason To Complain", the Bluesman bounded onto the stage.  Past the
guitarist, behind Jeff, over to Coraccio on bass, the big boy was a blur.
(Well, not quite, but he moved pretty quickly.)  Now, I thought the crowd
over on that side was about to get crushed by Bluesbulk.  But no... it was
as if time was stopped for an instant and the Bluesboy had gotten
instructions from Al Bundy's sock-loving aliens.  He went back to
Conolly... and started singin' the chorus with him... then took the mic!  Jeff
just sort of wandered back to the side of the stage.  Hell, it looked like the
song was over, but Bluesguy kept going... and so did Murphy, Coraccio,
and Steve the guitarguy whose last name I don't remember.  And to cap
off his stellar achievement, we were treated to a BluesBelch.
       Personally, I strongly doubted The Lyres would be back on after
that.  I figured Jeff would decide that was too much.  And I wouldn't have
blamed him.  So I was all set to kick some Bluesbutt.  But, much to my
delight, Conolly seemed to be as into playing as the audience was into
hearing him.  We kept screaming and he kept playing.
       Afterwards, I heard more than one sweat-drenched audience
member declare, "The Lyres Are Back!"  And I agreed.  I figured it was the
best I'd seen them since the mid-80s.  I went back to the dressing room to
congratulate Jeff.  I told him it was the first time I'd seen them since the
show in Rochester with The C. Kings.  And, while he said that he just
didn't get those guys doing "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and the like, he took issue
with some of what I'd written in the article about that show back in TS
#49.  He said it bummed him out how I'd said it just wasn't like the mid-
80s anymore.  He said he doesn't care if The Lyres rule the garage-rock
scene anymore; he just wants to play and have fun.  And tonight, Jeff
really seemed to be having fun.  More so than in a long, long time.  I hope
he keeps having as much.  'Cuz if he does, The Lyres are gonna be one of
my top couple bands all over again.  And that'll go for everyone he plays
in front of, too.  If Jeff keeps having fun and The Lyres keep playing like
this, they actually will be right back on top where they belong.  Even if Jeff
doesn't care about that.

       Jump now to the night I'd been waiting for, Friday February 17th.
Foster Child first couple Debbie and Tony Miller arrived around 5:30-6PM
to stow their gear and settle in for a weekend of live rock'n'roll mayhem.
And so we jumped in the Blairmobile around 7:30 for our drive up to
NYC.  Mega-traffic going into the Holland Tunnel, but that's life around
the Big City, isn't it?
       We arrived just in time to catch The Gnats, the newest addition to
the NYC garage scene.  Sporting ex-members of The Deans of Discipline,
The Hellcats From Outer Space, The Talismen, and The Double Naught
Spys, these guys couldn't lose.  And if you've heard their demo tape, you
know what I'm talking about.  These guys came on like The Cyclone
thundering down the first drop, hitting that first turn hard with one called
"65 Supersport"... no hands, Ma!  They kept it up, too, getting to "Night
Ride", from their demo tape a little bit later.  This was my first time seeing
these guys (they've only played a few shows... and this was their
Manhattan debut), but I'll be first on line for seconds.
       The next band up was called The Morning Shakes, or Morning
Shades, or something like that.  (Notice their name isn't in boldface.)
       Whatever. The Platterpuss took one look at 'em setting up and he
was ready to step out for a break.  Tony & Debbie asked him why he
wasn't even gonna give the guys a chance.  A couple notes and they
figured it out.  But that's why Jeff's The Platterpuss.  Me, I roamed around
yakkin' away.  At least they did a halfway decent cover of "Thunderbird
E.S.Q."
       Time then for The Insomniacs, who now had their Estrus
promotional Wake Up Little Black Books to go with the new comp disc.
Plus the "Sylvia Grey" 45.  (But you can read about that in the record
reviews.)  I'm happy to report that the guys were way on tonight.  Much
more of an up show than the one a few weeks back.  "Jump and Dance"
got Mods and everyone else movin' straight off, and there was no turning
back.  And once again, Dave, Rob, and Mike showed just why they're one
of the best bands around.  (And I'm not just talkin' NYC-area, either.)
       OK, The Original Sins.  Once upon a time, after I'd been groovin'
to JT & Co. for a couple years, Mike Sin of The Insomniacs told me that
The O. Sins were his favorite group.  Well, there's a damn good reason for
this.  These guys really are tops.  When JT's up for it (and sometimes when
he's ultra pissed-off), The Original Sins are without peer.  Well, OK, this
wasn't one of their top ten shows, but even so it ranked way high on the
Blair-O-Meter.  Like the week before, Brownies was real crowded this
night (I hear about 350 people passed through the doors at one point or
another!)  And it was a real treat for me to see so many people groovin' to
the wigged-out wildness being pounded out by The Original Sins.  It does
a body good.  Geez, I even got a chance to do some actual dancing, thanks
to an old dance partner of mine showing up.  The guys went through
some favorites ("Turn You On", "Watch You Dance", and more), some
newer ones, and a medley of "Rain" and "Sorrow" before coming out for a
wild encore medley of... geez, there were so many in there I can't even
remember them all... but Bo Diddley figured prominently.
       And then it was time for The Cynics.  (See?  I told you this was a
show of shows.)  From note one, Mike was up and at 'em (us, the
audience, whatever).  I'm not gonna go too heavily into The Cynics' set.
Except for the fact that they seem to have attracted a fair amount of slam-
dancers.  Maybe I'm getting old, but I just can't see why you'd wanna slam
to these guys.  Then again, I've seen people slam to Billy Bragg.  Actually,
it kind of took away from the show a bit for me.  I have no problem with
people dancing wildly and getting sweaty, but when some skinhead takes
his shirt off and starts throwing his smelly body against my arm, I get a bit
peeved.  Especially when it's a band I really like.  Someone said the Cynics
wanted to stop playing live.  I think we'd better get on the horn to Mr.
Kostelich, 'cuz that would be a major loss to the rock'n'roll community at
large.  Oh yeah, another note on the show... they did "Blue Train Station",
a Cynics' oldie, but still a gem.

       Saturday afternoon was spent with our Foster Child guests and The
Platterpuss, sorting thru record stores  in New Brunswick and Princeton.
Home then to change and chat, then off we were, once again, to rock and
roll all night at Brownies.
       Since we weren't ready to jump right in the car after our shopping
excursion, we hung out till about 8:45 or so, which got us to Brownies only
a few minutes before The Nines were ready to take the stage.  This meant
we'd missed Junior High, a group I'd never even heard of, but Danny Ly
said were pretty good.  Well, maybe next time, huh?  Anyway, some of
you may remember from some months back that The Nines hadn't fully
impressed me their last trip to Fun City.  This time, though, they started
off with a bang, a strong cover of The Beat's "Walking Out On Love".
They seem to have things more together now.  And while they can really
go with the rockers, they're in top form when they hit the more pop-
oriented numbers, the ones that still rock, but pour a thick helping of
melody on top for flavoring.  These are the ones that really let them shine
and I'm hoping they'll move more in this direction.
       I wasn't sure who Spanky would be, although I had a good clue
from the flyer, which proclaimed that guitar-guy Danny Rey was
involved.  What made the band, though, was Jenny Decker on lead vocals.
Now, Jenny first started talking about being in a band a few years ago...
and back then, it was her plan to play drums.  Which she eventually did
with Starkist.  (No comments here or I might, even now, get some people
mad at me.  Oh, gee, that'd be something new.)  Anyway, with Spanky,
Jenny's doing lead vocals and only lead vocals.  And with a solid (tho' not
as fiery as I'd prefer) backing band, she shines.  I gotta admit, I was
mightily impressed by how strong her voice was.  Not only that, she
writes some pretty damn nifty pop-rockers.  Comparisons to Debbie
Harry would not be out of line.  All I can say is, Go Jenny Go!
       Well, Pillbox were up next, but by this time I was starving, having
not eaten since around 3 PM.  So Tony, Debbie, The 'Puss, and I took a
short walk up to Z-Bar, where I got some of those mouth-watering (and
sinus-clearing) Buffalo Wings they've got.  Plus what became everyone's
favorite fries.  We did catch a bit of Pillbox's set... from the little I heard
(OK, when I came back in I started chatting, gimme a break) I got a touch
of Eddie & The Hot Rods.
       Anyway, time then for The Vacant Lot.  Now, these guys had
blown everyone's minds back in January with a killer show at the same
venue.  And things looked up for tonight, too.  The only problem - and,
unfortunately, it was a major one for way too much time - was equipment
failure.  Stuff just kept going out at bad times.  It must've bugged V. Lot
main-man Pete C. to no end.  (It would me.)  Mixed into the set were old
faves like "I Won't Say I'm Sorry", "Remembers Me", their take on The
Barracudas' "Neighborhood Girls", and "Blue My Mind", as well as new
ones... like stuff denoted on the set list as "Really New One" and "Song In
D", or "Slow New One".  (Hey, at least they don't get pornographic the
way The Raunch Hands used to, calling their as-yet-untitled gems,
"Pussyface".)  A nice highlight towards the end was their triple-time roller-
coaster ride thru The Beach Boys' "Drive-In".  And, though they refused to
accede to requests for "Nose Job" or "At The Hop", they elected to do - one
time only, for ever and ever (tho' people will now bug them for it for the
next 5 years) - "Nobody Loves The Hulk".  Definitely a fun way to finish
out a problem-plagued set and end things on an up note.  Hey, it was still
a fun set.  But it'd be hard to imagine a Vacant Lot set that wasn't
enjoyable.

       February went out with an exclamation point.  Saturday the 25th
saw me making the trek to Brooklyn.  Of course, once I entered 200 5th in
Park Slope, I found myself provided with yet another reason why "I don't
do Brooklyn."  This place sucked.  I mean, I guess it was fine if you were
there for linguini with clam sauce, but for the rest of us (who'd shown up
to catch The Swingin' Neckbreakers & The Fleshtones) this place
spattered chunks of raw, hairy maggot-infested intestines all over the
place.  (Translation:  the place sucked.)  Basically, I'd driven to Brooklyn to
be shoved into a space not much bigger than your average elevator car
with a full bar's worth of people.
       A nice touch for me this night was the appearance of a bunch of old
friends from high school, including one gal who'd just returned from
living in France for most of the past three years.  And once The
Neckbreakers hit the stage, it was pandemonium.  These guys truly are
one of the best.  Really, garage rockin' doesn't get much better than this.
These guys rank with the best of 'em... and that includes not only such
80s/90s groups as The Lyres, The Chesterfield Kings (mid-80s version),
The Tell-Tale Hearts, The Original Sins, The Cynics, The Milkshakes, The
Creeps, etc., but also (especially) The Sonics and the whole 60s punk
pantheon.
       For some reason, The Fleshtones were billed as the "world's greatest
garage group", or some such nonsense.  And, much as I love The
Fleshtones, they don't hold a garage candle to The Swingin' Neckbreakers.
But that's not the point.  See, The Fleshtones aren't a garage band.  Of
course, we're dealing with people who charge eight bucks to stuff you into
an accident-in-waiting.  (In fact, one girl passed out before The Fleshtones
went on.  When the ambulance came and it had been determined she'd be
alright, the club owner went outside to keep the cops from seeing how
many people he'd stuffed in.  Dangerous crap.)  So... where were we?  Oh
yeah, The Fleshtones are NOT a garage group.  What they are, however, is
one of the best party rock'n'roll groups ever conceived.  One attendee
thought they'd gone on too long.  (Of course, this guy believes a rock'n'roll
show shouldn't go over 20 minutes.  Nice guy, but... c'mon!)  No way, pal!
If you ask me, they didn't go on long enough.  See, these guys make sure
you get your money's worth.  They understand the old show biz maxim...
if they look like they're having fun, so will you.  Obviously, it helps that
they put on a dynamite show... mixing in mostly stuff from the past
couple LPs, but throwing in a nugget here and there.  Yeah, they Let It
Rip.  The Fleshtones, Put 'Em In The Hall of Fame!
       Thus endeth thee goode monthe uv Februarye.  Short in terms of
turns on the ol' axis, but loooong on what Bill Kelly will happily tell you is
"real rock'n'roll." -- BB

****************************************************************************
********
SNACK-MATES

       I've been waiting for The Insomniacs to record "Sylvia Gray"
(Outer Limits) for what seems likes forever.  From the time they first
offered it up to a live audience I was nuts over this one.  The guitar line
just sings along, around and around, softly burrowing deeper into my
Gray matter.  It seems now as if they virtually abandoned this personal
favorite, playing it only occasionally.  Meanwhile, I've been begging for it
ever since that first time.  At one point I even considered starting a label so
I could release it myself.  Well, anyway, at long last, here 'tis.  At first, I
was rather disappointed.  See, Dave used to caress the vocal on this one,
treating it ever so tenderly; on the 45, though, he attacks it, tears it to
bits.
I just wasn't prepared.  Now that I've gotten used to it, though, I'm pretty
into it.  (Tho' I'd still like to hear it the other way someday.)  Flipping it
over, we get "Feel, Feel, Feel" and a cover of "Gaby".  What sells the former
for me is the break, a short burst of mayhem that gives a quick glimpse of
the true nature of these well-groomed Mod boys.  When drummer Mike
Sin called me to ask my opinion of the single as a whole, I told him that (at
that particular time) "Gaby" was my pick hit, thanks to its dark psych
persistence and intensity, hammered home by Mike's heavy hitting.  Is
this still my pick off the 45?  I don't know... that guitar line in "Sylvia
Gray" keeps singing to me.
       Pete P. says The Swingin' Neckbreakers are his favorite band and
makes no bones about comparing them to The Sonics themselves.  And
I'm quite inclined to agree with him, too.  "I'm In Love With Me"/"Quit
Your Belly Achin'" (Telstar) is more balls-out garage-punkin' from the
capital of The (toxic) Garden State.  If this one doesn't quite measure up to
their debut disc, we've gotta realize that not every 45 is gonna stack up to
one of the top garage LPs of all time.  Even so, this is still worthy of their
position in the upper echelons of the Garage-Punk First Division.  For me,
the flip's the pick, a more up-tempo rock'n'roller with the added bonus of
Mr. Color, organ guy Dave Amels, who does what he does best.  My only
complaint is that he's not mixed further up front.  You need everything by
these guys.
       Looks like Derek "Deke" Dickerson (aka Be-Bop) is looking to push
Billy Childish off the "Most releases with different acts" mountain.  This
confabulation goes by the moniker of The Swinging Fezmen, and Mr.
Dickerson is called 'Sticks', 'cuz that's what he's handling here.  (Last
time I
saw him pull that trick was when the Flat Duo Jets played Maxwells in
February of '90... Dexter got on stage for an encore and his band had
disappeared, so Derek grabbed the sticks, while Bruce Bennet of The A-
Bones boomed the bass notes... ah, rock'n'roll ecstasy.  Anyway...)  We Are
The Poobahs of Leisure (Dionysus) falls somewhere in the realm of such
classic 50s instrumental LPs as Let's All Dance To Rock and Roll, with more
R'n'R integrity, plus the air of a bunch of guys havin' a grand old time.
Simply put, this is 50s-styled leisure-time rock'n'roll.  The top side seems
like the perfect soundtrack to the first hour of the cool-cat crowd's next
wing-ding, as things begin to get underway.  Like when everyone's sayin'
how-do, before the evening starts kickin' in.  Once you're ready for that,
flip over this li'l biscuit for the "Fezmen Stomp", as the group picks up the
pace and heads for the surf.  Time to grab your sweetie and move those
feeties.  (Anyone want a book of my poetry?  "Ode To My Stinky Feet" is a
particular favorite.)  Next stop, "Hooterville".  Al Bundy, anyone?
Actually, what this instro and its title have to do with each other, I'll never
know.  Throw in those barnyard animal sounds and I'm even more lost.
Fun, though.  Overall, like it says on the sleeve, "Highly Danceable and
Truly Enjoyable."
       I'm not sure why, but it seems Moulty/Distortions' record maven
(and ex-Lyres' skinsman) Dave Brown seems to only carry around ten
copies of his new releases at any one time.  So I missed my chance to pick
one up at that show they did at Brownies.  (I think the whole damn place
would've bought one had Dave had them available that night.)  By the
time I got to Dave, there were none to be had.  Well, no Lyres' 45s,
anyway.  What Dave did have, however, was the latest offering from The
Thanes, "I've Seen Darker Nights"/ "(Seems To Break Your) Happy
Chain".  It took a few plays before I finally warmed up to the top track's
darker psych sound, but the guitar offers an occasional threat, with the
organ providing the menace to back up the claim.  Still, it's the flip that
hauls me in.  This one's got a brighter, folk-punk sound, with ringing
guitars and a wistful organ, singing those sad notes so sweetly.  Add in
some nice vocals and a melodic bass and this comes together nicely.
       Ever notice that there are no bands like The Lyres?  Absolutely
none.  Zero, zip, zilch, zed.  Like I said.  Nobody sounds like them.
Nobody.  And it's gotta be Jeff Conolly.  After all, he's had so many damn
lineups over the past sixteen years that it's hard to keep track.  No matter
who's in the group, they've got a certain sound.  Jeff's lead vocal is soulful,
heartfelt.  While I'd appreciate a sharper, meatier production on the
production of (at least) the A-side of their latest single, "7"/"Feeling No
Pain" (Moulty), I still think this, along with the group's strong live
appearances of late,, is a giant step in the right direction.  Murphy hits...
Conolly nails the organ line... then something sort of goes 'thud... thud-
thud... thud.'  Huh?  It took Roberta to explain these to me.  They're
gunshots - the fakest ones she'd ever heard, but gunshots nonetheless.
The only way she figured it out was 'cuz she already knew the song from
The Kwyet Kings' version (The Lyres started playing it after Jeff saw these
guys
do it over in Norway.)  Anyway, apart from those rather intrusive
"gunshots", this thing kicks pretty good.  Now, I thought "7" was gonna be
the winner here, but the flip turned out to be the Cracker Jack surprise.
Sure I knew the song from having seen the group so often, but I still
wasn't expecting it to sound so damn good.  The heartbreaking soul
Conolly injects into the melody almost contradicts the song's title.  Maybe
it's supposed to.  On the surface, this is a rant about being done, thru,
finito with some gal that's done him wrong, but, thanks to Conolly's voice,
the truth comes out... it does hurt, no matter how much he's gonna rant
and rave about being elated he's rid of her.  But even if it hurts, just
telling
her he's past her is at least enough to maybe redirect some of the pain onto
her shoulders.  Jeff's organ underscores the notion perfectly, with the sad
Vox tones hitting home.  And, lest we think that Conolly's the only person
in the band, let's give some credit to mainstay Rick Corraccio on bass and
cool backing vocals... and longtime drummer Paul Murphy, who hits the
drums with more soul than anyone I've ever heard.
       Comin' straight at ya out of the mid-60s via the mid-80s pike is The
Purple Merkins "Ain't It Hard" EP (Dionysus).  The title cut is pure 60s
coolness, with a Vox Jaguar organ setting the mood.  Rock'n'Roll done
right.  With the wavering guitar sound, this one ends up on the dark side
of some 60s R&B/garage obscuro.  But it's their cover of "Cock-A-Hoop"
that made me jump and shout.  Haven't heard this one in quite some time,
and the dancin' keys move this one along real nicely.  The flip's more
psych-oriented (not flower-power trippy-dippy, but still psych).
Definitely worth your $3-$4.
       I first heard Jimmy Fitzgerald play back when we were both living
in Long Island and the Smithtown crowd used to hold summer beach
parties with about 8 bands playing.  Jim's first 45 was with a band called
The Blue Rays, a joint project with his brother Andy.  Jimmy's been
through a few groups since, but The Pleasantries seem almost a return to
that earlier love of soft-spoken melody with an ear towards the early
Beatles and the Everly Brothers.  In addition to a real pretty tune,
"Innocence & Ignorance" (Radio Sun Records) features brother Andy
helping out on harmonies, something the two have always done well
together.  For those familiar with The Headless Horsemen, the music
backing the verses here will remind you a bit of "Just Yesterday."  A strong
debut.

SURFIN' & SPYIN':
       Either side of The Del Lagunas "Time Tunnel"/"Shadow" 45
(Estrus) will probably sit right with instro surf folks.  Not real fast,
"Shadow" is my pick, painting a musical picture of an overcast day on a
deserted beach... Cut-man Q had raved about The Finks Dirty Rotten Finks
(Dionysus) EP some time back and after a month or two, I finally listened.
The first track (called either "High Wall" or "Meltdown", depending on
whether you're looking at the sleeve or the record) is heavy-reverb
drenched double-pickin' fun, but it seems like I've heard so much of that
that I once again pick the slower one.  "Close Out at Pier 11" seems like
lonely twilight time at your fave spot.  Time to relive the day's glories and
wipeouts with a couple of close friends while sittin' round the fire in the
sand.

ON THE PERIMETER:
       I can't remember exactly why I picked up The Solid Statesmen's
Melodies of Man, Machine,  & Nature  (Empty);  I guess I'd seen a positive
review somewhere.    This  one  goes


about two for four.  Either a different guy is singin' half the time or the
one guy has a major split personality thing going.  "Motorhome" would've
been fine, but singer #1 breaks in and it becomes a noisy dirge.  Blech.
Same thing went for "Load It Up".  But "Summer's Eve" is a whole
different story.  Melody pedal down, the guys really get it going.  All 'bout
the joys of a summer night.  Sorta surf vocal as it might've sounded had it
been hatched in Seattle in the early 90s.  (As if that has any meaning
whatsoever.  But you get what you paid for.)  "Suit Your Fancy" is kinda
nice, too.  Maybe they'll split up and we'll get one completely cool group
out of the deal... Live From Anamosa Women's Prison (Estrus), it's Los
Marauders.  These guys serve their rockabilly drinks with shards of
broken glass instead of ice.  The vocalist sounds kinda like the guy singin'
"The Crusher" for The Novas.  "Wild Women" sounds like The Haze on
"She Said", but without as much melody.  Personally, I would've preferred
the guitar (real pretty r'billy purity) to be more out front.  "Wigglin'
Couch" is my pick.  I think you can figure out the subject... I picked up
The Fastbacks' tour single for a measly two bucks when I saw them at
Maxwells the other night.  Red vinyl in a clear plastic sleeve, this is a 3-
songer, with "Allison" being my fave by far.  Exactly what I've always
loved about the band, buzz-pop bliss, slowing down only when absolutely
necessary... There's gotta be something good about a record that starts off
with an answering machine message from the neighbors tellin' a guy he
woke 'em out of a sound sleep by practicing (full band) too loudly.  The
Knockoffs' The Unreleased Tracks (RPM), though, is worth your money for
more than just that little tidbit.  "Loser Like Eye" is a nice mid-tempo
punker with a melody filling in the cracks, but I prefer the 2nd cut on the
flip, "No Offense, But I Love You", a slower melody-oriented track.  If the
production on this nugget was fuller, cleaner, this might even have (horror
of horrors) hit potential.  But I get the feeling that's not what this is about.

****************************************************************************
********
DEFINITELY NOT TO BE USED AS COASTERS

       My guess is there's a whole bunch of you out there who missed out
on The Insomniacs' 45s... especially the first two, on the Umbrella label.
Fear not, faithful fans - Estrus has arrived to save you from the horrible
fate that would most certainly befall you were you unable to hear these
psych/mod garage-pop (whatever!) gems.  Said label has released a 12-cut
comp entitled Wake Up!  This little bugger's got what you've all been
waiting for... all six tracks from the group's 10" Estrus EP, both tracks off
the 2nd 45, two from the first 7-incher (as the 10" version of "My Favorite
Story" is included on this CD), and two of the three tracks from their first
3-songer for Outer Limits.  Now, if you've been paying any attention
whatsoever to this 'zine over the past few years, you already know The
Insomniacs are damn near the top of the heap.  They've been even better
of late and I'd recommend catching their live act whenever possible.  Now,
as hard as I was on CDs a few years back, I gotta say it's a pleasure to be
able to hear just about everything by these guys comin' on one after the
other.  The other day I just set my disc player on repeat and heard this
thing about four times thru.  Yeah... that good.

       I'd been waiting for quite some time for Cub's second full-length
outing.  Finally, there it was, Come Out, Come Out (Mint), a disc (also comes
as a triple-7" with one extra track --- ed.) guaranteed to put a smile on my
face on the darkest of days.  That's what I love about Cub; they're able to
make me smile... without being some tired joke-type group.  Their music
is cute, but not to the point of revulsion.  Not even close.  When I hear
Cub, I want to keep hearing them.  Their music is melodic (extremely so),
and pure.  I was tempted to call it honest, which it is, but that word's been
appropriated by so many singer-songwriters that it's become something
almost ridiculous at this point.  Cub are about as far from ridiculous as
you'll ever get.  Nope, "pure" is definitely the right word.  Like Buddy
Holly was pure.  Like Bobby Fuller was pure.  Not that Cub sound like
those two, but there are similarities at times (more on their first disc than
on this one).
       Let's get down to this latest offering.  How do I love it?  Let me
count the ways.  Well, there are twelve, one for each song.  Now, I
suppose I could go in for a song to song rundown (and I'm tempted), but
this mag is starting to run on and I'd really rather you just went ahead and
bought this than sat there reading about how wonderful I think it is.  So
here's a few favorites.  I'm not sure when I first heard them play
"Everything's Geometry", but the first time it really  hit home was at
Maxwells in September.  I was in the depths of the first few weeks of a
college level Geometry class at the time.  This show was on a Sunday
night, which I usually reserved for doing the homework for said nemesis.
Since I knew I'd be heading out that night, I'd gotten a jump start on trying
to ride that week's bucking geometric bronco.  But there was still one burr
under my saddle as I pointed the Blairmobile towards Hoboken that night.
I arrived at Maxwells still thinking about that damn problem.  (Some of
these proofs had nightmare potential.)  As we entered, Lisa Marr (Cub
vocalist for those unfortunate few who don't already know) saw me and
we said hello.  When she asked what was up with me, I told her about that
nasty of nasties, my Geometry class.  Which is when she told me about
"Everything's Geometry".  And so she dedicated it to me later on.  And,
silly as it may sound, sometime that night (whether it was during this
song or not, I don't remember) that alligator of a problem that I'd been
wrestling with just laid down quietly and handed over the answer.
Maybe Lisa had soothed the savage beast with this delightful ditty.
       So... other ones that send me further into the Land of Smiles.  Well,
"New York City" should be an obvious pick.  Another one that I saw them
do a couple times and all I could do was feel extremely happy.  Well,
there's more to it than that, but I think every guy who's ever heard/seen
Cub could probably tell you that.  I guess it has a lot to do with the way
Lisa smiles when she's up there singing.  Too many performers don't
understand that old show-biz maxim about "sellin' it with a smile."  Cub
do.
       But they also know when to drop the "tra-la-la's" and hit it hard.
Like on "Life of Crime".  Lisa's bass nails the low, dark side, and Robynn
hits some noisy chords.  "Now I'm a widow at the age of 17 / At the age of
17 / True love don't last forever (...) It's nothin' but a life of crime."
It's
nice to hear lyrics that can have some meaning but don't spout politics.
And proof positive that Cub are much more than the "cuddle-core" tag
they've been given.
       Just in case anyone was worried they'd gone all heavy, the very
next track, "I'm Your Angel", cuts back to the pure pop sound they're best
known for, even injecting a whistling solo.
       Track 12, "So Far Apart" explores completely different territory,
with a mellow electric guitar singing a lazy Western sunset
accompaniment to the acoustic rhythm keeping things going for Lisa's
voice.  And then a short intro and it's WHAM!, right into a joyful romp
thru The Go-Go's "Vacation", one that fans of Cub's live shows have been
looking forward to for ages now.  Hey, if you haven't yet realized that Cub
are one of the best pop groups around, you're missing out!  And as long as
you're buying this one, go pick up Betti-Cola, too.

       I found out about Death Valley's Que Pasta! CD(Double Naught)
via Usenet.  Yep, alt.music.banana-truffle comes through again.  Guitarist
Steve Mear posted something about his group and I e-mailed to
investigate.  A couple weeks later, my mailbox made happy noises at
being kept warm by this friendly package.  Some will be put off by the
idea of yet another all-instrumental group.  Well, folks, can't say as I've
seen these boys, but their sound is different than the rest of the surf gangs
I've seen shootin' thru the tube.  These guys do it with a nice-a accent, six-
guns blazin', and horses galloping (well, OK, those are drums, but you get
the pic).  Even the glorious double-picked beginning of the first track, "A
Fistful of Pasta", has something beyond surf flavoring it.  Right away you
taste the extra garlic, the oregano, the basil.  Sure, there's surf going on
here, but heavily textured with Spaghetti Western.  Which is what makes
it so damn enjoyable.  Sure, they've caught the wave, but somehow they
ride it like they're galloping after some bad hombres in the Badlands.
About midway thru, things stop, the lead rings out again, playing that
lonesome tune of tragedy way up high (yeah, you know what it sounds
like), while a rhythm guitar plays a couple gentle chords behind it, setting
things up perfectly for the chase.  For vengeance?  Who knows.  The lead
takes it way down and ends the first episode.  On then to "Surfista Jam".
And "El Conquistador", where the gallop really comes in with the guitars
blazing away.  Settling in for the long ride, the lead sings the story.  As
you may have guessed, these guys are big Ennio Morricone fans.  So they
do a couple of his, "For A Few Dollars More" and "Guns Don't Argue" then
pay tribute to the man with "The Morricone Express".  The latter starts out
with a sad whimper, hits a quick Birdman-style build-up and then picks
up speed, just the way an Express should... not stopping for anyone,
anything, or anybody.  "Suzy Sunshine" seems like a breath of fresh air,
call it the grass-land by the river.  A beautiful (but too short) stop for a
drink of pure melody.  Then they're "Beyond Metonga".  After one of their
Morricone covers, they're back in the more melodic areas, though "Barkie"
is more like the campfire after a day's ride, time to relax and laugh a bit,
tell stories.  After a couple more, they finish up exactly as they should,
with "A Trail Of Dust In The Sunset".  Kind of a goodbye, so long, one last
look at our heroes as they say goodbye.  Make it a point to search this one
out.

****************************************************************************
********
BURPS, BELCHES, AND OTHER NOISES

       Not too much to say this time... Lessee... Cub'll be having that
seven-incher come out on Little Teddy (out of Germany) pretty soon... The
Oblivians will have a live LP in their tote-bags on their European tour at
the end of April.  500 of these buggers are being pressed.  And that's the
good news.  The bad news is that they'll only be available at shows.  So for
those of us in the US, they'll be that much harder to score.  Especially if the
European fans get greedy... The Waldos just released their debut disc,
after being a band (in one form or another) for something like eight years...
The Trick Babys will have a CD out sometime in the near future, as well,
but we'll talk about them at length in one of the next two issues... News
from The Smugglers:  First off, back in October, the guys recorded a
bunch of stuff to air on CBC (that's Canada, gang) Radio's "Nightlines"
show, which is evidently a pretty cool national radio broadcast.  Kinda
makes you think of the Beatles on the BBC, huh?  Anyway, Dos Schmugs'
stuff was aired in mid-October (how's that for on-the-spot reporting?)  The
guys were also included in some skate video called "Off The Top Rope".
The soundtrack includes music from them, NOFX, and the Voodoo
Glowskulls.  Nick's been playing lead git with Bum, who evidently just
laid down some more tracks for release on Lance Rock, who'll also be
releasing a 45 by yet another Nick group, The Tonics.  Dave's built a
recording studio in his basement and has already recorded Bum there, as
well as "new all-girl Vancouver garage band (...) Meow!"  And Beez is
working on a new LP with the rest of The Beauticians.  Back at
Smugglers' Central, the boys have a new seven-incher out on 1+2 from
Japan, "Whiplash!"/"Death Of A Romantic".  And now back to our
regularly scheduled program... Ronnie & The Pussycats are a group I
only just heard about last night from ex-Sit N'Spin bassist Sue Stanley
(who's currently playing with "like 50 bands").  I can't remember just who
else is involved, but the group includes Sue, along with Sit N'Spin main
gal Heidi Lieb and Ms. Ronnie Yoshiko Fujiyama of The 5,6,7,8s.  Ronnie's
only in NY-town thru the end of May, so they don't have much time to set
the world on fire, but they do have a couple gigs lined up...  Let's finish up
with notes cribbed from the Butt Wipe and Review, featuring all the latest
on those wigged-out Woggles.  First off, the boys will be heading to the
Land of the Rising Sun in May.  In the meantime, they've got a new 3-
songer on Wallabies, "Return to Blood Beach" (reviewed next ish -- ed.)  Also
worth checking out is their offering on the 19-song instro comp Beyond
The Beach (Upstart Records), which includes tracks by Man or Astro-Man,
Laika & the Cosmonauts, Southern Culture On The Skids, Hillbilly
Frankenstein, The Insect Surfers, The Daytonas and many more.   On
Athens-based Reservation Records, the band covers "Hang Loose" and
backs it with two of their own.  In the works are a 4-song 7" for Telstar
Records, a split-7" with Man or Astro-Man? (with comic book) on Homo
Habilis, and  probably something for a Dick Dale tribute.  Note: they've
already got a track on the 6-song 10" DMZ tribute (also reviewed in #53 --
ed.), which includes Teengenerate, Supersnazz, & The Devil Dogs.  There's
actually even more news on the boys, but let's leave something for next
ish, huh?
       Well, next ish we'll hopefully have a review of the new Muffs' disc
for you, plus writings on The Kaisers, The Hentchmen, The Optic Nerve,
The Vikings, and maybe The Trick Babys, too.  There's tons to deal with,
so we may have to just space things out over the next couple.  See ya next
time... I hope.

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Dionysus Records
PO Box 1975
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Get Hip
PO Box 666
Canonsburg, PA
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Perfect Pop Records
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Radio Sun Records
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Burbank, CA
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********
That's that...

       Blair

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