	OK... FINALLY, another e-version of the Teen Scene.  Can't believe 
the last one was in late *June*!  I gotta apologize for that... it mainly 
happened 'cuz the print version of #53 didn't come out till mid-late 
August.  And that 'cuz Quisp got too busy to work on the layout and I had 
to do it myself.  Please note, I am NOT blaming Quisp for desertion or 
anything, just stating what happened.  Anyway, that should also serve as 
an explanation for why some of the stuff inside is kinda old.  Well, let's 
stop in for some business stuff, then you can get down to the good stuff 
(yeah, I don't much care to read the business crap, either.)

Inspired by Mr. DJ Johnson of the excellent Cosmik Debris e-zine (the Surf 
Summit found in the last couple issues was simply incredible, so point 
your browser at http://www.greatgig.com/cosmikdebris), I've decided a 
table of comments would be in order this time.  Of course, DJ sets it all up 
and makes it look nice.  I'm way too lazy.  So here's a quick rundown of 
what's inside and in what order...

BUSINESS JUNK... basically just back issues, ad rates, all rights reserved, 
etc.
INTRO... what do *you* think this is?
LETTERS... just one, actually
THE TOUR... I spent five nights in a row seeing The Muffs, The Queers, & 
Cub
THE STATICS... "Uncle Bob" Kondrak talks with Zack
AFTERSHOCK NUMERO UNO... Case Elliott reports from the 1st post 
GShock garagefest
REQUIEM FOR A RECORD STORE... Pier Platters is gone and I'm 
bummed
DARIN LIN WOOD... "Uncle Bob" chats with DLW about his various 
projects
BRIAN WILSON LIVE... The Platterpuss' dream come true
CALIFORNIA SCENE... Matt Fidelibus hands over an update
THE ROCKINGHAMS... Do The Pop editor Alan Wright reports on these 
Power Popsters
THE CREATION... the best Mod group ever and a recent CD-EP
DM 3 UPDATE... Perth correspondent Michael Seman tells us what's up 
with Dom & Co.
THE MAKERS LIVE... R. Salvo catches 'em in their hometown of Spokane
RANDOM NOTES... just me talking about whatever (mainly reading 
material)
ZINES... a whole bunch this time
5 INCH DIAMETER... CDs from The Swingin' Neckbreakers, Flat Duo 
Jets, Flamin' Groovies, Vacant Lot, and a whole lot more
ALL BY MYSELF... singles and such
HIGH TIDE & BONFIRES... surf sounds
COMPS... just a few
YET MORE REVIEWS... a few more of various types
GOT LIVE IF YOU WANT IT... 'tis verily true, @ 4 months worth (edited 
down)
NEWS BITS... much of this right from the bands themselves, in msgs to TS 
HQ
ADDRESSES... where to get this stuff

BUSINESS-TYPE STUFF

BACK ISSUES:
	Since I've got the originals to every issue, I can still go out and 
make copies of just about any issue you might want.  Personally, I'd prefer 
you didn't go below #30 or so, 'cuz I find some of these things to be an 
embarrassment, but the choice is yours. Unlike other 'zines, though, I'm 
not gonna go thru a huge list of what's in each one.  This mag has come a 
long way in the past five years, though I'd say we've stayed pretty true to 
the same sort of music we started with.  (Ish #1 began with a review of 
The Gories trip to NYC with go-go gal Margaret (now a Demolition Doll 
Rod) going all out... On the first night, her top off at Maxwells, she went 
after rockabilly star Joe Clay on all fours - he backed away.  On the next, 
she went after three members of The Raunch Hands... yes, like Joe Clay, 
they were on-stage at the time.)  So here's the deal (all prices include 
postage, but please include a 
self-addressed envelope):
#1 - #21:  $1 for two issues.  Pick of this litter is #17 (Dec., '91), with a 
preview of The Mummies' first East Coast visit.  #11 (June, '91) includes 
my first taste of Estrus Crust. 
#22 - #34: $2 for three issues.  A rant about CBGB's bullshit (#26); review 
of Iggy at Continental (#30); story on Nardwuar (#31); and a DMZ 
reunion at The Rat (#34).
#35 - #46:  $3 for four issues.  The Muffs & The Real Kids (#35); The 
Swingin' Neckbreakers (#37); Eric tells a whopper & gets away with it 
(#38); Joan Jett at Maxwells (#39); The Spectors (#40); The Dictators at 
CBGB's (#42); Man or Astro-man? (#44); Bluesman vs. Blair or Southern 
Culture on the Skids Live (#46).
#47/48 - #51: $3 for two issues  (or $1, plus 55 cents postage for one).  
GarageShock, '94 (#47/48 - I thought this was a double issue at the time, 
but...); the end of The A-Bones (#49), story/review of the Fuck The 
Mummies CD (#50); year-end review, '94 (#51).
#52:  $2, a whopping 22 pages!  Featured is an interview with The Boys 
Who Make All The Noise - Fortune & Maltese.  Also read about The 
Scientists one-off reunion in Perth, what's up in the CA garage-Mod scene, 
trip thru 80s San Diego, & hang with the Platterpuss.
#53: $2.50, as (at an astounding 32 pages) it was the longest yet.  
GarageShock, '95, The Texas Speed Trials, The Untamed Youth, The 
Makers, The Muffs, The Kaisers, and tons more.
Now that you've got that down, keep in mind that this is only a skeletal 
view of what's in all these old issues.  Tons of reviews (records, shows, 
'zines, books, even films) and news in just about every issue.  (Plus more 
than a few appearances by The Platterpuss.)  Some fun stuff, some serious; 
it all depends on the issue.  Enjoy.  And please give me time to go make 
copies.

	The Teen Scene is also available in text-only e-mail form F.O.C. 
("That's Free Of Charge.")  To get it this way, simply send an e-mail 
message to blairb1@gramercy.ios.com.  (Introduce yourself while you're at 
it.)

	In addition, through the help of my old pal Harrison Bergeron, the 
TS can also be obtained in DocMaker form (MacIntosh only, at the 
moment.)  This form is a stand-alone application that includes the text, 
plus tinted pictures and an occasional sound clip.  (And maybe a 
QuickTime video, at some point in the future.)  Since the TS has grown so 
large, this form will be broken into two pieces. Since this'll be compressed 
you'll need Stuffit Expander (available all over the place.)  To order any 
one piece, state which one you want and send a 1.4M Mac 3.5" diskette 
plus a dollar to cover postage.  To order all of them send 2 diskettes 
and $2 for postage.

	The Teen  Scene is copyright 1995, Blair Buscareno.  The rights on 
all writing and pics are property of the authors & photographers.  Any 
recordings found inside are provided courtesy of the bands and the record 
labels.  If you'd like to pass the Teen Scene on to a friend, feel free, just tell 
'em where you got it and give them the whole thing, not just some little 
piece.  If you'd like to include any writings published in this mag for your 
own publication, just be sure you give credit to both the Teen Scene & the 
author of the piece.  And send me a copy.

AD RATES (print version only):
1/4  pg - $20
1/2  pg - $35
Full pg  - $65

Keep in mind that we will only take ads from companies / groups whose 
products we believe in.  (So contact us before you send a check.)  Speaking 
of checks, make them out to Blair Buscareno.

Also, while ads will only appear in the print version, I would like to 
acknowledge this issue's advertisers here... So thanks go out to 
Dionysus/Hell Yeah Records, Mint Records, & Stanton Park Records.  
Their help is very much appreciated.

INTRO...

	FIVE YEARS!  I can't believe it.
	The first 'zine I remember ever seeing was Mike Stark's Trash Beat 
back in 1984 or so.  Of course, there were other cool ones all over the place, 
too... Ron Rimsite's 99th Floor and Greg Prevost's Outtasite, for example.  
But Mike Stark's was the one that first dented my consciousness.  
Eventually, I decided I wanted to do one of my own.  I even talked up the 
idea to some friends my senior year of college.  In 1987, I moved into my 
first apartment (in Wallington, NJ).  The following Spring, I started 
drawing up plans for a publication.  I came up with a bunch of names, 
asking Bill Jones and a few others to come up with some, as well... In fact, 
I still have the list somewhere.  I went so far as to write to ex-Absolute 
Grey drummer Pat Thomas and ask him if he'd like to be involved.  By 
that point, Pat had written for quite a few publications and had moved to 
SF, where he was starting up Heyday Records.  Pat actually sent me an 
article on The Droogs.  Of course, by this time it was late '88.  My staff was 
to have been a bunch of Long Island pals.  Most of us were bumming out 
at the time 'cuz The Secret Service had just broken up.  So much for my 
mag.
	Meanwhile, Matthew Kaplan was in his last semester of law school 
out in Portland, Oregon.  He had a habit of calling late at night after seeing 
bands at Satyricon.  We decided we'd start a zine together.  Both of us 
started preparing stuff... Matthew even did mail interviews with some 
English pop bands he liked.  Once he got home, we started trying to get 
things off the ground.  We soon found out that working together was not 
too easy.  We had tons of stuff, but it was tough to put it together.  Speed 
of Sound was becoming Speed of Snail.  Eventually, we decided on a stop-
gap measure... a mini-zine called 738 MPH (I'm still partial to the name... 
maybe I'll switch back someday.)  There wasn't much in there, really... a 
bunch of reviews, various news, a Platterpuss column, and a couple 
quickie articles (two or three paragraphs.)  Oh yeah, and a cover photo of 
The Devil Dogs at Maxwells by Andy Peters.  Still, we'd done something 
and we were burning to get on with more.  Thing is, Matthew had a 
couple things going on at the time.  First, he had a girlfriend.  And, 
secondly, he was supposed to be studying for the Bar  exam.  Since he was 
the one with the computer, I had to go over to his place to do any work on 
the thing.  His time was limited, though, and I hate being on other 
people's schedules.  So we took a break.
	On the last weekend of August, tho', The Gories came to town.  The 
first night they played Maxwells with Joe Clay.  The next they were at 
Chase Manhattan with The Raunch Hands.  The weekend was sufficiently 
inspiring that (bored at work the following week) I decided to write about 
it.  Then I decided to see if I could fill up four pages and give them out to 
various friends at shows (much like I'd been doing with my Concert 
Calendar for the previous 2&1/2 years.)  A couple weeks later, I had a 
new one.  I did them at random intervals at that point (mainly every few 
weeks), but stopped for about 7-8 weeks around Christmas (personal 
reasons, thank-you-very-much.)  Once I climbed back on, though, I started 
doing it monthly.
	Things were going well with the TS, and I was enjoying it.  At one 
point, I had more to say than would fit in four pages, so I decided to go to 
6... as a one-time thing.  Yeah, right.  A year later, the ante was upped 
again.  I figured it was the perfect size... just light enough so I could mail it 
with one stamp.
	I left the Equitable in May of '94.  That Memorial Day I went out to 
GarageShock for the first time.  Going to school that summer, I found I 
was way too busy to put out the mag.  I was writing, but I didn't have 
time for finishing touches.  Since the result was way longer than ever 
before (I shrunk it to a little more than double size, but it was really triple 
the material), I called it a double issue.  I decided it deserved a cover, and 
Pete Ciccone obliged.  Once again, I was thinking the size would never 
last.  Wrong again, folks!  #49 was almost as long as the "double issue".  
Eric Fusco told me he had to read it twice to digest the whole thing.  Quisp 
N. Quake said the same thing, that it was too long to read without some 
sort of break for the eyes.  So he volunteered to do layout.  And the TS has 
looked much better ever since that landmark 50th issue.  Eventually, I 
realized I couldn't afford to do this any longer unless I got an ad.  Thank 
you, Estrus.  I'd thought #52 was a mongo ish till I saw what I'd done in 
#53.  Whoops!  So I sent out a call for ads.  And got a wonderful 
response, too.
	Here we are now, five years down the road from that whim.  Tons 
of changes in the Teen Scene and my life.  This mag has done wonders for 
me.  Not only am I aware of a greater variety of cool rock'n'roll, but it's 
forced me to write on a regular basis.  Hopefully, I've improved a bit over 
time.  But the most important thing that's happened is that I've met some 
fantastic people from around the world.  Sounds mushy, I know, but it's 
true.  I love coming home and seeing a letter from someone asking for a 
copy.  (I prefer it when people take the time to write a line or four, but...)  
Getting 'zines and records have their rewards, as well, but I'm being 
completely sincere when I say it's the people that keep me going.  Thanks 
to all of you.
	Now, I'd like to thank all the folks who've been involved in some 
way with this mag over the past five years.  The Platterpuss (obviously), 
Matthew Kaplan, Kathy Pongraez, Jeff Cuyubamba, Pat Lozito, Ognir, 
Brian McCloskey, Brian Diffenbaugh, Wildgirl, Phil Schrader, The Jelly 
Slide, The Grip Weeds, Rich Osmond, Dino Sorbello, Eric Fusco, Roger 
Mah, Marisa Langston, Chris Hedlund, The Skeever, Tom Bessoir, Bill 
Jones, Bob Kondrak, Pete Papageorgantis, Bill Luther, Mike Sinocchi, Rory 
McGee, Matthew Fidelibus, Pete Ciccone, Case Elliott, LJ Cunningham, 
Alan Wright, Mick Seman, R. Salvo, Tom Ward, Quisp N. Quake, Estrus, 
Dionysus, Get Hip, Not Lame, Mint, Stanton Park, and Audities.  And The 
Bluesman - for inspiration.  (He's never actually written anything for me, 
but he pops up in almost every issue, so...)  Thanks, also, to all the people 
who keep sending me fantastic records, zines, books, and encouragement.  
Most of all, thanks to Roberta, for putting up with me.
	Congratulations go out to my old friend Brian and his lovely wife, 
Mary, on their September nuptials.
	Now, let's get into it...


HANGIN' ON FOR DEAR LIFE:			THE LATEST MAIL STOP:
Blair Buscareno - crashing headfirst into 30	34 Highland Cross #2
R. Salvo - live in Spokane				Rutherford, NJ  07070
Alan Wright - Does the Pop in Seattle
Bob Kondrak - pics & interviews			&A NEW E-DRESS, TOO:
Jeff Cuyubamba - pics & scanning assistance	blairb1@gramercy.ios.com
Case Elliott - makes room for Memphis
Mike Seman - reports from Perth
Matthew Fidelibus - now our SouthWest correspondent

Dear Teen Scene:
	Although I am a big Platterpuss fan, I feel that I must correct him 
on an error he made in Teen Scene # 52.  He said, "All I know is that I 
should be picking up the paper and reading about Don Mattingly and 
Paul O'Neill..."  I believe that instead of Messrs. Mattingly and O'Neill he 
meant to say "BOBBY BONILLA and BRETT BUTLER".  Please bring this 
to his attention.
				- Mr. Jones

Mr. Jones:
	We thank you for your letter.  Unfortunately, the Puss labors under 
the misconception that the Yankees play baseball.  Imagine that - 
baseball... in the American League!  Unfortunately, the therapist who 
deals with this sort of disorder isn't a part of the Teen Scene HMO.  Any 
suggestions on how to remedy his disorder would be quite welcome.

THE TOUR - THE MUFFS, THE QUEERS, & CUB
(I'm finally getting around to writing this over two months after the fact.  
Forgive me if my recollections aren't quite as vivid now.)

	I'd first heard about this tour sometime in the late Spring.  Well, 
actually, I'd originally heard that The Zeros would be included rather than 
The Queers, but I would've been just as happy either way.  As the tour 
began (out in California), I eagerly awaited reports from friends around 
the country.  Finally, it was time for this greatest of package tours to make 
it to the NorthEast.

Tuesday August 22nd - JC Dobb's (Philadelphia, PA):  This tour came 
around at just the right moment.  I was done with classes for my Master's 
in Math Education at Rutgers and I wasn't working yet.  So I didn't have 
to worry about getting up in the morning.  The Bluesman joined me for 
my final radio show at Rutgers, then we went back to my place, unloaded 
the records, and pointed the Smurfmobile towards the City of Brotherly 
Love.
	Now, this one was listed as a 6 PM all-ages thing, so when we 
arrived at 6:15, we were kinda afraid we were going to miss Cub.  Of 
course, when we saw a line going around the corner, we knew we'd 
missed absolutely nothing.  What was weird was that, except for the 
members of a couple of the bands and their road crew, we were practically 
senior citizens in this crowd.  The only audience members older than us 
were the parents of a 12 year old.
	We made it in just as Cub started up.  I wormed my way up to the 
side of the stage, near where Robynn was standing.  As they finished up 
one song, Lisa saw me and smiled.  Then the next song was dedicated to... 
ME!  Lisa introduced "The Day We Met" and told the story of how we'd 
met at Continental in NYC a couple years earlier.  "Do you remember?" 
she asked.  I nodded as she said, "Of course you do," and jumped into the 
song.  The set skipped merrily along and I was smiling from ear to ear.
	Muffs' bassist Ronnie Barnett was a bit further back on the side, 
towards the rear of the stage, so after the set he brought Bluesman and I 
upstairs to hang out.  Which is when I got the chance to meet Neko.  I'd 
known she was the drummer for this tour (and that she'd been out with 
the group a couple years earlier), but we'd never met.
	Time then for The Queers.  Now, I knew damn well that the punk 
types would go completely and absolutely delirious for these guys, so I'd 
decided to watch from backstage.  At first, I thought I'd just wait till the 
next night and see 'em then, but as soon as those supercharged melodies 
hit my cranium, I knew I'd have to watch.  Sure enough, the crowd went 
nuts, but... well, no wonder.
	Finally, it was time for me to see The Muffs again.  Now, sure, I'd 
gotten to see 'em a couple months earlier at Maxwells, but somehow this 
felt more like what it was supposed to.  Maybe 'cuz I knew I'd be seeing 
them again the next night, and possibly yet again on Thursday.  This was 
the start of things, rather than just some one-nighter.  (See, I like my good 
times to last.)  For The Muffs, I didn't care if I was in the midst of a crowd 
of crazed critters; I wanted to be a part of it.  Of course, without acting like 
a complete and utter jerk there was no way I'd get right up front at this 
point.  So I settled for being about 10 feet away from the stage.  The 
Bluesman, however, eventually swung his bluesbulk thru the maelstrom 
and right up there.  What I appreciated most, I guess, was that The Muffs 
didn't just do new LP stuff, but instead did material from just about 
everything they've released.  Plus, I already had a set list.  Ronnie knew of 
my obsession with getting the things, so he made up a special copy for me 
beforehand.  I pulled it out at one point in the middle of the show to see 
what was next.  A girl next to me looked and said, "Huh?" By the 
time they were through, I was a sweat-soaked mess.  As they finished, 
people started exiting.  But they came back and did an encore!  Yup, pure 
happiness.
	I hung out for a while, then went upstairs to see who'd be joining 
Blues & I for the trek over to the Khyber Pass.  After all, it was still early, 
and The Friggs were opening for Laika & The Cosmonauts.  Imagine, I 
was gonna see two fantastic shows in Philadelphia on a Tuesday night.  
(I'd never have believed that one if someone had told me even a month 
earlier.)  Eventually, Ronnie Barnett & Lisa Marr jumped in the back seat 
and we were off.  As we passed Dobb's (in typical South St. traffic), we 
convinced Muffs' drummer Roy McDonald to squeeze in.  A few blocks 
later, time to park and move on to Phase 2 of a Fab Philly Freakout.
	I can't really recall who the opening band was, but they were done 
soon after we arrived.  As the Friggs got onstage and were almost ready to 
play, I see a tall blonde gal pushing forward.  Ms. Kim Shattuck.  Who 
complimented Ms. Jezebel on her cool guitar.  The Friggs went all-out and 
a wild time was had by all.  Afterwards, everyone hung out and had a 
great time as Laika & The Cosmonauts did their thing.  (If you like 
melodic instrumental surf stuff, you'll go ape over this bunch.)  
Eventually, however, Blues & I realized we'd best be heading back home.  
(A drive that included a stop at one of those horrible rest stops... one that 
had cardboard burgers left over from the Eisenhower administration.)

Wednesday August 23rd - CBGB's (NYC):  The closest to home.  Mint 
Records honcho (& lead Smuggler) Grant Lawrence flew in for this one 
(and the next three stops on the tour), so we had a grand old time hanging 
out.  Before the show, I stopped over at the CB's Pizza Boutique to drop 
off a couple copies of Foster Child for Tony Miller.  It was there that I 
spotted the Cub gals.  So we all hung out, talked, caught up on life, the 
universe, and everything.	Oddly, this is the night I remember the least 
about.  I remember having a damn good time, seeing tons of friends, and 
dancing like a complete & utter madman.  But that's really about all.  (And 
I don't even have alcohol to use as an excuse.)  I must've been pretty 
floored, though, 'cuz I asked Blues if he was up for a trek to New Haven 
the next night.

Thursday August 24th - Tune Inn (New Haven, CT):  Bluesman finally 
decided he'd make the trip, so I took what amounted to the long way 
around and picked him up at his place up in Sloatsburg, NY.  Fairly 
smooth sailing on this ride, and as we took the exit for New Haven we 
saw The Queers van directly in front of us.  We waved, then followed 
them to the club.  (Extremely lucky for us as the two sets of directions 
we'd got were sort of conflicting.)  When we got to the club, we found Cub 
sitting outside still trying to find out what the deal was.  Evidently, the 
club was having sound problems.  And the owner was acting like a jerk.  
Neko, especially, was displeased.  Mightily.)
	Things eventually worked themselves out, though, and the show 
was a go.  Cub went on fairly early, playing in front of a rather sparse 
crowd.  (This was the only show of the Northeast swing that wasn't jam-
packed.)  My friend Bill made it in time to watch them and was quite 
pleased.  But who could resist Cub, anyway?  Songs like "My Flaming Red 
Bobsled", "Life Of Crime", "New York City", "The Day I Said Goodbye", 
and a cover of The Ramones' "She's A Sensation" make it crystal clear why 
I love this group.  Melodies dancing on melodies, with a big smile on 
everyone's faces (band and audience.)
	It had become obvious to me that there were quite a few Queers' 
fans in this audience, so I tried to hang back.  But once I heard "Next Stop 
Rehab", I knew I had to spend at least part of the time up front.  
Sometimes you've just gotta let go and not care.
	Then The Muffs.  Fast Eddie was up and ready for this one.  Geez, 
we all went crazy.
	Uh-oh... memory freeze.
	I said my goodbyes this time.  I was pretty sure this was it.  Still, I 
told Cub there was a slight chance I'd make it to one of the other shows.  
So they said they'd put me on the list, just in case.  I drove Blues home, 
then myself all the way back to the cursed blah-town of North Brunswick.  
Geez, I was beat.

Friday August 25th - (Providence, RI): Roberta called me from work in the 
middle of the day.  She was upset 'cuz I'd gone three nights in a row and 
she hadn't even gotten to go once.  OK, I said, I'll meet you in front of our 
new place in Rutherford.  (We'd be moving in the following week.) She 
actually wanted to go to Providence, Rhode Island to see this thing!  (I 
think she's been hanging out with a bad influence.)  We almost talked 
ourselves out of it only a couple miles down the road.  Once we got onto 
the Bruckner Expressway, though, the excitement was building.  And once 
we passed New London, we figured we were almost there.  All that meant 
was that we had no clue about the geography of Connecticut & Rhode 
Island.  Well, finally we got to the point on 95 where the signs for 
Providence are abundant.  Thing is, we had no idea which exit we were 
supposed to take.  We just decided to take one and see what happened.  
Which led to us calling the club, and me listening to an answering 
machine giving directions.  What's amazing is that we got pretty close.  I 
pulled over at a gas station and asked the guy at the food counter.  
Who just happened to be a punk (one who was bumming that he'd be 
missing the show 'cuz of work.)  Finally, we pull down the street the club's 
on, looking for parking.  We make a left.  BAD decision.  This place is full 
of way-too-much-makeup/big-hair gals and tons of cars.  Some guy in a 
sports car was a couple cars in front of us and stopped dead to talk to his 
adoring minions.  We just wanted to see Cub.
	After parking, we walked down the block to hear Cub blasting out 
into the night.  Which made us hurry.  Once at the doorway, we saw Eric 
from the Queers, who asked if we were on the list.  We were, thanks to 
Grant & Cub.  When Grant saw us he told us to go up front so Lisa & 
Robynn would know we were there.  We did & they were mightily 
surprised.  Roberta was extremely happy to be there.  (Heck, so was I.)
	The Queers went on and did yet another amazing set.  I'd really like 
to relate more about it, but what sticks in my mind most about this night is 
The Muffs' set.  See, it's like this.  In the middle of a song towards the end 
of the set, Kim came over and knocked into Ronnie.  Hard.  I think he fell a 
bit.  More than a bit miffed, Ronnie went over and checked Kim into the 
audience.  She threw her guitar down and went after him.  Ronnie threw 
down his bass and went off the stage.  Roy came out from behind the 
drums, went up to a mic and said, "I'm not mad at anybody."  Kim 
decided to play "Just A Game", a solo thing.  We all pretty much thought 
that was it for the night, but eventually they came back on and did a few 
more.  Including having Joe King come up and sing a Ramones song with 
'em.
	We ran into Maxwells bargal Abby this night, back in her home 
stomping grounds to hang with an old friend.  Quite a nice surprise, that.
	Afterwards, Roberta and I had to figure out just what we were 
going to do.  I'd been at the last four nights of the tour; Roberta & I had the 
whole apartment to pack up for our move; and it was a long trip home.  
Lisa Marr told me we had to go to Boston.  After all, that would give me 
the record for most Cub shows caught in one tour.  I wasn't completely 
convinced, but I also didn't feel like driving home from Providence at this 
hour.  So Roberta suggested we get a hotel room.  Of course, we didn't 
know of any nearby, so we got directions from the bands for the one they 
were all staying at.
	A couple of the bands said they were having a party, but Roberta 
and I decided we'd be nuts to do that.  We ordered out for a pizza and I 
went to hit the ice machine.  As I popped the bucket under the machine, I 
heard a voice.  I jumped.  (I was in my own little world, serenity and calm 
having finally descended upon me.  So much for that.)  It was Grant.  He 
laughed.  I laughed.  We realized the ice machine was broken.  On then to 
another floor.  (This one worked.)  He invited us to come to their room 
and hang out.  As much fun as that might've been, I was tired.  And 
looking forward to a pizza.

Saturday August 26th:  We awoke in Providence.  Providence?  Oh yeah.  
We got ourselves ready and were out of the room with 15 minutes to 
spare.  Before we left, though, we figured we'd call up Cub & say 
goodbye.  Well... here's one group that wouldn't be out by checkout time.  
Robynn anwered; I'd woken her up.  (Sorry.)  Downstairs, then, for an 
expensive breakfast.  Midway thru, The Muffs' tour manager showed up 
by himself.  So he joined us and we talked and talked.  About the tour, 
about the previous night's altercation, etc.
	Then we sat in the lobby for a few minutes.  And the bands started 
coming down.  I should've known what was going to happen.  I think 
Roberta did.  We were convinced that we should journey to Boston for the 
final night of the tour.  Which made Cub happy.  Neko & Robynn came 
with Roberta & me.  Neko told us about all the places she'd lived and how 
the one thing she remembered from being a little girl in New England was 
Friendly's.  When we saw the signs for one, we pulled in.  Nothing like a 
good reminder of what slow service is all about.  I mean, all I ordered was 
some ice cream.  I started wondering if they'd had to go milk the cow.
	We still arrived at TT the Bear's incredibly early.  Way before it was 
even time to soundcheck.  By this time, the Cub van had arrived (with 
Lisa, Grant, & Ronnie).  We eventually ran into everyone on the street and 
traipsed around looking for entertainment.  Of which we found precious 
little.  Roberta and I decided we'd each try calling a friend to see if they 
were gonna come down.  Well, her friend Mandy was booked to attend a 
wedding, but I'd called ex-Voodoo Doll (now guitarist for The Nines) 
Evan Shore.  And told him that a line was already starting to form, so if he 
was serious about coming, he'd be smart to come down now and get one.
	About a half hour later, Evan arrived with girlfriend Nancy.  He 
looked at the line with absolutely no enthusiasm.  So we chatted for a 
while, catching up, etc.  Suddenly, Grant poked his head out.  "Is this OK?" 
he asked, pointing to the guest list which read, "Blair + 3."  "YEAH!  Thank  
you, Grant!" 
	Finally, it was showtime.  "Hey, Blair."  Huh?  That voice was 
familiar.  I turned around to find NYC pal, Jeff Cuyubamba, off on a 
weekend away from home.  This turned out to be quite convenient, as Jeff 
likes to take pictures.
	When Cub went on tonight, I knew this was definitely my last time 
seeing them for a while.  Although by this time there were rumors that 
they might make it back to the East Coast with Pansy Division.  (Guess 
that tour only made it to the eastern part of Canada, though, 'cuz I never 
saw a listing for here.)  Even so, it was on this tour that I'd heard that Cub 
& The Muffs might be at Maxwells for New Year's Eve.  Anyway, so 
tonight was something special.  Tons of the favorites were played, plus 
one or two special ones.  And they sent out a heartfelt dedicaton to The 
Queers, since this was the last night of the three groups together.  (The 
next day they'd all journey to Joe's place in New Hampshire for a big party 
before The Muffs & Cub swung back towards the other side of the 
continent.)
	Then it was time for The Queers.  Now, as far as I can tell, The 
Queers alone could've sold this venue out and then some.  Geez, they can 
pack The Rat.  Why the hell was this at TT the Bear's?  Much better would 
have been next door at the Middle East Downstairs.  One report said the 
club turned away about 200 people at the door.  Well, like you've probably 
figured out, Boston is just about home base for The Queers.  Granted, Joe 
lives in New Hampshire, but Boston really is the capital of New England.  
Tonight's show saw at least three ex-members of The Queers in the 
audience (a guy named, I think, Bobby, who used to sing for 'em, Evan, 
and ex-DMZ guitarist, JJ Rassler.)  As it turned out, about midway thru 
their set, Eric turned his guitar over to JJ, and The Queers proceeded to 
dip into the deep recesses of their back catalogue.  JJ sounded incredible, 
his guitar charging through like never before.
	Finally, it was time for the last set of this tour for me... The Muffs.  
I'm not gonna dwell on this, but let's just say I knew this was it for a while, 
so I just let myself completely fall into it.  Yup, punk rock bliss.  Nothing 
less.  And the band didn't seem in the least affected by the previous 
night's... misunderstanding.

	Well, we drove Jeff back to his hotel and then hopped into the car 
for the long ride back to North Brunswick.  As it turned out, we ended up 
sleeping for an hour and a half in the car at a rest stop just below New 
Haven.  And I must've still been pretty out of it an hour later, 'cuz I missed 
the signs for the Cross Bronx Expressway and suddenly found myself 
heading onto the Throgs Neck.  It happens.
	Roberta & I got home about 8 AM, went straight to bed and then 
spent the evening packing.  OK, so this trip was completely and utterly 
insane.  But we had a fantastic time.

Cub / The Potatomen - The Day I Said Goodbye  (Lookout/Mint)
	The newest joint venture in the indie-pop world comes to us 
courtesy of the coolsters at Lookout & Mint Records, from Berkeley, CA & 
Vancouver, BC, oh-so-respectively.  As per usual, what gets this reviewer 
flying high is the material from Cub.  (A group that should be voted "Most 
Likely To Put A Smile On Your Face" in every yearbook.)  The title track 
here is definitely the hit.  This one's chock full of melody, but shows 
exactly where the band is at today.  It's definitely faster than a majority of 
their early stuff, and shows them catching the comet by the tail and 
hanging on for the ride.  Also not to be missed is their cover of Joan Jett's 
"Runaway", with Lisa G. throwing in some fun backing vocals.
	As to the Potatomen... Well, this stuff's still melodic and all, but 
much slower... kinda jangly, actually.  Still, their cover of Buddy Holly's 
"Words Of Love" should get you singing along.  Good stuff, but overall, 
I'm recommending this one on the basis of the Cub tracks.  (Not that that 
is much of a surprise to regular readers.)

The Queers - Move Back Home (Lookout)
	I'd been playing this one on "Biff-Bang-Pow" (my radio show... in 
case you'd forgotten) fairly often, but hadn't yet gotten around to buying it 
YET.  Then I ended up catching the band five nights in a row.  Of course, I 
really didn't want to be carrying around CDs all night, so I kept waiting 
till the end of the show to go over to the merchandise table.  And, by that 
time, they'd usually closed up shop.  (Not their fault, really.  As any of my 
friends will tell you, I've got a big mouth, so I spend lotsa time after shows 
gabbing away.)  In Boston, though, Roberta made sure I got one, going 
over to the merch table and picking one up for me.  Next afternoon at 
home, this thing went on three times in a row.
	Starting off with "She's A Cretin", The Queers jump around through 
a whole disc's worth of infectious pop-oriented punk rock.  Well, OK, 
there are a couple tracks that are more punk than pop ("High School 
Psychopath II"), but overall, this is just a fast pop record.  "I Gotta 
Girlfriend", actually, is more pop than punk.  On Love Songs For The 
Retarded, there was a track called "Debra Jean" that practically screamed 
out, BEACH BOYS!  Well, if "I Gotta Girlfriend" isn't quite that obvious, 
it's still got some definite echoes of prime Brian Wilson.  Besides, the next 
track, "Hawaii", is a Brian Wilson song.  And, except for picking up the 
tempo a bit, this really is in the heart of Beach Boys territory.  The Queers 
even throw in the falsetto backing vocals.  Yup, pure bliss.  As is this 
whole record.  Hard to believe The Queers have been a group for 
something like 15 years.  All I know is, they're making some of the best 
records out there today.  Not to mention putting on some incredible 
shows.

THE STATICS (by Bob Kondrak)
	I looked forward to the late booking of the Primate 5 and The 
Invisible Men at The Weathered Wall on 8/11/95.  Both groups were 
sandwiched between alt rock groups from the "K" records family.  The 
club, a vintage room sitting next to the '62 World's Fair monorail track, has 
a faded decadence, with its hodgepodge lining on the walls and balcony.  
The interview took place in Zack's truck cab.  Zack sings and plays guitar 
in the Statics and the Invisible Men .  We sat talking while the headliner, 
The Deflowers, played. Time to kill waiting to load up after the gig.  I had 
long since finished a pint of bourbon and was riding close to nervous 
system shutdown.  The discography and its chronology came over the 
phone in a conversation a couple of days later..

Bob: You seem to be the dominant personality in the Statics.  Is it your first 
group?
Zack: My friend Donny and I formed the group, he played drums and I 
used to play bass.  (Donny played drums on 1,2,3 and 8)  That didn't work 
out cause we could never find a guitar player.  So I switched to guitar and 
talked Diane, my girl friend, into playing bass.
Bob: I like her bass playing in The Statics.
Zack: Yeah she does alright.  She played the piano and the trombone for 
several years and has a musical inclination.  Donny was our first drummer 
and he was my favorite.  He was the greatest but he didn't like to practice 
or show up for things so we had to get another drummer.  Bryant is our 
current drummer.
Bob: Tonight I saw you playing in the Invisible Men.  When did they get 
started?
Zack: About the same time we got rid of Donny, Thanksgiving 1993.  The 
original Invisible Men line up was me on guitar, Shannon playing bass 
and Danny playing drums.  Like The Statics with a different bass player.  
What happened was we kicked Donny out of the Statics because he 
couldn't show up for practice, so we put him in the Invisible Men since we 
didn'trehearse so often.  But after a while we had to kick Donny out of that 
band too.  He just quit showing up.  Then Shannon went to play drums 
and we picked up Tom and Carlos.
Bob: Who plays what in the group?
Zack: I play rhythm guitar, Shannon plays drums, Tom plays lead guitar 
and Carlos plays bass.
Bob: Isn't Shannon the Fall Outs' bass player?
Zack: Yeah.
Bob: He must have the same take you do, both of you coming from 
different groups?
Zack: You would think so, but personalities don't always...
Bob: The last time I took pictures of The Invisible Men I noticed all you 
guys looking in different directions while playing, kinda out of place.  In 
the Statics pictures everybody in the group seems in place.
Zack: Yeah that's right, cause we don't practice enough in The Invisible 
Men, but that's something I don't worry about.
Bob: Besides the single on Rat City with Frustrator/Real Creep (Rat City 
02 recorded in Aug '93) how many records do the Invisible Men have out?
Zack: There are two,  the first one is on Rat City and that was recorded in 
Donny's basement by Johnny Vinyl.  We recorded again but it was just 
me, Tom and Shannon.  Tom and I both played guitar and Shannon 
played the drums.  Then we went back and Shannon played the bass on it 
cause we hadn't picked up Carlos yet.  There's a new single coming out on 
Estrus for Halloween by The Invisible Men.  Its a 4 song ep and Shannon 
plays both the bass and drums.
Bob:  I enjoy the Invisible Men set a lot.
Zack:  It's just covers.
Bob: Well I didn't know that.  I've not been able to buy the Statics' LP yet 
and when I do I'll dig The Statics more.  I had an instant good feeling 
listening to the Invisible Men.  The Statics' sets I've heard I've had to think 
about.  I remember The Statics opened for Dead Moon at the OK Hotel 
and Toody the bass player in DM walked by as you tuned up and yelled 
"keep practicing".  Throwing out a kind of a nice slap.
Zack: The Statics first show was with Dead Moon and Fred Cole mastered 
our Rat City lp.  He's got a mastering machine down there in Klackamas, 
Oregon.  They are cool people.
Bob: Yeah I picked up Pebbles Vol 8 with a Lollipop Shoppe cut and Fred's 
voice sounds just like it does in Dead Moon.
Zack: "You Must Be A Witch"?

Bob:  What do you think about the garage music explosion, the renewed 
interest in garage music and all?
Zack: It depends on what you call garage music.  I don't like a lot of the 
Estrus bands.  I do and I don't.  I like punk bands.
Bob:  Do you like The Makers?
Zack: I love The Makers,  The Makers are spectacular.  Mike Maker is one 
of my favorite stage presences.  Yeah, I like a lot of it but not all of it.  It's 
hard to say.
Bob:  Well how do you feel The Statics fit into all that?
Zack:  I think the important think is to be your own band.  Like I used to 
really worry about that.  I wanted to be on this bill with this band or I 
wanted to put out a record on Estrus.  I used to want to really fit in.  That's 
not what it's all about.  I found that the less you worry about that, the 
more relaxed you are.  Then the more people accept you, if you are just 
who you are and not trying to be something else.  People want to be an 
Estrus or a Sub Pop band and it's just the wrong way to go.  Like the Fall 
Outs have been around for 10 years. They have always been there and 
they have people that like them.  Some people hate them; they opened for 
Mudhoney and people in the audience didn't know what to think, it was 
so different.  But they kept doing it and now they are big stars, more or 
less.  I try to fit in where I can and not worry about it.
Bob:  A sensible approach: listen to your muse when writing songs.  I 
would ask some questions about those songs, since I guess you're the 
songwriter for the group, but I'm still hunting down the LP and only have 
the Empty 7".  I do remember (from the shows I've seen) some references 
to the White Center district in south Seattle.  I enjoy that you have 
references to the "southern culture" of Seattle.
Zack: Yeah! Beautiful downtown White Center.  There's one instrumental 
called "The Scourge Of White Center", and another instrumental called 
"Delridge Boogie".
Bob: How about that hamburger song?
Zack: Oh Yeah "Burgers And Fries".  But that's just about hamburgers and
you can get them anywhere.  I actually mention Beeps in San Francisco as
a great place to eat hamburgers.  Beeps and Dicks are my two favorite
spots to get burgers.
Bob:  I'm living near Dick's on 45th but I'm sure people reading this on the 
East Coast don't know about Dick's, but its up there with White Castle for 
us.
Bob:  You guys got any more recordings?  Any upcoming gigs?
Zack: No, we might have a gig in Portland on Halloween.  But neither of 
the bands has anything coming up in Seattle soon.  This thing tonight was 
a last minute thing.
Bob: I was happy to find you and Primate playing tonight.  How do the 
other 2 Statics feel about you playing in the Invisible Men?
Zack:  They don't care.  Bryant is only 19 and he just plays drums, he 
doesn't do any song writing or singing.  He doesn't care.  Diane never 
plays her bass unless she's at practice..  She never attempts to write songs.  
It's nice, no one to argue with.
Bob:  Thanks for the interview, I'll let you know what Blair plans to do 
with it.
Zack:  I've met Blair several times.  At Garage Shock 2 years running.

Over the phone a few days later Zack talks about some upcoming releases 
for both the groups he is in.  He also mentions that he may be looking to 
form a new group since the Statics have been together since '92 and 
getting gigs in Seattle might be easier  with a new group.

Statics Discography: time line of release.
1. Theme/All Mixed Up (7") - Rip Off RO 001
2. I Quit - track on Puget Power Vol 4 (7"ep) - Regal Select RS 18
3. Hey Hey/Don't Mess With Us/Rhino Chaser/Sooprize Package (7"ep) - 
Super  Electro SE 702
4. Scourge/Goodbye/Sooprize Package/Your Love (ep) - Sooprize 
Package   Magazine UK insert - Real Records Real #1
5. Rat City (lp) - Rip Off RO LP001
6. An Unrespected Man/Just Get Away/All Of Your Love 7" - Empty 307
7. Jelly Stone National Park - 8-Van split 7" with Sick & Wrong

Coming Soon...
1. Invisible Men 7"ep recorded by Johnny Vinyl - I'll Hunt You 
Down/Why
Don't You Do Me Right/This Town/Game Keeper - Estrus
2. Statics 10" ep - Pinball Junkies/I Need Rock and Roll/Roxbury 
Lanes/Radio Song/Let's Go Away (a Wipers cover) - Estrus
3. Statics split 7" with Primate 5 coming out on LA's Dead Beat records.

AFTERSHOCK NUMERO UNO
Barrister's - Memphis, TN
June 23-24, 1995

	We arrived at the Memphis airport around 1 PM and got to our 
hotel around 2. Since my girlfriend and I flew up we had no car and hence 
had to walk not too far down the street (Madison Ave. for all you types 
that keep up) to Shangri-La Records. This place is very similar to Sound 
Exchange except for the fact that it had a considerably larger amount of 
reading material and of course the music selection was somewhat 
different. Also, the people there were very nice and I found that to be 
refreshing. To cut it short, after buying some vinyl and eating we 
hightailed it back to our hotel to call my friend Vanessa I met via the 'net 
who was going to be lugging us around Memphis the next couple of 
days. I couldn't be more grateful to her as taxis and any other form of pay 
transportation were obscenely expensive. Well, after some time she came 
and picked us up and we arrived at Barrister's at around 8:30. 
	Now what Barrister's is.. is basically just a bar that bands play at on 
the weekends and such. I suppose it would be similar to the Blue 
Flamingo in Austin plus a lot more space to fuck around. In other words, I 
liked it from the start. Anyway, as soon as we got in, The Hate Bombs 
were preparing to play and I knew that they were gonna be good. They 
played (I think) both songs of the "She's the Girl" 7"  but those were the 
only two I recognized, except for the old 60's cover they did by the Teddy 
Boys ("Jezebel"); it pretty much rocked. After they finished, the Adolescent 
Music Fantasy scurried on stage and started their set. From what I can't 
remember, they must have sucked.  Following them, '68 Comeback got 
their shit together and began to play. Actually, The Oblivians were the 
ones setting up, but much to my surprise Jeff Evans (lead vox. of '68 
Comeback) was up there as well so what had happened is he just did his 
thing with the Oblivians playing for him. The crowd was building up at 
this point and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Me, not being 
the biggest '68 Comeback fan around, parted ways to get some fresh air 
and waited for them to end. They played an extremely long time(or 
should I say Jeff sang an extremely long time..) and finally the 
Oblivians were next. It didn't take long for them to start since none of the 
equipment had to be switched out. I couldn't wait, though, 'cause I really 
like them and hadn't had the chance to see 'em live yet. They eventually 
began and played almost every song I knew by them like "No Reason To 
Live", "Static Party", and "Jim Cole" among many others. One of the songs 
I liked best that set had to be "Shut My Mouth" and Eric was the one who 
happened to be on vocals at that time. It was amazing, simply put. The 
thing about the Oblivians I like a lot is the fact that any one of 'em can do 
whatever. Like they all can play drums and the guitar. Anyway, they got 
the lead singer from Guitar Wolf to come on stage and do vocals for a 
song which I won't name simply because I don't know what it was,.. and 
the crowd loved it. They dragged that out for a while and... once they 
finished we left to get to the hotel. After all, it was 2:30, and we still had 
stuff we wanted to do.
	The next morning, or I suppose I should say afternoon.., we got 
picked up to go thrift shopping and go to Shangri- La again. We spent 
money, we ate, we whatnot else, and then Vanessa dropped us off at the 
next hotel we were going to be staying at. Following about 2 hours of 
sleep she came back and we all headed to Barrister's for the second half of 
the show. I had fun the first night but this was the night I was ultimately 
waiting for. Well, The Cowslingers were setting up by the time we arrived 
and I had mixed thoughts on what to expect. I knew that I didn't really 
like 'em to begin with, but I thought I'd feel differently when I saw 
them live maybe. Apparently not 'cause my opinion stayed the same. I 
think this is due to the lead singer's voice, which I really don't like. 
Otherwise, if you try to block the vox. out with your mind, the guitar line's 
sound was very impressive. I'm thinking these guys did a cover of 
"Jezebel", too, but my memory fails me once again. Impala was up next 
and I was anxious to see what they had to offer. As stated elsewhere in 
this issue, their sound is adequately described as 'Memphis sound meets 
the Westcoast" if that helps you understand any. Their all insto 
barrage was surfy at times and bluesy at others, all depending on whether 
Justin was on the sax or organ. It was obvious to me that this band had 
talent so I was glad to be seeing them. The Woggles took the stage next 
and I must admit that was the longest set of the night. Not literally, of 
course, it just seemed that way. Not that they're bad or anything, it's just 
that I don't take well to 'em. Leave it at that. And fuck if I can't remember 
if they did "Jezebel", as well. All I know for sure is that two of the bands 
out of either night did the song.. maybe not three. Anyway, they were 
very active on stage and weren't boring to watch, fortunately.
	OK, we sat down for a little while, had a beer, fucked around, and 
eventually The Royal Pendletons were ready to play. I was cynical at first 
on how I would like this band, but I was glad to find out that they weren't 
bad at all. They sort of sounded like the Oblivians in their own way, plus 
they had an organ up front which was really loud so you can imagine how 
I felt. I hope I get the chance to see this band again someday. Well, after 
they called it quits, I was pleased to hear that Guitar Wolf was coming up 
next. I, along with a lot of other people, waited patiently as I knew this 
band was going to be rockin'. They finally came out, people went nuts 
yelling their name, and they posed for pictures (I'm guessing..) by 
standing on two different amps in the front of the stage. If I wouldn't have 
been so close up, that would have been a great camera shot. When they 
actually started playing I could tell immediately that these guys were a 
little bit cocky. They knew they were bad, I guess. They played many 
noticeable songs, one being "Kung Fu Ramone" and another being 
"Summertime Blues". That's right, they did a cover of that old song and let 
me tell you, it fucking rocked. Later in the set the lead singer for them (I 
still don't know his name) repaid the favor he received earlier by 
dragging Eric Oblivian up on stage and throwing a guitar on him so he 
could play with 'em. It was fun and from what I could tell the crowd was 
enjoying it too. They finished after a long time up and when they did they 
just ran off stage into the back of Barristers which I thought was kinda 
funny. It made it look like they were avoiding getting talked to and fucked 
with by the crowd. At this point I was happy, so Man or Astroman?, who 
were up next, was just icing on the cake. Their setup was very elaborate as 
it had 3 TVs plus the big Barristers one in the back, 2 megaphones, a big 
Man or Astroman? poster hanging in the back, and a few other things I 
can't remember right now. The lead singer dressed up in a "space suit" 
along with a "space helmet" and I had high expectations at this point. I 
wasn't disappointed when they finally started. Their speedy surfy set was 
a nice end to this whole show. Not to mention the ad libs in-between 
songs was very funny; with lines like "you primitive humans wouldn't 
understand" I was entertained. I can't tell you what all this band played 
because I really don't have any of their records,.. but I can tell you they 
smoked. I can also tell you that they were full of gimmicks. Like throwing 
star crunches and such into the audience, you know how that is. After all 
of this we were ready to go... the time was around 3:30 and I was as tired 
as sin. Vanessa took us the short trip to our hotel and we all said our 
good-byes. The next morning we paid some asshole shuttle driver $16 to 
haul us to the airport so we wouldn't be late. All told, once in the airplane 
with my fucking peanuts and Pepsi, I was looking in my wallet and 
realized I spent every last cent except for three dollars on this trip. Now 
how's that for taking the exact amount of money needed? --- CE

(Case Elliott is the editor of Make Room!, a garage-punk 'zine outta 
Temple, TX.  For info on how to contact him and/or get his 'zine, see the 
'zines section of this ish. -- BB)

REQUIEM FOR A RECORD STORE
	I'm not really sure when I made my first trip to Pier Platters.  My 
guess is that it wasn't before August of 1987, when I made the move from 
Long Island to New Jersey.  I was 21 and a newly minted graduate of the 
niversity of Rochester up in the cold country of New York State.  I'd taken 
a job at Equitable Life in their Pensions group in Secaucus and - therefore - 
had made the move across the Hudson, finding an apartment in a little 
town called Wallington, just past the Meadowlands.
	While moving to Jersey was a scary thing (growing up on Long 
Island, Jersey is the place everyone laughs at most... kinda like LI is to NJ 
teens), there were some positive aspects.  For one thing, a couple of my 
close pals lived Jersey-side.  Well, actually a couple of 'em lived just above 
the border in Rockland County, NY, but we won't quibble.  Anyway, this 
meant that some of my best friends would be near enough to hang out 
regularly.  And so it came to pass that I made my first trips to Pier.  
Honestly, I've no idea what I bought that first trip.  Hell, I don't even 
clearly remember the trek itself.  I do  remember that the Bluesman was 
the one who told me I'd been going the long way around... and gave me 
the directions that cut my trip by a good 10-15 minutes.
	Pier Platters was my record store of choice in my adult life.  Sure, 
NYC has a few good ones, but Pier was something special.  For one thing, 
the people there were always cool.  If you were there on a regular basis, 
they got to know you and treated you well.  Besides, their prices were 
usually better than most the NYC shops.  (Add in that NJ sales tax is less 
than NYC and this stuff starts to really add up.)  Besides, they had the best 
Aussie selection of any shop in the area.  Pier is where I got into all things 
Dom Mariani (now of the DM3, but then still in The Stems, my fave 
Australian combo of all time, and one of my top groups.  Period.)  It's 
where I bought my first Stems 45.  (And most of the rest of them.)  And 
where I discovered Dom's surf project, The Stonefish.  And then the 
SomeLoves.  It's where I got a whole truckload of stuff from Down Under.  
Including my Radio Birdman stuff, Hoodoo Gurus 45s, Lime Spiders, 
New Christs, Eastern Dark... you name it.
	Another thing I always loved about Pier was their 45s.  They had a 
whole lot of 'em.  Even in the lean years of the late 80s, Pier Platters 
always had a good selection of seven-inchers.  And at reasonable prices, 
too.  Not only that, they also had the dollar bins.  Tons of singles for a 
buck each.  And we're not talking about stupid 70s schlock 45s, either.  
This bin included some stuff that was only a year or two old.  Plus a fair 
amount of Aussie stuff that I knew nothing about.  And for a buck I was 
always willing to take a chance.  And I scored pretty well.  Lotsa stuff on 
Citadel eventually made its way into those boxes.  And soon after that into 
my greedy little paws.
	And then there was the used section.  Actually, let me rephrase 
that.  The used store.  For a while back there, Pier existed at two locations, 
back to back.  The regular one on Newark Street and the used stuff around 
the corner on First.  And they had tons of cool stuff.  We used to spend 
hours going through it.   Eventually, this store closed down (the beginning 
of the end?), and the vinyl (new and used) was moved to the second floor 
of the Newark Street store, while the CDs remained on the first floor.  

	Some pretty fantastic Saturday afternoons were spent at Pier 
Platters (always both stores) with The Bluesman, Mike Sinocchi, Matthew 
Kaplan, and Andy Peters.  Later on, The Skeever occasionally made the 
trip, too.  Still, my favorite story will always be of the first time we ever 
took the Platterpuss along for the ride.  Here's the Readers Digest 
version... I guess it must've been a Friday evening or something, though I 
suppose it could just as easily have been Saturday.  Still, my memory 
seems to give it that Friday evening feel.  And I get the feeling Matthew 
was around, too.  But, anyway... The 'Puss (who'd been a record nut for 
years) was like a kid in a candy store.  One who doesn't know when to 
stop, at that.  I was having a pretty good day myself - having piled about 
50 or 60 bucks worth on - when Th'Puss suddenly asks me if he can 
borrow a couple bucks.
	"Umm... how much?" I ask hesitantly.
	"Oh... about $50 or $60 should do it," he replied, quite matter-of-
factly.
Now, I'm a pretty nice guy, usually willing to lend a friend a couple bucks 
when it's necessary, but... well, there's a reason I'd stopped at the amount 
of records I'd piled up myself.  Simply put, that's all I had on me.  So I had 
to refuse our friendly neighborhood Platterpuss.  He turned to the nice 
counter-person.
	"Is there a bank machine nearby?"
	Right on the corner, actually.  So the Puss put his records on the 
counter and went to get some dough.  Once back, he resumed his quest.  
Finally, after I'd read about all the liner notes I could stand, Monsieur Le 
Puss was ready to take his leave of this house of audio pleasure.  Once 
outside, I happened to ask how much he'd spent.
	"$300."

	I'm still pretty bummed that I missed most of Pier's last year of 
existence.  Living down in North Brunswick made it pretty tough for me 
to journey up to Hoboken with any consistency.  At least, not during store 
hours.  I guess I should be thankful that I was back in time to catch the last 
month.  Which is when the big-time sale started really kicking in.  My first 
trip came the second weekend in September, when I got an unexpected 
phone call from Foster Child editor, Tony Miller, who was up from 
Baltimore for the weekend and was in the mood for some record-buying.
	Now, while there were definitely some discs I wanted, I was pretty 
low on funds, so I kept this trek to a couple singles.  At this point, though, 
Pier Platters still looked like itself.  But I went back a couple weeks later.
	September 30th was the second to last day of Pier Platters existence.  
Actually, I'd thought it was the last day.  I needed to make one more 
pilgrimage.  Upon walking in, however, I began to regret my decision.  I 
thought, "My final memory is going to be of a ghost store."  Downstairs, 
where the CDs were, was about 90% empty.  On the other hand, the price 
was right.  Everything in the store was 50% off, and discs would go for no 
more than $5, no matter what their original price.  Can't beat that.  Not 
that there was all that much stuff that I wanted, but there were a few 
things I'd never gotten around to picking up (like a Greenberry Woods 
CD, a recent 9 Lb. Hammer disc, and Girl Trouble's New American 
Shame.  And something you'll hear about elsewhere in this mag, a 3-
songer by The Creation.)  Once I was through downstairs, though, it was 
time to climb the spiral staircase to vinyl heaven one last time.
	Unfortunately, there was no $5 limit upstairs.  Otherwise, I 
might've gone home with a whole lot more stuff.  Some pretty rare 45s in 
there.  One I wanted was the debut 45 by The Salvation Army (who later 
grew into the Three O'Clock) on New Alliance.  The sticker said $40, 
which (after the 50% break) would still be $20.  Much as I'd like to own it, I 
had the songs already and... I just didn't have that kinda money for one 45.  
(I guess I'll never be true collector-scum.)  I did, however, part with $12.50 
for a Radio Birdman 7"er.  I figured I'd never get another chance at it, so... 
Besides, this was gonna be the only thing I spent that kinda cash on.  Some 
prices amazed me... I mean, The Mono Men 45 with "Jezebel" selling for 
$15?!  Well, sure, it'd only cost $7.50, but... I got that one when it came out 
- for a normal price.  Most of my money, this last trip, went in one last flip 
through the Aussie bin, as I picked up that Radio Birdman 45, along with 
The Hoodoo Gurus "I Want You Back"/"Who Do Hoodoo You Love", The 
Lime Spiders' "Slave Girl" and an Angie Pepper (w/Deniz Tek) seven-
incher.
	
	I'm going to deeply miss Pier Platters.  

DARIN LIN WOOD INTERVIEW
SATYRICON, PORTLAND, OR 8/19/95:
	Darren plays in both Fireworks and 68 Comeback who, along with 
the Cheater Slicks, are touring the west coast.  I went to the show in Seattle 
on Thursday and drove down to Portland the next day for another taste.
	I find Darren sitting alone in a big booth.  A large aluminum baking 
dish with cheese enchiladas is on the table between us.  I can't hear him 
over top of the opening band playing in the next room.  Darren sips a cola 
and smokes a cigarette.  After tonight's show he has to drive down to San 
Francisco.  They play at The Bottom of The Hill club on Saturday and then 
it's on to Costa Mesa on Sunday.  In LA., a break from driving for a few 
days before another gig later in the week.
	Darren, a stylish, razor thin rockabilly rebel, cool and deadly.  I 
offer him some bourbon which he refuses.  I pour myself a glass and begin 
with some things I'm curious about.

B: How did Black Top get together?  Mick's from the Gories and you and 
Janet are from Fireworks.
D: When I was in 68 Comeback on our first tour we were up in Detroit and 
I met Mick and talked to him for a while.  When I got home I talked with 
Janet and asked her if someday she wanted to do something.  She said, 
"Yeah." So I called up Mick before Fireworks toured Europe and said, 
"Hey, would you be interested in doing something?" and he said, "Yeah, 
why not?" When we came home from Europe we set it up.

B: Mick lends and interesting aspect to Black Top.  You and Janet are 
exciting  to watch and then to have Mick in the band too, there's an 
exciting dynamic going on.
D: Yeah, Mick lends that to anything he does, I would imagine, yeah.
B: I'm glad to see you showcased in Fireworks. I wasn't hip to him or you 
till I saw Black Top. After that I bought the Fireworks LP on Crypt Set The 
World On Fire and have been listening to that for the last few months.  I 
noticed last night in Seattle you didn't do too many songs from that 
album.  I heard "Hey Fucker" and "S Link". Did you write "S Link"?
D: It's a Link Ray song called "Slinky" but I changed it around a bit and 
called it "Slink".
B: Oh "Slink" and I thought it was "S Link", yeah cool.
D: In Black Top I wrote a lot of those songs.  I started that thing.  The band 
was my idea from the very beginning.  And I called Mick in to be the man 
that sings, but I'm still involved in all the song writing. 
B: Interesting, I'm glad to hear it.  Because man I like your song writing 
style.  Your songs kick.
D: We just wanted something different for Black Top.  A different style 
from what we are doing in Fireworks.  We wanted to keep it as separate as 
possible.  Mick is definitely showcased in Black Top, but I don't know 
what kind of image people have when they see Black Top.  They might not 
know it but I was the one who put that group together and wrote a good 
portion of the songs.  When Mick was writing his songs he was going 
through my notebooks and writing lyrics - not all of them, but there are a 
few of them where he did that.  I have a lot more to do with Black Top 
than people think.  Without running the risk of sounding egotistical or 
having to put myself forward..
B: No it's good to clarify things.
D: Yeah because a lot of people thought I was just along for the ride on 
that.  When in fact they are along for the ride with me.
B: The songs on the Fireworks Crypt album, why are you not doing more 
songs off that?
D: We have been touring for so long doing those songs, we are trying to 
do some of the new songs., just for ourselves maybe.  I don't know how 
many people out there have seen us more than once or twice, but the point 
is to bring some new things into the picture.

B: I've been listening to the Crypt LP and only have that.
D:  You have to get the one on Au Go Go; that one kicks ass. It's called Off 
The Air.  It should be out soon, if not now. 
B: I heard a trace of Buddy Holly in a couple of your songs.  A melody 
from "Rock With Me Annie" in a song.  I like that you go beyond it when 
you remind me of a standard. "What'cha Want" struck a chord in me.  
Standout vocals and catchy lyrics. "When She Passes By" takes me to a 
place I've been to before. I wondered how you write them.
D: I use a lot of theft.
B: (laughing) What do you mean?  Are you watching things happen to 
other around you?
D: I steal a bunch.  I stole "Whatcha Want" from an old rockabilly tune.
B: No fucking way!
D: Yeah I steal songs, I steal ideas, I mean when your playing rock and roll 
if you come out saying to yourself, ah I'm doing something new - you're 
totally full of shit.  And you couldn't possibly do something new. My 
approach is pretty fucking humble.  I just take stuff I love and piece it all 
together.  Sometimes flat rip songs off.  Change lyrics around or add my 
lyrics to the music.  When I do steal like that I try to use really obscure 
songs.  
So they are not obviously traceable.
B: Well that's good! So you have a big record collection or have you had 
your ear tuned in all your life?
D: I've been listening for a long time to things of that caliber.  I've always 
loved old rockabilly and that old Rolling Stones sound.
B: It suprises me how much I am reminded of psychobilly bands when I 
watch Fireworks.  Do you object to that label?  That scene is starting to 
happen.
D: Yeah, but I've never been into those guys.  They look so absurd.  I've 
never been into psychobilly at all.  I would think we look more traditional.  
I love Hasil Adkins, that stuff is awesome.  I think Benny Joy and some of 
those raw rockabilly guys were actually trying to sound good.  They just 
recorded so shitty or were so bad it sounded like they were psychotic.  In 
fact they were actually trying to be good.  That's more what I like instead 
of someone on purpose trying to be wacky.
B: OK, what about the Lo-Fi idea.  Some songs on the Crypt album have 
your voice so obscured in a ripping wall of sound.  Guitar riffs keep 
clawing away.
D: The word Lo-Fi is not a word I use on a daily basis.  Its a new kind of 
tag.  I object to that term obviously.  But I have always been into home 
recording.  You know, kids going into the garage setting up their 
equipment and going for it.  Put out a 7" and be really proud of it. That's 
what I'm emulating, not the Lo-Fi.  I didn't know anything about Lo-Fi 
when we started.  I knew some bands did home recording because of my 
punk rock days.  It's nothing new.
B: You have a cool style, I noticed last night when you played guitar in '68 
Comeback you paused to open a pack of Camels and light up.  Evans 
referred to you as Darren Lin Wood start of stage, screen and television. 
You are addressing many things people are going to think about... It's Lo-
Fi, It's psychobilly.  You are aware that they already try to label you.
D: And hopefully I can confound them.
B: Besides the Crypt album, what else is out or coming out from 
Fireworks?
D: A new mini LP on In The Red is coming out soon and many of those 
songs are originals.  We cover Jack Starr's "Petrified" and Cat Clit's "One 
More Night".  Other than that all the music and lyrics were written by me 
and I am really proud of that.  I'm going to hand off the DAT and the 
artwork to Larry of In The Red when we get to LA. and so it will be out in 
a couple of months.  Larry's a great guy.  I've known him a long time.

(Darren's lady, Janet, the drummer in Fireworks, walks over to the bar. 
Her long blonde hair set up high with a black ribbon on top.  She is 
wearing a short black and white jacket, patent leather mini skirt, tight 
weave fish nets and black ankle boots with squared off tips.)

B: Man, Janet is awesome!
D: She works hard.
B: Hey, how was the Fireworks European tour?
D: Great, we went to Holland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, 
Austria and Czechoslovakia.
B: Did you go over to England?  I think they would dig you over there.
D: John Peel actually went out and bought our record "Set The World On 
Fire" and flipped out over it and wanted us to do some Peel Sessions. But 
it wasn't in the cards this time.
B: He's a cool old guy and it would be good to have something by 
Fireworks on Strange Fruit.
D: The first shows we did on the tour were in Germany. It was Southern 
Culture On The Skids, Fireworks, and The Beguiled.  Later In Dresden, 
then in Paris we played shows with Swinging Neckbreakers .  Paris was 
an amazing show with 600 paying customers.  Kids dancing on the stage.  
It was insane.  All I could see were people all the way out.
B: Any videos from the tour??
D: There's a video from a gig in Holland and one from the German bunker 
we played in.  This was a fucking bunker, a fortress and they were like, 
"Oh, no, we don't talk about that, it's a club."  Yeah, we knew it was a club, 
but it used to be a... chain racks on the walls.
B: Yeah, they have some weird clubs in Germany. They like the club life in 
Germany. Thanks for the interview, it was good talking with you.
		By Bob Kondrak

I JUST WASN'T MADE FOR THESE TIMES - AN EVENING WITH 
BRIAN WILSON
                                                  The Platterpuss

      A few months ago (Sept. 7 to be exact) I was lucky enough to realize a 
life-long dream of  mine which was to see Brian Wilson, who was my first 
and still is my ultimate music hero, in the flesh, healthy and happy and 
performing in a relatively small hall. Of course, when I got home, one of 
the first things I did was to write all about it for alt.music.banana-truffle, 
my cyber-home away from home. When Blair asked me to write about the 
show for Teen Scene I said I was more than happy to do so. Reading over 
my post of that night I realize that I could never write about this incredible 
evening more vividly than I did at the time. So, the next few paragraphs 
are exactly what I wrote that night followed by a review of his new CD "I 
Just Wasn't Made For These Times".

          Tonight I had the incredibly good fortune of seeing Brian Wilson 
perform live (mucho thanks to TweeKid for taking me as his plus one), an 
experience that none who were there will soon forget. First they showed 
the movie "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" which was directed by 
Don Was. This is a movie that any true fan of the Beach Boys music has 
just gotta see as it focuses on Brian's  music and not so much all the stories 
about his drug use and fucked-up childhood. The man is truly a genius! 
Then it was time for Brian himself, backed by an all-star band that 
included the Paley Bros., Don Was and Paul Schaeffer. Brian was 
absolutely amazing. They did 6 songs, "California Girls", "The Warmth of 
the Sun", "God Only Knows", "Do It Again" (twice - once fast and once 
slow) and "409". Brian was pretty relaxed, joking with the audience and it 
seemed like he was enjoying himself.
         Brian has always occupied a special place in my heart. When I was 13 
years old I got my first Beach Boys album, "All Summer Long". I 
remember the amazing  feeling I got when I  heard "Don't Back Down" for 
the very first time. It was one of my first realizations of the greater powers 
of Rock & Roll and ever since then I've felt a special spiritual kinship with 
Brian.  To see him happy and getting out there again, without the "help" of 
Eugene Landy is especially gratifying. I apologize for making this post so 
long but I'm still so overwhelmed that I just had to share it. I love this 
man!!

        Listening to I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, which was also 
produced by Don Was, these 11 songs seem to be more a statement of one 
man's struggle and victory over his own personal demons, a deliverance 
from a horror that most of us can't even conceive of, a triumph of good 
over evil, than it does a mere pop album. These songs are all remakes of 
songs from various points in Brian's career and its truly fascinating, 
hearing old favorites like Caroline No. This Whole World, Do It Again and 
The Warmth Of The Sun in this new light. Gone is the falsetto, wide-eyed 
innocence of his youth, but in its place is a kind of older and wiser, world-
weary yet relatively contented voice  that adds a whole new perspective.  
While I would have liked to hear new some songs (and it is reliably 
rumored that there is at least one whole album's worth in the can) this is 
still a treat that, only a few years ago, I would have never dreamed 
possible.
        As much as I love the new CD, if you're just a casual fan of Brian or 
the Beach Boys, the significance of it would probably escape you for the 
most part and your money might be better spent elsewhere but, if you 
ever get a chance to see the movie, it is truly not to be missed and may just 
make a rabid fan out of you if you aren't one already. --- JS

CALIFORNIA SCENE
        Many changes have occurred in California's 60s music scene this past 
summer.  Unfortunately, the end result is fewer bands.  The damage 
spanned the state, leaving few scenes untouched.  In the Bay area, the 
Loved Ones, a fine mod influenced R&B band from Oakland, played their 
last show at the American Music Hall in San Francisco the last weekend of 
June.  The early word is that long time collaborators Bart Davenport and 
Xan McCurdy will soon start a new project.  Earlier this year the 
Monarchs, another fine Bay Area R&B band, called it quits following the 
departure of Ron Silva.
        In Los Angeles, "Action" Andy Rasmuessen left the Bomboras, a 
popular surf band featuring ex-members of the Finks and Witchdoctors. 
Rasmuessen plans to concentrate on the Sleepwalkers (a San Diego based 
rock and roll band with garage, rockabilly and surf influences) and 
hopefully to start a few new projects.  Also in San Diego, bassist Mike Stax 
and drummer John Chilson have left the 60s influenced punk band Evil 
Eyes making the future of that band uncertain.  Jay Wiseman, the Evil 
Eyes' singer may recruit new players, but Stax's and Chilson's aggressive 
playing will be missed.  The Shambles, Bart Mendoza's and Kevin Ring's 
San Diego based psychedelic influenced power-pop project, continue to 
depend upon temporary drummers which hinders their live 
performances.
        To further complicate matters, the San Diego scene also lost a 
valuable venue this summer when Megalopolis closed on June 24.  With 
Megalopolis serving its final call, and Teen Scene's trusty California 
correspondent (that would be me) moving to Arizona for graduate school, 
a party was deemed to be in order.  Revelers (and all too few mourners!) 
who packed the tiny club were treated to a fine show.  Megalopolis 
regulars (and Friends Of Matt) D-Revolver and the Shambles played with 
L.A.'s incredible psych-poppers the Jigsaw Seen.
        D-Revolver had the unfortunate position of being the opening act.  
Many of the early arrivers engaged in some serious socializing, while D-
Revolver provided dissonant, yet oddly appropriate, background music.  
The Jigsaw Seen were up next, and their spell-binding psychedelic pop 
brought the focus back to the music.  Readers who are unfamiliar with the 
Jigsaw Seen would do well to acquire their single (Get Hip/Skyclad) and 
CD EP (also on Skyclad, but out of print), but the band really shines when 
they play live.
        Jigsaw Seen's masterwork is "My name is Tom", a wonderful 
psychedelic trip, in the style of "Forever Changes" era Love, which clocks 
in at about 7 minutes on record but pushed 10 minutes live.  The band 
often plays a medley of "My name is Tom" and Love's "Daily Planet" 
which can be an all night affair, but they restrained themselves this night.
        The Shambles were up next, with a borrowed drummer.  They played 
a short originals set and then became a live 60s jukebox.  Everyone had a 
great time shouting out old favorites.  Their drummer sometimes missed 
the mark (at one point Bart grabbed a drumstick and assisted the 
drummer while singing "I can only give you everything") but that didn't 
detract from the fun.  Before the end of the night, the Shambles invited the 
Megalopolis regulars to sing their favorite songs with the band.  The most 
entertaining of the guest performances was Victor Penalosa (the Melanies) 
singing lead on the Manual Scan song "Nothing can be everything".
        Now that all of the bad news out of the way, there have been some 
promising developments in the scene.  In San Diego, the Ogres, Ron 
Swart's garage band, have reportedly found a real singer which is sure to 
improve their sound.  Ex Tell-Tale Heart bandmates Mike Stax and Eric 
Bacher are talking about starting a new band.
        In the Bay Area, the Black Diamonds long awaited CD will soon be 
released on Monarch records.  There aren't any plans, as of yet, for a Black 
Diamonds tour in support of the CD, but Carl Rusk, Tom Ward, and Ron 
Silva are planning on doing a few Nashville Ramblers reunion gigs (in 
California) near the end of the year.  Ward, who seemingly can not play in 
only one band at a time, has started yet another band, this time a modern 
jazz combo called "The Pieces of Eight".  Finally, my move to AZ has 
expanded the scope of Teen Scene's West Coast update to include the 
entire Southwest!  How's that for a happy ending? --- MF

ROCKINGHAMS
	Jim Basnight. Jack Hanan. Chris Crass. Those names might mean 
something to people who remember Seattle before the media-hype 
explosion. All three of the Rockinghams have a history in Seattle music 
going back as far as 1978. Guitarist/vocalist Basnight began in the pre-
punk outfit the Meyce before forming powerpop legends the Moberlys, 
whose 1979 debut LP was voted one of the Rocket's "All-Time Top Ten 
Northwest LPs." Bassist Hanan got his start in the Feelings who became 
the Cowboys, a successful new wave group that existed from 1979-86.  
Drummer Chris Crass had been in about 30 local bands as both a 
drummer and a guitarist, including obscure outfits like the Vains (who 
included a young Duff McKagan) , before moving to Los Angeles where 
he played with everyone from 1950s rockabilly legend  Sleepy La Beef  to 
punk transvestite Wayne/Jayne County. In 1990, Chris joined the Muffs, 
playing on their numerous indie singles and debut album for Reprise. He 
left the Muffs in the fall of '93, after a grueling North America tour, 
returning home to Seattle because, as he says, "I was tired of the record 
company, tired of the band, and tired of L.A." 
	After kicking around for a few months, Crass hooked up with 
Basnight and Hanan to form the Rockinghams. Initially, the band was a 
quartet, but when second guitarist Sean Denton left, they decided to 
remain a three-piece. "We rock now," says Basnight. "The three piece just 
rocks so much harder." Indeed, the Rockinghams have that classic trio 
punk-powerpop sound akin to '77 bands like the Jam. They chose the 
name Rockinghams because  when Chris and Jim lived in L.A., they often 
drove by Rockingham Drive (yes, the infamous O.J. Simpson estate site!) 
and though it would make a great name for a band. Hanan adds "Plus, 
we're a bunch of hams. Rocking hams!"  Tired of the current "alternative 
rock" sound, the Rockinghams play tight, energetic, melody-based rock 'n' 
roll. Crass is quick to point out, "We're as much punk as we are pop."  
Hanan adds that "We're not afraid to say we're pop. Iggy was pop. The 
Sex Pistols were pop. We play rock 'n' roll, and we like what we do."
	For a trio of 33 to 37 year olds, the Rockinghams really can rock. 
Crass has a hard time staying behind his kit, when he's not pounding it 
into submission and adding great harmony vocals.  Basnight, the 
charismatic individual that he is, jumps and bops around with his 
patented "shaky leg" routine. Jack, with his big bass, adds some fine heavy 
basswork, and certainly fills out the sound. They play new Rockinghams 
originals, like "Hello Mary Jane" and "Rock 'n' Roll Girlfriend" off of their 
"Monsters of Rock" cassette. They also throw out the occasional Moberlys 
oldie and some select covers such as the Sex Pistols' "Did You Know 
Wrong," "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie and "Just Like Me" by Paul Revere 
and the Raiders.  "We've made a point though," Basnight says "Of working 
on original stuff, because we don't want to become just a cover band."  
Few of their songs reach past the two-three minute mark.  Live, they're 
like a cross between the Who, the New York Dolls and the Sonics! 
Musically, the Rockinghams like to mix it up, drawing on influences from 
the '50s, '60s and '70s. "A good song is a good song," says Crass,  "Whether 
it's '50s rock n' roll, '60s pop, or '70s punk. What matters is it's a good 
song."
	Basnight is quick to add, "There is a lot of crappy music out there. 
A lot of people with marketing strategies, trying to get the right look and 
sound." The Rockinghams could care less about looks and marketing 
plans. They've just released a six-song cassette to garner some attention 
and act as a taster for an actual full-length CD release, due out shortly.
	Also of interest is the recently re-issued Moberly's First Album, 
which Jim has released on his Precedent Records label (7616 Latona NE, 
Seattle WA  98115). Actually, the CD is not an exact re-issue of the original 
LP which came out on the Safety First label in 1979,  deleting a few songs 
in favor of some  rarer tracks such as the brilliant "She Got Fucked" and 
"Love Is Beautiful."  The CD includes liner notes by Yellow Pills editor 
Jordan Oakes, and a great selection of power-poppin' tracks like "Live In 
The Sun," "Blow Your Life Away" and "Sexteen." Check it out! --- AW

THE CREATION
	The first time I ever heard of The Creation was at a record store in 
Huntington Station, Long Island sometime in the Summer of Fuzz, 1984.  
Not that there was a record by them there; there wasn't.  But that's where I 
saw the 3 X 5 card put up by my pal Jim Gange, whose band, The 
Convertibles, had just broken up.  Jim, one of the best bass players I've 
ever had the pleasure to know, was forming a new band with his 
Smithtown pals Rob Normandin (guitar) and Dave Long (guitar, organ, 
vocals).  They were looking, according to that little card on the bulletin 
board, for a "drummer into the early Who, The Creation, and The Action."  
Well, pretty soon they found one Steve Peper.  My guess is that Steve, like 
me, only knew The Who at the time.  But when he hooked up with 
these guys, he soon became aware of the rest, as the band, in their early 
days especially, was extremely into the Mod scene, covering two of The 
Creation's best - "Biff Bang Pow" (a song I'd later name my radio show for) 
and "Try And Stop Me".  Dave Long would leave the group pretty early 
on, to be replaced with a wildman named Wayne Manor.  These guys, The 
Secret Service, would become my favorite on the NYC metro area scene.
	But this is about The Creation.
	Once back in Rochester, NY for school that following fall, I began 
scouring the record stores, looking for stuff by The Creation.  Eventually, I 
found How Does It Feel To Feel (Edsel), which included much of their best 
material.  Inside were the obligatory liner notes (pretty good ones, too).  
However, these were better than most.  Long, telling the story from the 
band's early days as The Mark IV right through the end and beyond.  I 
played that record over and over again.  The Creation became my number 
one Mod group of all time.  A title they hold to this day.  (Proudly, I'm 
sure.)


	Anyway, as you've no doubt discovered by now, this wasn't meant 
to be some kind of history of the band.  So what's the point?  Well, about a 
year or so ago, I'd heard The Creation had reformed and released a single 
on the label that had been named after them.  However, a friend who shall 
remain nameless told me it was nothing special (I'm sure he'll deny it if I 
confront him with it, but...).  I listened, as so many other old groups 
reunite and... well, they suck.  But on my last trip to Pier Platters, I saw a 
copy of Creation By Creation For Creation (Creation Records... obviously) 
that would only cost me three bucks.  This was the CD version, which 
evidently has one song not on the 45.  I got home and put it on.  Geez!  
These guys haven't lost a friggin' thing!  "Creation" begins with a chord of 
declaration.  A sort of "We're back.  Watch and see how it's done!"  They 
throw in that vibrating sound that gets me in every time, then go on to 
remind us what Power & Volume are all about.  And they never let any of 
it get in the way of the melody.  The energy's way up and these guys 
sound like they never left.  Now, maybe you're thinking, "OK, they did 
one decent song.  Fine."  Nope.  'Cuz next up is "Shock Horror".  Yet more 
of what I loved these guys for.  Not only that, this disc's got that extra 
track the 45 doesn't have, "Power Surge".  Which is exactly what these 
guys give out.  "I get this terrible urge / an Electric Power Surge..." and the 
guitar, still playing those melting supercharged chords.
	So good to see these guys can still write and play incredible music.  
I just wish they'd come play NYC.  I'd go absolutely nuts.
	(Through my mention of this on Modslist, I've since learned that 
guitarist Eddie Phillips has again left the group, which means it's just not 
the same.  Such is life.)

DM 3 UPDATE
	The DM3 have just released a new CD EP, titled Something Heavy 
(Citadel).  It has three new songs, plus live versions of "Now You Know" 
and "Foolish".  Speaking of which, the Foolish 7" single took some time to 
get here.  The reason being that the band did not  want anybody to buy it 
because it is pressed in France.  So the hip record shops that sell this sort 
of stuff agreed to put on stickers stating DM3 are opposed to nuclear 
bomb tests in the Pacific.
	The new album will come out on October 2.  I don't know what 
songs are on it, as they have only been playing one or two new songs in 
their live sets.  They have been playing once a week for nearly two months 
now.  They are back to a trio now, without Ian Campbell.  This doesn't 
make much difference as Dom is so good on guitar, even one night when 
he was sick with the flu, he managed to sound great.  The songs they have 
been playing would be something like the following:  "Far From Here", 
"Blue Thing", "Like This", "Foolish", "High Rotation", "1X, 2X, Devastated", 
"Up In The Air", "Please Don't Lie" (new) and some covers: "Makin' Time", 
"Do Anything You Wanna Do", "Now You Know", "Girl Soul", "Move Me", 
"Just Ain't Enough", plus an instrumental I can't identify.
	I was pleasantly surprised to hear the two Stems songs, as Dom 
was quoted in a review earlier this year as saying, "This is the last time we 
are going to play "Move Me".  I supposed he does get pissed off with 
people calling out for Stems and Some Loves songs each time.
	The DM3 are rumored to be touring Europe later this year.  If you 
want to see them in the USA, I guess you will have to keep spreading the 
word how good they are. --- MS

The Makers
Friday July 28th
Big Dipper
Spokane, Washington

	The Makers are true savages.  This hometown show at the Big 
Dipper proves once and for all that these Estrus recording artists are the 
true bad boy heirs to the Sonics/Rolling Stones throne.  Yes, they are jerks, 
but they walk the walk, as well.  Their real lifestyles adequately reflect 
their stage show - they are flashy, sassy and do not suffer fools gladly.
	Playing mostly new, unreleased junk, they proceeded to shame 
their garage punk peers by breaking it down raw and fast.  Don Maker, 
perhaps Garagedom's finest bass player was unusually sober this evening.  
Halfway thru their typical 30 minute set, Don challenged the entire front 
row to a good old-fashioned knuckle-rumble which they wisely declined.  
Mike Maker, equal parts Iggy, Rudy Martinez, and Jagger, danced, 
prowled and climbed all over the beaten Dipper stage with feverish glee.  
Tim Maker had a little trouble with his equipment as usual, but managed 
to lay down enough inarticulate noodling to keep up.  Jay Maker, turning 
in a brutish performance, actually monkey-jumped over his crap-vintage 
drum kit into the audience with gibbon-like panache.  And of course, the 
music was wild as ever.
	My new favorites have got to be "I Resent" and the irresistible, 
anthemic "Shout On" from the forthcoming double 7" on Sympathy.  Old 
faves like "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah", "Bust Out", and "Four Button Suit" never 
sounded better.  To my amazement, the crowd even sang along with the 
latter.  In this day and age of recycled, retro cutie punk, The Makers are 
one of the few true animalistic rock n' roll bands out there today. 
	Attitude!  Hail, Hail Rock n' Roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! --- RS

RANDOM NOTES ON LIFE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING 
(MAINLY 
MINE):
	One of the nice things about being done with student teaching is 
that I've found time to read again.  I'd gotten to the point where I was 
barely able to get through a short story every week.  (This may have had 
something to do with watching junk TV, but...)  My last week of student 
teaching (with only one class to teach), I finished two books.  My favorite 
of these was Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem.  Sort of a 
near-future cross between the old hard-boiled PI thing and a tech-
head/drug-addled/mindless society.  The press calls it a marriage of 
Raymond Chandler and Philip K. Dick - and they're not too far off.  
Even if you end up disagreeing with that tag, I'd bet you end up enjoying 
this one.  Some off-beat humor threads in quite nicely.
	I rarely read magazines, but I make sure I keep my subscription to 
Fantasy & Science Fiction current.  While they've got great departments 
(science, books, films, etc.), I'm in it for the stories.  And in the past six 
months, they've presented two stories by Nina Kiriki Hoffman.  The first, 
"Home For Christmas" is one of the most enjoyable, feel-good stories I've 
read in ages, about a homeless girl with a talent for talking to inanimate 
objects.  This one was in the F&SF Christmas issue (which I finally got 
around to reading last week).  The story was pure delight, with an ending 
that really packed an emotional wallop.  Her next story for the mag, "For 
Richer, For Stranger" is just as good.
	I had just enough time left in my lunch break today to make it 
through a short short by Jack McDevitt, entitled "Cruising Through 
Deuteronomy".  I've always been a big fan of time travel stories, but I find 
that these days it's hard to be surprised; too many writers take the same 
tack.  Not Jack McDevitt.  He takes an utterly different path in this one.  
The news media prints a report that a scientist has almost completed a 
time machine.  A pastor comes to visit to keep him from doing so.  Most of 
the story deals with this confrontation.

	After reading the latest major media article on 'zines (in The New 
York Times Sunday May 14th), Roberta suggested that we do a personal 
'zine together.  It's tempting.  As I mentioned some months back, I've 
explored other avenues of 'zinedom before.  The thing about doing a 
personal 'zine is... I kinda feel like I'm already doing one.  This mag is very 
much about my life... or at least a decent-sized chunk of it.  Sure, it's 
mainly the music end, but it's a rare issue that makes absolutely no 
mention of other facets of my exalted existence (HEY!  I heard that.)  At 
the present time, I really don't have the energy to devote to putting out 
another full-time publication.  Of course, if Roberta decides she needs the 
outlet, I'll be more than happy to lend a hand.  I really would like her to 
start writing again... she's extremely good at it when she gets going.

SPEAKING OF LITERATURE...

	So... here I am, sitting at another boring temp job.  The only stuff I 
really have on my desk is left over from the woman I'm filling in for.  See, 
according to a co-worker of hers, she's of the extremely lazy sort; if she can 
get away with sliding the stuff over to someone else, she goes for it.  When 
she was "training" me on Tuesday, she said there was all this stuff they'd 
asked her to type into a spreadsheet.  Thing is, she had absolutely no 
desire to do it - so she dumped it in my lap, even though I know 
absolutely nothing about industrial bricks.  Now, I'm in an interesting 
position here.  See, I can just blow it off completely, 'cuz I'll be gone by the 
time she gets back.  There'd be no repercussions at all.  She can't really 
complain to her boss that I didn't do it, 'cuz it was her job to begin with.  
Even if her boss was outraged, he's not here this week.  He won't be able 
to yell at me.  My timesheet will already be signed by the personnel office.  
I'll have gotten paid, anyway.  One problem with this scenario:  I was 
brought up to be sort of conscientious.  While I am an incredible 
procrastinator, I've always made sure my work got done.  So, I can't 
exactly keep myself from doing this stupid stuff this woman's shoved at 
me.  There're seven salesmen whose weekly call reports have to be 
transferred from paper to spreadsheet.  There's just not enough, though, to 
keep me busy for the four days I'm here.  The first day, Tuesday, was the 
1/2 day "training", so that left three days.  I've decided to do two people 
per day, which leaves one for Phony Joanie.  Which one?  The one with the 
absolute worst handwriting.  (Possibly worse than my own.)  What does 
this accomplish?  Well, just that good ol' Joan will still have to do some of 
this - and she'll have to do the most annoying one.  I can even justify it.  
See, I can't really read this guy's ink blots; at least she's got some practice.  
Besides, I'd much rather play Minesweeper.
	You've gotta be wondering right now (or maybe you just don't 
care), "What the hell does this have to do with 'zines?"  Well, not too 
much.  Except that's where I first started glancing through the latest ish of 
For Paper Airplane Pilots.  Well, I'd read the intro before, but I got into the 
meat about 10 AM this morning.  Usually, I read 'zines front to back 
(kinda like the way I eat my food... hmm, that'll take too long to explain).  
This time, though, I just opened to a page and started in.  First thing I ran 
into was an "interview" with Strunk & White.  (The guys who wrote The 
Elements of Style)  I laughed a bit louder than I probably should've for this 
sort of environment, promptly throwing me into a coughing fit.  Next 
stop, things that "Make Hulk Mad":  people sending no money for a zine, 
microwave popcorn, contradictions in Superman's behavior, etc.  Techno 
music, though, was the best entry.  "Techno music frighten Hulk.  Hulk 
listen and all Hulk hear is throbbing pain in head.  Hulk wait for fill-in 
key, but it not come soon enough - just boom boom boom boom boom 
boom until Hulk so mad he smash DJ into bloody death.  Now DJ feel 
same pain Hulk hear.  Hulk hate dance."Music types covered in this ish 
include Butterglory, Ivy, Tattle Tale, Spatula, Mountain Goats, Kicking 
Giant, & Lou Barlow... not exactly normal TS fare, I know.  And, while I 
read these things, I tend to enjoy this mag more for the other articles (like 
the stuff I mentioned earlier.)  The highlight of ish #5, for me, was in the 
supplement, Chuckfactor, which included an interview with Charles 
Schulz (I'm still not sure if it was for real...), followed by various music 
folk explaining who their fave Peanuts characters are and why.  The FPAP 
gang has also started a label (Papercut Records) and have a couple 
releases just out, including a 4-song comp with a Cub track on it.  Send $2 
to FPAP, PO Box 12011, Gainesville, FL 32604.  (E-mail 
trey@UFCC.UFL.edu)
	One of the first people I ran into at Lutherama, '95 was Mr. Larry 
Grogan, editor of The Evil Eye.  Larry had sent me a message earlier in the 
week letting me know that he'd have a copy of the hot-off-the-presses EE 
#16 for me at Billy's... and that I had yet to send him a copy of TS #52.  
(Ulp.)  What I need to do is set up a mailing list... as if I didn't spend 
enough time on the computer already.  Anyway... Once again, Larry's 
stocked up on the goodies.  The feature this time out is on Doug Sahm, 
who recently appeared at Maxwells on a Sunday night with The Last Real 
Texas Blues Band (a show I had to miss... Here's a hint: you don't face 
ninth graders at 9 AM without a decent night's sleep.)  Larry's piece 
follows Doug Sahm from his first 45 in 1955 right up through the present.  
His lead paragraph, though, rang some pretty loud bells..."How do you 
start an article about Doug Sahm?  To about 80% of the world, you'd have 
to explain who he is.  That, in and of itself is a damn shame."A few friends 
were passing thru town this past March.  I ran into them at Maxwells on a 
Saturday night.  Upon hearing they'd be in the area for a couple days, I 
suggested they catch Doug Sahm the next night.  "Who?"  "You know, 
Doug Sahm... from the Sir Douglas Quintet."  "Don't know 'em."  "You've 
heard 'She's About A Mover'..." "Nope."  Now I start singin' (bad idea).  
Still no response.  OK... time to pull out the big guns.  "You've gotta know 
'Mendocino'..." Another blank look... which led to some more bad singing.  
Geez... people really don't know who Doug Sahm is.  So I'm gonna have to 
get another copy of this ish of the Evil Eye and send it off to 'em.
	So, what else?  "5 Great Glorias" pretty much explains itself.  Nice to 
see Larry & I agree that Them's original takes the checkered flag.  Bill 
Luther chips in with a couple of reviews, as well as "Ten Great Singles on 
the Page One label."  The jazz side of town is covered this month with a 
piece on vibesmeister Cal Tjader.  Larry goes off twice this ish... first in his 
editorial "The American Ruse: Parochial America", then when he rends 
Oliver Stone limb from limb for his "Natural Born Crap".  Also in this ish, 
Larry checks in with three favored UseNet groups - alt.music.banana-
truffle, alt.music.byrds, and alt.rock-n-roll.oldies.
	In #17, Larry's "political rant" (his words) is sent towards 
Cleveland, Ohio.  Or, more accurately, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 
(well, "Hall of Shame", as Mr. Grogan so aptly puts it.)  While he makes 
sure he gets his licks in, he also simplifies things for the instant 
gratification crowd by including a list of Who's In & Who's Not (Gene 
Vincent, VU, Link Wray, and more).  This time out he's got an interview 
with Johnny Ramone, articles on Francoise Hardy, Funkadelic,  and 
Stereolab, a biting film critique of Kids, a goodbye to Sterling Morrison 
and Jerry Garcia, plus reviews of zines and records (including a couple by 
Bill Luther.)  Now, as most of you know, Larry and I don't always agree 
about music.  I've only heard Stereolab once or twice and... well, I wasn't 
impressed.  And I've never been a major fan of P-Funk, either.  (Such 
blasphemy, I know.)  Thing is, Larry's one of those writers that can make 
even subjects I have no great interest in seem... well... interesting.  Which 
is why I always end up reading his mag cover to cover.  Send $2 per ish to 
Evil Eye, c/o Grogan, 3 Tulip Ct., Jackson, NJ  08527. (E-mail to 
LGEvilEye@aol.com or evileye@injersy.com)
	As you've no doubt noticed over the past year or so, there's a 
number of mags that get mentioned over and over again (quick of you.)  
Well, two reasons for that:  first, this bunch publishes at least as often as I 
do; second (and more importantly), these mags are well worth the measly 
amounts of moola you're being asked to lay out.  Which leads me to 
Schlock #16... this issue of John Chilson's 4 news-sized pages might well 
be labeled (as the ed. himself notes) the "Beth Accomando" issue.  Beth's 
one of John's best staffers, having covered some great pieces in the past 
(She's the one who wrote the insightful Russ Meyer piece... noting that the 
ladies in Faster, Pussycat!  Kill!  Kill! are some of the strongest American 
female characters... ever.)  Beth accounts for 75% of this month's ish, 
checking in first with an article/interview on Crumb and its director, 
Terry Zwigoff.  She then moves on to a piece on the two The Bride With 
White Hair movies, 1993 Hong Kong favorites, again pointing out the 
strong female roles.  (By the way, I've come to look forward to Beth's 
articles with each issue of Schlock... I only wish it was easier for me to find 
some of the movies she writes about.)  The rest of the issue is split between 
John's editorial and Steve Johnson's "Short Takes", capsule reviews of films 
from Disclosure ("Demi Moore plays a heartless bitch rather effectively.") 
to I Like It Like That ("If you want to pay to watch more kids yelling at 
each other, be my guest."), hitting Clerks and Road To Wellville and more 
along the way.
	Unsurprisingly, John has managed to fire off yet another issue 
while I'm still waiting for TS 53 to come out.  #17 starts out with a short 
bio of George Shearing, nominated by Schlock as "THE composer" for the 
"soundtrack to the 1950s bachelor pad."  As we've seen in some of the past 
issues, this one has a "Spilled Ink" section, interviewing a zine editor.  This 
time, the focus is on Rod Lott of Hitch ("one of zinedom's funniest and 
most wiseass magazines I've read in quite some time," writes John.)  It 
amazes me how much Mr. Chilson manages to fit into 4 newspaper sized 
pages.  Steve Johnson once again chips in with short movie reviews, John 
takes a look  at a bunch of movie trailers, and Beth Accomando is back 
with even MORE of "The Asian Files."  (Evidently there's a big Honk Kong 
film fest going on - over by the time you read this - in San Diego.)  But 
where do I find these flicks?  Definitely make sure you keep up with this 
'zine.  Send a buck to Schlock, c/o John Chilson, 3841 4th Avenue #192, 
San Diego, CA  92103 (e-mail can be sent to schlock@thegroup.net).  Oh 
yeah, just before I went to press with this ish, John sent me #18 (!), 
featuring a quick profile of NYC indie filmmaker Ethan Minsker, a bunch 
of zine, record, and film reviews, and more of Beth Accomando's "Asian 
Files".  (This time she checks out Ringo Lam's Full Contact, which sounds 
like one of the wildest action flicks ever.)
	The first issue of RALPH that I remember getting was one dealing 
with one of my favorite all-time LPs, The Kinks' Kontroversy.  Over a year 
later, writer Ralph Alfonso comes back to that general period with an 
issue entitled "ModPopTwist '66", a series of pieces inspired by various 
parts of the subcultures those words all bring to mind.  Titles like 
"Brighton Mist", "Til The End Of The Day", "Vox Guitars" and "Gloria 
Drank Dirty Water On Her Way To The 99th Floor" should give readers an 
idea of just where this Beat-oriented poet is coming from.  And just in case 
you're still clueless, it starts out with Ralph printing lyrics from The Small 
Faces "My Way Of Giving".  Send $1 to RALPH, Box 505-1288 Broughton 
St.,  Vancouver, BC, CANADA V6G 2B5 (e-mail ralpha6982@aol.com).
	Roberta went out to San Francisco and all I got was... Well, that's 
none of your beeswax.  We'll concentrate on the 'zine she picked up for 
me, Scram! #3.  First thing I notice (well, after the cool comic-fied cover), is 
that the editrix is none other than Ms. Kim Cooper, who I've occasionally 
corresponded with via e-mail.  Actually, to be honest, I wasn't sure it was 
her till I asked, but... Anyway, the thing starts out with Kim's apology for 
how late the thing is (two years since the last ish); turns out she used to 
have a coeditor type who said he could handle it, then ran off with all the 
goodies.  See, even this dreamworld known as ZineLand isn't quite 
Utopia.  Ah well, the snake in the garden, etc.  Let's get into it... First up... 
"Disneyland For Malcontents"... I gotta go to Disney with Kim next time 
I'm out West.  "Cheap Sexual Kicks", "Make Park Empoyees & Visitors 
Uncomfortable", and more... While there are various record reviews later 
on (in which Kim proves herself to be a lady of quite exceptional tastes), 
the best record-related stuff comes in more depth.  For instance, an almost 
song-by-song rundown of an early 70s Burt Reynolds LP.  (Scary stuff.)  A 
"semi-true story of the Bee-Gees" is just that... A particular favorite is the 
piece on the similarities between Nancy Sin & Lee Hazlewood and Sonny 
& Cher.  (Play Outer Limits theme here.)  There's tons more greatness... 
including tuf on the Poppy Family, an interview with Pansy Division, and 
a chat with both Jackie & the Cedrics & Yoshiko of the 5,6,7,8s.  What's 
wild is how into their subject the writers get.  And yet they're never afraid 
to make fun of it (or themselves).  The cover price is $2.50, but I'd make it 
an even $3 to partially cover postage.  Scram, PO Box 461626, Hollywood, 
CA 90046-1626. (Note: the next ish is now on the stands.)
	Egghead. is a digest-size mag centered around the band of the same 
name (yes, the period is intentional).  Reviews, sports and advice (both of 
the light humor variety).  And (in #12), "Portrait of the Artist As A Go-
Go's Fan", which follows a guy thru going ga-ga for the Go-Go's in 5th 
grade (while dancing with a 7th grader he had his eye on) right thru to the 
present.  One question, is the song "Let's Have A Party" that the Go-Go's 
covered live the same one everyone knows and loves as done by Wanda 
Jackson?  (Whose version, by the way, blasts out of the homemade radio in 
Dead Poet's Society, which I got to watch in class a couple weeks back.)  
Most of this mag seems a bit too indie-pop oriented for me, but reviews 
include material by Teengenerate & Jackie & the Cedrics.  Send a stamp to 
Egghead, 30-28 34th St. Suite 4G, Astoria, NY 11103.  (E-mail 
74737.2306@compuserve.com)... My main question right now (one I 
could've gotten answered if I wasn't too lazy to e-mail my query to 'em) is 
whether Egghead., the zine, still exists.  See, a month or so after getting 
that package, the Egghead. Secret Society sent me the first installment of 
Go Metric (the "special prom issue").  While they've changed the name 
(done to celebrate their evolution from newsletter to "publication"), the 
content is much the same... lighthearted and fun.  Favorite parts:  the "ask 
Brian Wilson" advice column, the second Jackie Chan piece I've read in the 
past six months (1st was in Schlock some issues back), some record 
reviews of stuff I really like (Cub, for one... and another review of 
The Gain 45 - which I WANT), and a rock'n'roll word find puzzle.  (Extra 
points on the latter for putting the 1019 in Spot 1019 in one box.  Made it a 
real toughie.)    Best line: in reviewing a Live LP, Mike says, "Does anyone 
really expect someone to listen to (...) and go, 'Oh, jeez, what was I 
thinking, crack isn't the answer, thank God for that ponytailed guy who 
never wears a shirt?'"  Same address and price as above.  (E-mail on this 
one to maf50@columbia.edu)... Geez, now I'm feeling kinda lousy.  I just 
got GM #2 in today's mail (7/17).  And they haven't heard word one from 
me (better e-mail Mike, I guess).  OK, so I'm not the publishing superman 
you once knew.  Life has its lousy moments.  While I've come to expect the 
unexpected from the Egghead. crew, GM #2 surprised me - there's a 
review of a Van Halen show!  ("I think my devil sign still needs some 
work.")  On the less surprising side, an interview with George Tabb (Letch 
Patrol, Iron Prostate, etc.)  Best is "National Temp Stick It To The Man" 
Day (slated for July 24th, unfortunately.  I'll be in school, so I won't be able 
to take part.)  Well, there's more fun in this ish, but I'll leave that for you to 
discover.  For now, I'll just apologize to this bunch for taking so long to 
review their stuff.  #3 features interviews with Cub, Thirsty, & the Lab 
Ratz, advice on having a brush with a celeb, how not to spend money, and 
tons more assorted advice, rants, silliness, etc.  Enjoyable.
	Skeever's getting hi-falutin'... the latest CapSoul Reviews doesn't 
even bother with a number... it's just the "July-August '95" issue.  Now, as 
it turns out, I'd read most of this before it made it to print... as Skeever's 
got not only the Dictators & Solomon Burke live reviews on his Web page 
(http://www.inch.com/~skeever), but reviews from the Platterpuss, as 
well.  Also in this ish (for all I know, they're on the Web page, too... I just 
don't spend my whole day there like some people) are reviews of The 
Woggles, Ronnie & the Pussycats, Swingin' Neckbreakers' show (tho' it 
was 5/20/95, not 6/27, Skiv-pal), a bunch of reviews by the Skeever (some 
second-hand, some not...), his ever-popular "sketches", places to go on the 
World Wide Web (many available via his own page now), and... a 
rundown of some of the incredibly stupid crap that gets sent to CapSoul 
HQ.  Send a buck to... uh, there's no address listed here, Steve.  What are 
the "electronically handicapped" supposed to do?  Never mind, I'll dig 
your stinkin' address out of a back issue.  Me, I treat my readers with 
respect.  CapSoul Reviews, Apt. 6M, Astoria, Queens 11106.  (E-mail to 
skeever@inch.com).
	A while back, I got an e-mail message from Case Elliott, editor of 
Make Room!, asking if he could print my report from GarageShock, '95.  
Yeah, sure, said I, just send me a copy.  As it turned out, Case and I were 
able to pull off a trade.  He was going to the shindig in Memphis towards 
the end of June.  While I wanted to go, that just wasn't gonna be possible... 
so I asked Case if I could run his report from that event.  And so it went.  
Well, MR #5 includes both my GS, '95 report and Case's Memphis piece.  
Poor guy had to shrink the typeface like mad to fit it in less than 6 pages.  
(So I had a bit to say... deal with it.)  Also in this one are interviews with 
The Satans & Impala.  Then there's the record reviews.  Case takes on the 
garage material, leaving the punk/HC stuff for his pal Tim.  Mr. Elliott is a 
bit more of a critic than I am.  While I'd agree that The Swingin' 
Neckbreakers "I'm In Love With Me" doesn't measure up to Live For Buzz, 
I can't see how anyone could say they're not "as much of a garage band as 
people say."  Or maybe I can.  A few people on alt.music.banana-truffle 
have pointed out the different perceptions of the term garage.  If yours is 
lo-fi r'n'r, then I guess the Swingin' Neckbreakers really aren't a garage 
group.  But I use the term the way I originally learned it... when the 80s 
garage thing was in full swing, 'garage' meant stuff influenced by the 
"Sound of '66".  And the Neckbreakers have much more in common with 
The Sonics than they do with the Rip Offs (who also happen to be high on 
my list of coolsters).  Anyway, Case comes to the point at the end, though, 
saying that "it shouldn't really matter, they still rock," telling the reader to 
go out and by Live For Buzz.  What else?  Well, Case uses his space to 
go off about whatever's on his mind (it is, after all, his zine.)  Oh yeah, just 
to prove that I'm slower than the slugs that used to live under the deck of 
my childhood home in East Northport, Long Island, Case has gotten yet 
another ish out (#6) before I've gotten around to putting out #54.  This one 
steals the back and front cover from a Rip-Offs 45 and features "Reviews.  
No Interviews, no ranting, I promise." Send a buck per ish to MR, c/o 
Typo, 3118 Keller, Temple, TX  76504.  (E-mail to case@delphi.com)
	Besides giving me the lowdown on The Rockinghams, Alan Wright 
also sent a copy of the latest issue of Ucking Things, published by his old 
bandmate (from the 14th Wray), Pat Shanks.  I'm getting pretty into this 
mag.  When you get right down to it, what Pat's done is create a letter to a 
bunch of friends he may or may not have met.  It's about whatever's on his 
mind:  the old stubby beer bottles of his youth; shoe-gazers (not the indie-
pop thing, but what the term means to Pat - people who judge others by 
their footwear); what Spring means to him; a road trip; Carl Sagan, the 
idol; an extremely funny piece about vomit stories; straight-edge (again, to 
Pat, this does not mean a certain type of music... instead, we're talking 
whisker-removal); the neighborhood watering hole; "That's 
Cool" vs. "That's Trash"; an interview with a friend that goes absolutely 
nowhere (like most of my conversations); and lots more.  Including, of 
course, a two page bit on (mainly) 80s garage-psych records you may have 
missed out on.  Like I said, whatever's on Pat's mind at the time.  Funny, 
at times, but mainly just a look at one guy's life.  And he opens the door so 
you can get a real good look every once in a while.  Definitely worth the 
measly $1 that he's asking for it.  Ucking Things, 162 Daly Avenue #12, 
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6E9, CANADA.
	Now... what's amazing to me is... Well, actually, what's truly 
amazing to me is that these next couple zine reviews are being written 
nearly 3 months after the first one.  But what I was originally getting at 
was that in the space of 24 hours I've gotten two zines I've never seen 
before... plus one I've been reading for a while now, but haven't seen for 
some time now.  Let's start with one of the newbies.  First up, a note in the 
mail today from Jim Freek, co-editor of Fruitbasket Upset (cool title, huh?)  
Seems he saw a review of the TS in Audities  (*I* haven't even seen that 
yet) and wanted to know if we might do a trade.  (Sure thing.)  The 
Summer, '95 edition (also known as ish #2) begins with an in-depth look at 
the Anime Expo '95.  Now, I really didn't know much about Anime 
before this article.  Well, OK, I was able to retrieve a basic idea of what it 
was (a Japanese animation form that stresses attention to detail) from one 
of the many heavily cobwebbed corners of my swiftly degenerating gray 
matter.  BUT, thanks to a sidebar, I soon had the basics down.  Actually, 
reading the coverage of the Expo kinda reminded me of writing my 
GarageShock bit... Of course, the events are completely different, but the 
piece is done very much on the personal level.  Which I like.  (I also liked 
how the guys used a 1964 newspaper ad for a Kinks show to take up the 
space at the bottom.)  After Anime, it's time for a visit with The Cherries.  
Then their nominee for "Ron Wood of the Month", Frank Infante of londie.  
Then it's on to what often makes up the meat of the Teen Scene, record 
and show reviews.  Jonathan Richman, the Lazy Cowgirls, Supersnazz, the 
Alter Egos (a group with Rich Coffee's "latest Who fascination (...) 
exploring more of a hard pop direction."  I'd like to see this.)  While 
Monkees cover act The Missing Links sound fun, it's You Am I that I most 
want to check out.  They're described with many Mod names, plus Alex 
Chilton and Pet Sounds Beach Boys references.  I wish I'd had money this 
past year... then maybe I would've heard these guys already.  Funniest bit 
in the whole mag has to have been the "Snack Attack", where co-editor 
Shaun goes after McDonalds for their stupidity in opening up a third 
window in the drive-in lane.  But showers Wendy's with praise for their 
big screen (so you know that they didn't screw up in keying in your 
order.)  "There's something majestic about seeing your order displayed in 
such huge, bold letters," writes Shaun.  "I feel like I'm ordering a meal 
from God."  Throw in a look at a Bubblegum comp, an Eggbert Records 
feature, and a look at some bands that should just give up, and it's $2 well 
spent.  Just before I went to press I got #3 in the mail.  This one's got tons 
more shows they've been to, records they've listened to, zines they've 
read, and a summertime full of fun with The Neptunas.  Not to mention 
the school cafeteria story.  (Interesting how I almost never go to the 
cafeteria now that I'm a teacher.)  Send money to 1943 Sunny Crest Dr. 
#666, Fullerton, CA 92635.  (shaun@acca.nmsu.edu)
	Last night was the Nine Pound Hammer / Lazy Cowgirls show at 
Maxwells.  So there I am, handing out copies of #53 to friends and 
acquaintances, when I run into Raunch Hand George Sulley.  I hand him a 
copy and continue on my way.  Within 30 seconds, tho', a guy comes up to 
me and tells me he's from Montreal and work on a zine up there.  Could 
we do a trade?  (As I said before... Sure thing.)  This one's called Gravy.  
Now, while it's over 85 pages in length, my main interest was in the 
interview with the Devil Dogs and the conversation with Grant Lawrence 
of the Smugglers (which ran about eight pages!)  Some readers are 
probably into Blues Explosion (I'm not a major fan myself, but...), and 
they're in here, too.  As for the rest: Gaunt, Sebadoh, Helmet, Rancid, The 
Goops, Chokebore, Samiam... not really my cup of unsweetened iced tea.  
A bunch of record reviews (many of which I disagree with... they say The 
Vikings' "Rock All" is the weakest of the songs on their two 45s... NO 
WAY!  It's the best.)  How much is it?  No clue, but I'd send a few bucks to 
cover postage.  728 Ville Marie, Longueuil, QC  J4J-SE7  CANADA.
	A most welcome sight in today's mail came from Oil City, PA, 
home of Joe Johnson and one of my fave mags, 3:AM.  This one's listed as 
Volume 2, #1 (yet another pal getting fancy on me.  Nice try, Joe, but I'll 
still think of this as #19.)  As usual, it's crammed full of horror and trash 
flick reviews, yet another movie fan expo (again at the Meadowlands 
Hilton... I guess if you're talking gore, you might as well head for the 
swamps.. get lucky and maybe you'll find a piece of Jimmy Hoffa floating 
around.)  Joe has a real way with a story... even if he can't get a bed in a 
hotel room he reserved himself.  The main musical thrust this time 
is towards spy music, with a major nod to the Man or AstroMan guys.  We 
also get some Carterberry tales from Bill himself.  Mainly about nudie bars 
(to put it in Al Bundy language) in Youngstown & Wheeling.  Throw in 
yet another page of Candy Del Mar stories/lust and Joe's handed over 
another winner.  And for only $1.75, yet.  Send your cash to Joseph 
Johnson, 152 West 3rd St., Oil City, PA 16301.
	And, finally (well, sort of), is another newbie, the Aesthetics of 
Trash #5.  I've known editor Roger Mah (er... R. Mothra) for some time 
now, since he's been a buddy of Bill Jones since their undergrad days at 
Lehigh in the mid-80s.  And Roger's even written for this mag in the past.  
But somehow I never got an ish of AofT before.  (When was the last one?)  
As with most mags, there's the obligatory reviews (live, recorded, and 
print), plus some e-mail from Martin Phillips (of the Chills) on what he's 
up to these days.  The eatery rundown is pretty cool (especially Roger's 
record of 54 ribs... Next time Roger's in YC, we'll have to grab some 
together.)  But the highlight of this ish (and the reason you better throw 
two GWs in the mail pronto) is the interview with Kent Steedman of the 
Celibate Rifles.  It seems Roger kidnapped Kent the day after the latter 
played with Deniz Tek out LA-way.  (Uh... why didn't they play NYC?)  
Definitely worth your cash.  $2 to 16835 Algonquin St., PO Box 103, 
Huntington Beach, CA  92649.
	Whoops.  Almost forgot about one of my personal faves - Audities.  
The summer, '95 ish (#4) features artist updates on The Connells and 
Judybats, but it's their regular columns that make it worth your cash.  
These include a "Musical Guide To The Wires" (the internet, the airwaves, 
and the written word), part 4 of their "Guide to Indie Music Sources" (a 
fantastic label guide, this ish goes from Oglio thru Sonic Unyon, catching 
Popllama, Pravda, Precedent, Razor & Tie, SOL, and many more along the 
way), "Second Sightings" (stuff you may have missed the first time 
around), "Up Around The Bend" (coming releases), Digging Through The 
Bins" (I think you can figure this one out), "News Bits" and tons of power 
pop reviews.  Actually, their reviews magnify what's best about this mag.  
Firstly, they're not afraid to spend more than a couple lines per record 
(usually, it's a few paragraphs each.)  Better than that, though, up top they 
give you a rating (on a 1-5 scale), plus their picks, what it's like, and some 
comments.  Throw in a picture of the disc or tape cover and it looks damn 
good... As does the whole presentation.  Very well put together.  $3 to 
Audities, PO Box 1555, Stafford, TX  77497.

PICK OF THE ISH!
	Like I said back in the intro, it's always great to hear from people in 
the mail.  So I came home the other day, took a look at the mail... bill, junk, 
bill, records!, junk, junk, magazine, New Zealand!  (Well, not the whole 
country... just a return address.)  Hm... I opened it up to find the Hipsters 
Quarterly Review and a letter from its editor, requesting a trade for my 
own mag.  Now, I've gotten some real barkers in the past, so I figured I'd 
better take a gander first.  Actually, I read the letter first (kinda like a 
birthday present... read the card THEN open the gift.)  Also in the 
package, it turned out, was a survey for worthy music critics such as 
myself... (Cough.  Choke.  OUCH!).  And ish #9 of editor Andrew's 
previous publication, Where's The Snake?  I started with that one.  
Entertaining, to be sure, but little of the music was really in my ballpark.  
So I found myself hoping the name change came about for a reason.  Well, 
since Hipsters QR #15 is the pick this go-round, the outcome is a foregone 
conclusion.  Reviews of your fave garage and rock'n'roll dance party comp 
discs (including Turban Renewal and Destination Bomp), plus looks at 
The Tell-Tale Hearts & Pandoras CDs, among others, complemented by 
interviews with Greg Shaw about Bomp!, Long Gone John on Sympathy, 
Bon Von Wheelie in re Girl Trouble, and Jeff Dahl (well, what do you 
think he talks about?)  Chuck Eddy goes on about something to do 
with the Diddley beat, but the best part is yet to come.  "Glad He Ate Her!" 
is Andrew the Ed.'s chat about "pseudo-sports"... more specifically, 
American Gladiators, which has evidently been co-opted by the English 
under the name (take a guess... YUP!) English Gladiators.  Evidently, the 
Australians weren't quite as inventive, though... their's is just called 
Gladiators.  The best part comes when Andrew tells us about the "stats 
abuse".  Honestly, I thought about quoting, but you need to read this 
whole article... it's hilarious.  Maybe I should ask Andrew if I can publish 
it here.  Usually I don't like to do that, but... well, we'll see.  In some ways, 
Mr. Palmer has the same approach that I like to think I have... dropping 
out of his subject and grabbing for some obscure tangent... because he 
wants to.  (He also goes in for some damn fine alliteration.)  I have no 
idea how much Andrew charges... it doesn't say.  Besides, it'd be 
meaningless to you, anyway, since he's in New Zealand.  I'd say send him 
a few IRCs... or send him something cool in trade.  Andrew Palmer, 9 
Reihana St., Orakei, Auckland, New Zealand.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING... (WELL, YOU GET THE PIC):
	I guess The Little Black Leather Book of Rock'n'Roll (compiled by 
Divine Laboratories) has been out for over a year, but I'd never seen it till 
the wonderful Ms. Peggy Shanks sent me a copy.  (Thank You!)  This 
handy little shirt pocket-sized thing contains tons of great rock'n'roll 
quotes.  From various points-of-view about the subject itself to just what 
it's all about.  The silly, profound, funny, sexual... you name it.  Now, the 
credits say Divine Laboratories, from Vancouver.  But, really, this is the 
work of Ms. Lisa Marr of Cub.  And she's dug up some real fantastic stuff.  
And has even included a favorite lyric of mine in her section on quotes 
related to Elvis (entitled "The King & I").  That's from her hometown pals, 
The Smugglers.  "We used to love Elvis till we saw Depeche Mode." (From 
"Rock and Roll Was Never This Fun".)  I'd really love to give you a few 
more of the quotes in here, but then I'd have to go around and pick them.  
And (honestly), I'm just too lazy.  Not to mention that there's just too 
damned many good ones.  Sure, some had me laughing; some had me 
snorting derisively; others just plain kept me interested.  Oh, yeah... One 
more thing.  Lisa's placement of some of this stuff is especially well done.  
But you'll see what I mean when you get your own copy.  The price on the 
back says $4.95, but I'd include an extra buck for postage.  Or maybe you 
just want to write to them first.  Or look for it in a cool store near you.  
Anyway, the address is Arsenal Pulp Press, 1062 Homer Street #100, 
Vancouver, BC  V6B 2W9  CANADA.

5 INCH DIAMETER
	NOW!  What you've all been waiting for... Here 'tis, the new LP 
from The Swingin' Neckbreakers!  As with The Muffs, the Trenton trio 
waited two years to hand over their sophomore swinger.  Also like The 
Muffs, it's another winner.  Shake Break (Telstar) features fifteen more 
reasons why these guys are one of the top garage groups playin' today's 
scene.  As with their first LP, the guys waste no time, whacking the 
listener over the head with the aural assault of "Wait."  Next up is a track 
that's been a live favorite of mine for quite some time, "Mighty Mack", as 
the temp picks up and the rock really starts to roll.  The party hits high 
gear with "Ice Water" (extra points for Tom Bergin's fantastic harp 
blowing).  Speaking of bonus points, check out Dave Amel's organ color 
on "Help Wanted", yet another full-out dance party favorite.  And any 
band that does right by Bobby Fuller ("Shakedown" in this case) gets my 
vote.  And the cover of Chuck Berry's "I Wanna Be Your Driver" should be 
enough to get just about anyone out on the floor.  Then there's Kev 
Power's fave Neckbreakers' original, "Action Kid".  This one slows things 
down a bit, reminding us at the same time that Tom Jorgenson can not 
only pen some rockin' ravers, but has a real way with a melody, too.  "A 
Thousand Times A Day" is one of those things you wanna hear blasting 
out of car radio speakers as you fly down the main drag on a Friday night.  
That feel of Friday night about to burn.  As to their cover of "The Girl 
Can't Help It"... the first time I saw 'em do this I practically shot through 
the ceiling.  This song's an old favorite and the Neckbreakers throw in so 
much joy juice that this deserves hit status.  Geez, I wish the world could 
hear this one.  Maybe people'd start understanding the power of REAL 
rock'n'roll again.  Geez, listen to Shaggy fly on that solo!  No way they can 
match the frenzied energy of this one, so for the last track they about-face, 
playing it slow & deliberate, yet HARD on a version of "Brown Eyed Girl" 
that rivals The Golliwogs' original.  (And once again, Tom Bergin shows 
up with some real soulful harmonica sounds.)  And when they pick up the 
tempo... WHEW!  Summing it up, then, this is the proof that The Swingin' 
Neckbreakers are still leadin' the league.
	The first time I remember hearing of The Flamin' Groovies would 
have to be in the Fall of '84, hanging out in Matthew Kaplan's room at the 
University of Rochester in upstate NY.  Now, as it happens, Matthew, 
while trying to hip me to some pretty wild sounds, was also kind of 
pissing me off at the time.  Which meant I wasn't about to give him the 
satisfaction of learning that he'd just turned me on to something that had 
blown my mind, "Teenage Head".  A belated Thank You", then, to 
Matthew the K.  And to the incredible folks who run the Norton 
Records empire... 'cuz they've given the world a whole bunch more 
Flamin' Groovies to groove to, titled California Born and Bred.  On the 
back, the headline reads "23 Revved Up Teenage Blasts From The Vaults!"  
Well, I wouldn't term them all 'blasts', but almost everything on here is 
pretty damn exciting.  First off, let me explain... all the stuff on this digital 
doohickey comes courtesy of the original lineup of our boys.  As many 
Groovies' fans will tell you, the later stuff had some pretty incredible 
moments, but the wildest rock'n'roll sounds came while the original bunch 
was still intact.  This disc includes live sounds, acoustic demos, warm-ups, 
outtakes, rehearsals, and radio spots.  And in-depth liner notes from one 
of the bands' biggest fans, Ms. Miriam Linna.  From the get-go, a version 
of "I Can't Explain" (an outtake from Teenage Head), you know this 
disc's gonna explode.  On, then, to a rehearsal of "Shakin' All Over" at the 
Matrix.  The acoustic "Hangin' Around", a demo for Flamingo, puts you in 
the room with the boys, just hangin' and singin' and havin' a good time.  
What it's all about.  Then a blast through "Carol" before the pace gets 
changed completely... with "Buddy, Can You Spare A Dime" live at the 
Matrix.  "Evil Hearted Ada" shows the bands chuggin' thru some pop 
R&B.  Then over to the Fillmore for "Have You Seen My Baby".  They 
introduce the song and suddenly I'm listening and feeling what it 
might've been like to be seeing them do this one on-stage, rockin' 
like mad back in a city that would gain fame for its hippie culture of the 
time.  Gotta hand it to the folks out there, though, 'cuz the Groovies 
evidently did pretty well.   Geez, I'm gonna find myself talking about 
every track if I don't shut up.  This is a damn wild disc.  It's the Flamin' 
Groovies.  Need more be said?
	A week or two ago, it was time to teach my students about 
databases and how to create them.  As a sample, I'd created a short one 
dealing with music.  (Yeah, like that comes as a surprise.)  First group in 
the list were Southern Culture On The Skids.  Their current release, Dirt 
Track Date was perfect for my purposes 'cuz I wanted to do more than 
sort by name.  I wanted them to see what a secondary sort field can do.  So 
first I had them listed for the CD version, on DGC.  Then I listed the LP 
version on Telstar.  (Pretty swift, huh?)  Anyway, I've got my teacher 
computer hooked to a couple big monitors suspended a foot or so 
below the ceiling up front.  So class starts and this one kid looks up there 
and says, "Southern Culture On The Skids?  How do you know about 
them?  They're cool!"  Any reader of this mag knows I've been into 
Southern Culture for a while, but my students don't possess your 
incredible knowledge about my life (or lack thereof.)  So I explained and 
moved on with the lesson.  As it turns out, a number of these kids are 
pretty into S.C.O.T.S.  Made me pretty happy, actually.  So, anyway... the 
disc.  While I'd still rate For Lovers Only as my fave full-length thingie by 
these guys & gal, this one comes awfully close.  Once again, they mix a 
ton of styles:  southern boogie, funk, r'billy, r&b, surf, pop, and tons of 
fun.  A few old chestnuts get a new workout here ("Camel Walk", "White 
Trash", "8 Piece Box"), but it's the newer stuff that gets me going most: 
"Skullbucket", sounding like Link Wray goes surfin' feel; "Firefly", a 
chuggin' bit that gets pretty & melodic on the chorus (especially when 
Mary throws in those smilin' backing vocals); "Make Mayan A Hawaiian", 
an instrumental that stretches languidly on the beach as the sun dips 
beneath the horizon and the fires start in the sand (this one's gonna be a 
major hit on my post-dinner beach blanket next summer); "Galley Slave" 
seems to be pretty solidly in the surf camp when Mary throws in 
some of her famed high vocals (sounding much like "Rumors of Surf", but 
lower down) to give it a slight Star Trek feel; and then there's "Whole 
Lotta Things", reminding us to put a smile on our face, 'cuz this music 
thing is - after all - supposed to be about a good time.  "Whole Lotta 
Things" is one of those that you just want to get up, grab a partner, and 
swing 'em around with a big, wide grin on both your faces.  There's a 
bunch more fun on this one... go grab it.  This is a DAMN good record.
	The Flat Duo Jets are something special.  Absolutely nobody else 
sounds like them.  Which, I guess, is both good and bad.  Bad 'cuz the Duo 
Jets are so damn great.  Good, tho', because when a bunch of bands start 
sounding the same, most of them suck.  (Geez, think how many pathetic 
Cramps imitations you've heard.)  Anyway, like I said, the Duo Jets are 
one of those groups that are just completely different.  What's great is that 
they manage to forge their own sound while still owing a great debt to 
some of the best rock'n'roll ever to come down the pike.  Geez, I mean... 
anyone can go bang a guitar and make stupid noises.  (And get called 
"brilliant" and have the Village Voice salivate over 'em, etc.)  But to be so 
obviously in love with some of the swingin'est sounds ever laid down and 
still be original... Now THAT is something else!  So, to the point, then.  
The group's latest, Introducing... (Norton), is yet another slice of rock'n'roll 
heaven.  Starting with the "Theme" (the FDJ are one of the few non-surf 
groups that believe in the power of the instrumental... and they really let it 
rip, too), heading into "Goin' To A Town" (as Dexter sings his heart out), 
and all the way thru one of the most heartfelt versions of "Pretty Thing" 
I've ever heard, these are 20 tracks I'd rather not live without.  And these 
guys also know how to go thru a ballad so you actually feel it.  The music 
tugs hard and the vocals pluck even harder.  (Check out "I Don't Wanna 
Listen" or, better yet, "I've Been Loving You Too Long".)  Forget about 
picking choice cuts; they change with my moods.  Can't wait to see 'em 
again in a couple weeks.
	Now, as most of my friends know, I've never been overly 
impressed by The Brood.  In their early years (mid-80s), some writers 
hailed them as "the female Chesterfield Kings", but that never made any 
sense to me; the Brood never truly excited me.  (Well, except for a song 
here and there.)  And while their most recent trip to the NYC area was 
good, I still wasn't converted.  Even so, their Hitsville disc (Dionysus) is 
definitely a strong one.  One thing I *do* admire the group for is their 
devotion to pure garage-punk... they've never really strayed far from the 
original vision.  Now, while some critic-types might call that stagnating, 
I'm more of the opinion that these gals know what they like and see 
no reason to deviate for deviation's sake.  This thing's chock full of 
fuzztone, organ, harmonica and (above all) attitude.  But what sells it is 
the energy and song selection, which includes some dynamite covers ("I 
Can't Believe", for one) alongside their originals.  Particular faves  include: 
"I'm Through", thanks to prominent organ bleating; the dark, foreboding, 
organ-led instro, "Beat Girl"; and a blast through "I Need Love".  Cool 
version of "Talkin' 'Bout You", too.  This one's been making repeated trips 
into my disc player... for obvious reasons.
	First time I ever bought a record by The Smears I panned the hell 
out of it.  I'd gotten the dang thing 'cuz there was some crude drawing of a 
Vox Phantom on it.  (Repeat after me, "You can't judge an apple by 
looking at the tree / You can't judge honey by looking at the bee.")  Well, a 
couple years later and what should pull up to my mail slot but a ten-
incher called Smears In The Garage (Dionysus).  I can't say I was verjoyed, 
but... well, Dionysus has put out some cool stuff over the years and 
they've been extremely cool to me, so the least I could do was throw it on 
and give it a shot.  What the hell... at least they did up the cover to look 
like one of the Girls In The Garage comps.  And they were covering some 
old garage faves.  First up is "What A Way To Die"... snotty and cool, as 
they stick fairly close to the Pleasure Seekers' original.  Their version of 
"Cum Into My Mouth" seems faster and more obnoxious, tho' not as 
inviting (am I gonna get attacked for saying that?) as The Headcoatees'.  
On to The Glass Opening's "I'm On Your Prey", where the girls sound 
downright sweet on this more melodic number.  And, due to my pop 
leanings, probably my fave track on this bugger, though it's definitely a 
battle with their take on "The Hurtin' Kind" (one of my all-time garage 
faves.)  While I really didn't need to hear another version of "Wild Thing", 
this one is pretty nuts.  Geez, when I was 18, I thought X's version was 
something... but this one's almost menacing.  Would I put it on for pure 
pleasure?  Umm... no; for that I'd go to the previous two tracks.  But I'd 
also let the side play out.  OK, that's it for the 10"er.  But the CD also 
includes a previous EP done by the group for Hell Yeah.  If you're a major 
fan of these girls, grab the disc; if you're just in it for the garage sounds, 
buy the vinyl.
	We Walk Alone (Lucky) is the latest effort by The Exploding White 
Mice.  This one starts off on a rather ominous note, a number called "Born 
Loser".  As dark as this instrumental is, they occasionally chime in with a 
melodic guitar line to chase away the shadows.  Next up, they head for 
pop territory in "51st State".  You'll be singing along in no time, especially 
on the chorus when they gang up for a dual vocal thing.  When I heard 
"Faceache", starting with "Everytime I think of you," I thought they were 
about to blast into "1-2-3 Red Light".  Even the way they sang it.  As it 
turned out, obviously, this was another original, way on the smile and bop 
around side of things.  Love those dual vocals that pop up on occasional 
lyrics here and there.  Fantastic.  What's nice is that these guys keep
the beat moving the whole time.  "Something Wrong" gets things moving 
faster while keeping that melody going.  And when they get to the chorus, 
the guitar comes to the front to join in the singing.  OK, this one doesn't 
pack the same wallop as their disc on NKVD a couple years back, nor does 
it hang around the garage caves of Nest of Vipers from back around '85.  
BUT... this is still a damn good disc.
	Vancouver seems to be bursting at the seams with great rock'n'roll 
these days.  The latest gift from the folks at Mint is too late... no friends, 
from a bunch called Gob.  This punks things out with that melodic flair 
that grabs me every time.   Well, OK, they don't concentrate on the melody 
through every song, but it's stuff like the opener, "Extra, Extra", that gets 
me going every time.  And the energy of "Fido Dildo".  My fave parts, 
though, come when they throw in the backing vocals.  That kinda stuff 
always puts a smile on my face.  Oh yeah... they also do a punked-up 
version of The Smugglers' "Hey Stephanie."
	Since last we heard from The Vacant Lot, the group's gone through 
a major realignment.  In fact, singer/guitarist/songwriter Pete Ciccone is 
the only remaining original member.  Happily, this hasn't stopped the 
group from putting out yet another incredible batch of sweet treats for the 
ear.  Shake Well (Shake Records) is jam-packed with melodies that'll have 
you singing along in no time.  What makes this all the more apparent to 
me is that I was nowhere near as familiar with these songs before I 
dropped it in my digital doohickey as I was with the first two discs.  For 
one thing, the band doesn't play as often as they once did, so I hadn't seen 
them enough to get to know the songs.  The main reason, though, is just 
that - prior to the first couple LPs - The Vacant Lot used to be recording 
stuff they'd been playing live for eons.  Now, however, they've played the 
material live a bit, but fans are just starting to get to know the new 
batch of classics:  "Anticipation", "Realized", "Feel Better"... just keep 
reciting in order.  As the Platterpuss said to me on the phone tonight, 
there are tons of melodic, poppy-punk groups out there, but why listen to 
all of them when you can just throw on The Vacant Lot and get perfection?  
(Well, actually, that's nowhere near an exact quote, but it's close enough.  
Besides, it's true.)  The new bunch has tons of energy, what with Chris 
Raymond whacking the beat and Mike Hoffman letting fly on guitar at all 
the right times.  Honestly, it's damn hard to pick a favorite.  "Let It Go" 
ranks way up for me, as it bops along at a nice clip, guitar singing along, 
and Pete blasting the chorus over and over into your brain.  And the 
slider, "Always In The Way", smack between garage-pop and punk.  This 
one's chunky and wild and is fast becoming one of my live faves.  Still, 
there's "Sweetest Sound", as Pete takes the first line all alone, with the 
band jumping right on his tail.  So, like I said, I can't really pick a fave.  
This is another one that's gonna be on my tops of the year list.  (Geez, this 
is a good issue for these.)
	Along with that Cub/Potatomen split came another tasty 
snackmate, a 4-songer from the Mr. T Experience, Alternative Is Here To 
Stay (Lookout).  Not only is the title a nice takeoff on Danny & the Juniors' 
1950s hit ("Rock & Roll Is Here To Stay"), but the lyrics shade that way on 
occasion.  While at the same time poking great fun at the whole alternative 
scene.  Of course, comedy's all well and good, but if the thing doesn't do 
the job, musically speaking, then I might as well listen to Dr. Demento.  
Luckily, MTX come thru on that score, too.  (Extra points for the lyrical 
references to "Let's Have A Party" and "Where The Action Is".)  Better yet, 
though, is track #2, "New Girlfriend".  Of course, they can't resist a few 
fun pokes ("My girlfriend is better than you / She's got bigger breasts and 
a higher IQ."), but what sells this one is the pop-punk melodies, punching 
thru and flying along with the top down.  The extra touch comes via 
the cool backing vocals.  (I've always been a real sucker for "ooooh-
oooooh" vocals smoothing things out.)  Next up is a change of pace, "You 
Today", acoustic and slowed down, but still with a sweet melody.  They 
finish up with an alternative" version of the title.  Overall, this is a disc any 
fan of melodic punk should go nuts over.  That drum bit in the middle of 
the title reminds me of the one in the Vacant Lot's "Cyclone".  Placement, 
sound, and all.  (Hint:  That means I must really like this.)
	A Double Dose of Pop (Not Lame) features (in addition to great 
cereal box cover art) two wonderful pop groups from opposite coasts.  The 
first nine tracks are provided by The Rooks, whose first disc blew me 
away with its engaging melodies, fantastic harmonies, and stellar 
songwriting.  Here they continue on the same path.  Three of the tracks 
here are remixes of songs from that first disc ("Reasons", "Love Said To 
Me", and "Steeplechase"), with six new ones thrown in.  Of these, it's hard 
to pick a favorite, although I dearly love the acoustic "Music Sound 
Sensation".  Mike Mazzarella has a real way with melody.  It doesn't 
matter if the song's slow or fast, Mike knows exactly what he's doing.  In 
addition, he understands that speed isn't a necessary element.  (Something 
I was reminded of recently by an old friend who came out one night after 
not having seen a garage-type show in quite a while.)  It'd be easy to 
spend the next four pages writing about how much I love The Rooks, 
but... umm, I can't really afford that.  I'll put it simply: this is the kind of 
pop that I could listen to all day and all night.
	The other group on this disc is Twenty Cent Crush, from LA.  
While I don't think they're in The Rooks' league, they're still a formidable 
pop force.  Again, another group that believes in the power of backing 
vocals and songwriting.  Of their stuff, my favorite is "Sunday Girl" which 
kicks off with a sunny day jump in its step.  Still, "A Little Fortune & 
Fame" definitely gets me going.  And then there's "Tuesday Morning (Let's 
Just Stay In Bed)", reminding me of a mid-period Beatles ballad.  And... 
whoops, I'm about to start off into a song-by-song rundown.  Nope.  Look, 
A Double Dose Of Pop will bring joy to any power pop fan.
	Dialogue from Psycho starts up The Minstrels' Ev'ry Which Way 
(Anaba Pacific), as their version of "Jack The Ripper" fades up.  And they 
let fly, with the screams sounding off in the background.  After having 
seen them, I was surprised they'd begin with this one, as it's not the major 
portion of their sound.  Well, sure they do it well (really well), but their 
greatest strength is their devotion to a modernized Mersey pop.  (Well, 
that's a gross oversimplification, but...)  And that's where we find them on 
"Let Me Fly The Sky".  "Crimson Star" is a beautiful - breathtaking, actually 
- ballad.  "Good Lovin'" is not the thing we've all heard by The Young 
Rascals, but instead a fantastic 60s pop type number with a hopped-up 
railroad shuffle beat.  What amazes me, I guess, is that they can do 
so many songs that are really on the slower end of mid-tempo - and I still 
love them.  (Kinda restores my faith in myself.)  "Don't Say No" is a perfect 
example.  Geez, these guys really can sing.  And play.  The guitar here is 
so tasteful it amazes me.  "Can't She Be Mine" sees the guys picking up the 
pace a bit and flies a bit further into mid-60s Brit sounds, but - again - 
without any kind of slavish imitation.  The vocals... geez, I'm gonna keep 
saying it... The vocals.  The vocals... WOW!  Then back for a ballad in 
"Because I Think Of You".  How many bands do you go see that do one 
true ballad, let alone record a few of them for the same disc?  And of 
those, how many do it to such stunning effect you wish the song went on 
forever?  And this one'll put you in dreamland with a contented smile 
on your face.  When I saw them and they went into Jonathan Richman's 
"Dancing Late At Night" I was grinning from ear to ear.  Not just because 
it was a Jonathan song, but because these guys had managed (as they do 
with almost every song) to make it so much a part of them.  Personally, I 
don't think it sounds like Jonathan at all, as it's going full tilt rather than 
taking Jonathan's sparser approach.  However, there is one main 
similarity... both versions paint a vivid picture of the subject at hand, both 
lyrically and musically.  These guys blew me away at CB's in July, opening 
for The Trashwomen & The Swingin' Neckbreakers.  The smile on my face 
was unmistakable.  This is the kind of music that I truly love.  Much as I 
love The Kaisers, The Minstrels get extra points from me for making the 
music their own, shaping it to fit themselves, rather than the other way 
around.  Fantastic vocals, stellar songs, and fine musicianship.  Hope 
they come around again soon.  Make sure you look for this one.

ALL BY MYSELF
	The first time I heard The Neanderthals was when they played 
Maxwells earlier this year with The Kaisers and The Planet Rockers.  Up 
came these guys in leopard skin togas.  From that alone I knew I had to 
give them a chance.  So, on that trip to Pier with Tony Miller, I finally 
picked up the group's 45, "Arula-Mata-Gali"/"Girl & A Hot Rod" 
(Spinout).  The upside's right in the garage primitive/party tradition.  "Say 
these words, and girls will come to you."  Saxational!  A couple guys 
singin' the thing together.  Pure genius is this track.  It's not about revvin' 
up the tempo, or hitting a fuzzbox, or some snotty punk sound (and it 
sure as hell isn't about finesse); it's about gettin' girls by repeating 
the magic words.  Ah, rock'n'roll in its pure form.  The first time I ever 
heard a version of the flip was via The Untamed Youth, so I suppose 
that'll always be my fave version.   Even so, The Neanderthals take a 
different tack, going... grainier.  Not as fast, but somehow more... 60s.  
And Eddie Angel's guitar screams along nicely as the band gets wilder.  
Glad I finally picked this up.  This will definitely be on my personal faves 
of '95 tape.
	The last thing I heard by The Fells didn't do much for me.  Actually, 
nothing I've ever heard by The Fells has ever done much for me.  But 
when a record company sends you records, the least you can do is pop 
'em on the hi-fi for a few seconds.  Surprisingly (to me, anyway), "The 
Visitor" (Gouramie) stayed on all the way through.  Friends from the 
Southwest often praise these guys to high heaven as one of the better 
garage groups.  Like I said, though, they never sounded real garagey to 
me.  Well, this time around... they do.  For the most part, anyway.  Maybe 
this "Visitor" is meant as a way of exploring the heart of garage territory.  
(Or maybe I'm just flapping my gums.)  Either way, this is a cool garage 
groove with a slight bit of melody and some noise behind.  The vocal is 
partially buried, but gives off a truly cool sound, anyway.  Down below, 
they take on The Trashmen's "Bad News" and pull it off quite well.  This 
one's real straight-ahead and doesn't vary much from the original.  I'm 
impressed.
	You'll recall that last year I picked The Drags' debut single as one of 
the year's best.  "I Like To Die" was pure garage attitude, and I was nuts 
over it.  Which made me pretty damn bummed that I didn't get to catch 
'em live at GarageShock like I'd planned.  This past summer, a 2nd 45 
came out and, tho' it had its merits, it wasn't quite what I'd hoped.  It 
seemed much closer to the hardcore side of punk than the garage.  Well, 
luckily, their latest release, "Well Worth Talking About" (Rat City) sees 'em 
sounding better than ever.  I tend to like this more than most other garage-
oriented stuff I've gotten recently simply because... well, it's more garage.  
Sure, the top side lets the gas flow freely into the engine, revving high and 
running hard, but it's done in a charged, chunky way befitting some of the 
coolest garage-punkers.  Stuff like "60 Second Swinger" or many of The 
Sonics best.  Chunky chords bonked out loud and proud.  Down below, 
they rip into "Rosalyn".  This one's even more in the 60s garage mode.  
Well, sure, they've Drag-ified it, but they're still screamin' and creamin' for 
their fave cave-sounds.  Looks like The Drags have another BlairBoard hit 
on their hands.
	The East LA EP '64-'66 (Bacchus Archives) features some truly fine 
sounds.  On the flip, there's the unedited version of Cannibal & The 
Headhunters' "Land of a 1000 Dances", not to mention The Aldermen 
doing "House of Wax", with some dripping organ to give things the right 
feel.  But it's up top with The Atlantics that I get my biggest kicks.  The 
second track, "Beaver Shot" is an instrumental that fits its subject perfectly, 
down low and slow for just the right atmosphere.  But the track that sends 
me (and Roberta, too) every time is "Fine, Fine, Fine" which became a 
particular fave of mine on the air this summer.  "If you got a girl, like my 
girl / Prettiest girl in the whole wide world... Fine-Fine-Fine, So-So Fine... 
That's what they call my baby."  This one has a pre-Beatles purity to it.  
And, while the EP says '64-'66, I'm guessing this one was actually 
written a couple years earlier.  There's a definite late 50s/early 60s vocal 
feel here that gets me smiling and singing along the whole way.  Yeah, it 
spent much more than its fair share of time on my turntable this summer.  
And it's still there.
	Somehow I managed to read Grant Lawrence's liner notes to The 
Stand GT's "The Cracklefan" (Mint) before I threw it on the turntable.  
Which meant I already had a smile on my face when I threw it on, leaving 
me in an extremely receptive state.  And the band delivers.  This one has a 
good sense of melody and a just faster than mid-tempo beat, not to 
mention some pretty cool vocal parts.  Some definite Bum-like tendencies 
on this.  Oh yeah, and (from what I could make out), this has something to 
do with loving the crackle on old hit 45s.  Extra points for that.  Down 
below things are a bit slower, but the melody more than makes up for it.
	I'd heard of Meow at least a month or two before GarageShock this 
year, thanks to a tip from e-mail pal Kim Hammond.  Consequently, I was 
bummed to find out they were playing up in Vancouver while GShock 
was going on.  Which meant I'd miss 'em.  Well, a couple days before the 
Muffs/Cub/Queers tour hit the NorthEast, Kim sent Meow's debut 7" 6-
songer (Twist Like This Records).  And since drummer Neko was playing 
with Cub for the tour, I had a chance to ask her about it.  Evidently, the 
band really wanted to play on some show out in Vancouver, but they'd 
just started and didn't have songs... so they got some friends to help them 
out.  Evidently some of these are a product of that.  Either way, these three 
gals sound like they're having a blast.  The beat is happy and up and they 
hit with some real power on certain tracks.  Tracks include "Catastrophe", 
the band's "Anthem", "Kill Kill Kill", "Kat Nip", "One Night Stand" 
and (the track that'd be the big hit if things got to that point) "Boy 
Groupies".  This is the one everyone's probably gonna be quoting... which 
means I should refrain.  But you know me better.  "There's only one reason 
for this band / We want to attract boys from all over this land... We want 
the boy groupies."  Kinda nice how they turn things around.  Geez, how 
often have you heard a bunch of guys saying they formed a band to get 
girls?  Yeah, too many.  Meow turn it around nicely.  In essence, this is 
fun, upbeat pop.  Some will call it punk for the DIY aesthetic and the low-
budget sound.  Whatever.  This should bring a smile to most faces.  I'm 
hoping they'll tour.
	Joe McGinty brings us some delightful mellow-pop (think certain 
Lee Hazlewood moments) with his combo, Baby Steps on "Air On A G-
String" (Worrybird Disc).  This one uses strings to great effect, plus more 
than a couple keyboards from Joe's personal collection.  A bit of an early 
70s Beach Boys feel comes through at times, too.  The "Scream Savers 
Theme", composed for a Binary Software commercial, has a fun, messing-
around quality to it.  One that'll be perfect for a Hallowe'en tape.

HIGH TIDE & BONFIRES
	My first full weekend back in Rutherford, I found myself up at 8:30 
AM waiting for the refrigerator guy to come.  When he finally came (an 
hour late), he brought his whiny, inquisitive eight year-old helper.  
"Daddy... what's this?"  "That's a compressor."  "How about this?"  "And 
this?"  AAAAHHHH!  Anyway, finally the guy leaves ("It's under 
warranty; I'll have your landlord get Frigidaire to replace the part.  One 
week later, still no part.  Thanks, guy.  One night's sleep down the tube.)  
It did have one perc, though.  I was awake at 10:30 AM when Foster Child 
editor, Tony Miller called to say he was in NJ.  "Does this mean you want 
to come over, Tony?"  "Uh... yeah."  So he did.  And after dawdling for a 
bit, then getting some food at the rebuilt Tommy's Diner (that's right... you 
remember.  The old one blew up a few years back.), we finally made it to 
Pier Platters in Hoboken.  Which is where I picked up a few things I'd 
been wanting.  "What's this one sound like?" I asked the nice young lady 
at the counter, pointing to The Death Dealers "Kanpai Osaka" 45 (Mr. 
Pan).  "Hmm, I haven't heard that."  What the hay, I thought, deciding to 
live on the edge.  Besides, they had cool Reservoir Dogs type names... Mr. 
Pan, Mr. Tone, Mr. Sheen, etc.  The title track hands the show straight over 
to the lead guitar, which starts with a run, launching into a full-tilt surf 
menace till the guitar heads for the best waves and rides it wild before 
settling into calmer surf nearer to shore.  "Kungfu Rock" heads off the 
second side, letting the sax set the mood.  Throw in some psychotic yells 
and some fast and frenetic guitar up top and I've been converted.  They 
finish things off by turning on the vocal mics and going after "Oooh, My 
Soul", an old favorite of mine.  This shows their crunchier, more r'billy 
side.  Overall, maybe you'd call 'em a raunchier Jackie & the Cedrics... One 
of the recurring topics on the Cowabunga electronic mailing list (for instro 
surf discussions), is lo-fi versus hi-fi.  Trash/low-budget vs. 
musicianship/hard work.  (Something like the lo-fi/hi-fi garage debate on 
alt.music.banana-truffle.)  Now, the surf crowd is pretty reasonable.  This 
group tends to be pretty intelligent, well-spoken, and knowledgeable.  But 
what any debate like this boils down to is personal taste.  Very few people 
are going to suddenly say, "Oh, yeah.  What was I thinking?  Of course!  
You were right and I was wrong.  Thank you soooo much for setting me 
straight.  From now on my tastes will be correct.  And if I stumble, please 
put me back on the path to enlightenment."  (Psst.   Where the hell is he 
going with this?)  Oh, right.  Sorry.  This bit's about The Vulcaneers, who 
are very much in the lo-fi/trash camp.  "Last Call"/"Ankle Breaker" has 
much in common with other Radio X records.  Production is either non-
existent or at a minimal level.  The A side is obviously supposed to be 
taking place in some filthy watering hole in one of the less wholesome 
corners of the universe, some type of no-beings-land.  Bad Star Trek 
insults abound ("Hey you Romulan she-male!", etc.) Thing is, when they 
actually get around to playing, these guys hit Surf Central with an almost 
Cardassian attitude.  (Sorry, couldn't resist that one)... You'll notice that 
there are a few reviews of not-so-recent stuff in this ish.  Well, there's a 
bunch of reasons for that.  (And I won't bore you with them.)  Suffice to 
say, however, that some of these records actually made it to my abode 
back in June.  But since they happen to be pretty cool, I figure it's the least 
I can do to review them. The Boss Martians first impressed me some time 
back with some really melodic surf-oriented material, both instrumental 
and vocal.  Now, I've run into a few folks from out in the Pacific 
Northwest who say these guys are just a bunch of frat boys.  Could be.  
Personally, I don't care either way.  As long as they keep playing the same 
sort of stuff that's found on their debut disc (Dionysus Records).  The 
record again features both instro and vocal surf material.  There's an organ 
in the mix and a definite touch of the Untamed Youth in their sound (less 
of the garage/party sound and more of the surf pop).  Personally, I think 
the organ should've been waaaay higher in the mix.  On "Diggin' 58" for 
example, there's a real cool Farfisa part that's just too far in the back.  Give 
it to me loud, boys!  My fave track happens to be "Hey Tina!", a vocal track 
that comes closest to the poppier aspects of the U. Youth than anything 
else.  Even so, there's nothing on this disc that I don't like.  Extra points for 
what I suppose is their theme song, "The Martian Stomp", a surf-stomp 
instro that'd be just perfect for those beach parties I went to in high 
school... Wading thru the tides of time, we find The Esquires Flashin' 
Red , '63-'68 (Bacchus Archives).  The disc begins with the title cut, a cool 
instro with the guitar taking the point and leading the way.  Now, while 
"Flashin' Red" is the classic, my fave track ends up being "Squad Car", 
what with its deserted, chilly dawn-feel.  Lots more cool instro tracks on 
here, too.  The band also does some vocal numbers, but those don't rise 
too far above the average garage group, while the instro tracks are 
something special.  Well, let me amend that... The last two tracks on the 
disc are by the group The Esquires had evolved into by '68, The Police 
(thankfully no relation to Stink's bunch.)  Both "Just Who" and "The 
Notice" ("I just got my notice / brought to me by my sis"... ah, rock'n'roll 
poetry) are a bit more savage than the earlier vocal numbers, with "Just 
Who" standing out as the winner... Still walking thru the sands of time, we 
visit with Gene Gray & The Stingrays, with "Surf Bunny"/"Surfers Mood" 
(Linda/Bacchus Archives).  Up top they're very much in surfer beach 
party mode, with a slight "Goo Goo Muck" feel.  Down below?  Can you 
say "Rumble"? (I knew you could)... Back when I was an undergrad up in 
Rochester, NY (mid-80s), we got an EP from a Washington, DC group 
called The Insect Surfers.  Kind of a modernized, almost New Wave, take 
on surf.  Very cool, but different from those Challengers records I'd been 
freaking out over.  Well, a few years ago, I got a copy of something new by 
The Insect Surfers.  According to the address and info on Reverb Sun, 
Dave Arnson had moved out to California and gotten a new bunch of 
guys together.  Well, here they are again, this time with an 10"er called 
East West (Dionysus).  Much of this saucer explores the chilly, dangerous 
Sound of the Surf.  Cuts like "Tiger Shark", especially, show this.  
'Razorback" is one of the more powerful, menacing cuts.  The disc also 
shows the band live, on "Starfish Ranch" and a cover of "Jack The Ripper".   
The band shows a tendency to explore some almost psych territory.  The 
lead guitar doesn't run through normal surf the way many do.  Instead, 
we hear a willingness to explore, float, and invent... Like The Insect 
Surfers, Pollo Del Mar believe in experimentation and exploration.  Their 
4-song 7", featuring a surf side and a turf side, shows variety as they 
explore some decidedly non-traditional surf sounds. stretching the 
boundaries of the genre as needed.  My fave track would have to be 
"Insecticide" (a tribute to the I. Surfers?)... Recently, I asked Lee Joseph 
who some of his current faves were.  One of these turned out to be The 
Bomboras, which shouldn't come as a surprise, considering he's put out a 
couple things by them now.  Still, what with Dionysus, Hell Yeah, and the 
Bacchus Archive series, Lee puts out quite a bit of stuff.  Well, OK, I'd 
really dug The Bomboras' Forbidden Planet EP, but... Then I received their 
latest, "Last Call"/"Surfin' Bull" (Dionysus).  Well, let's just say Lee's got 
good reason for loving these guys.  Up top is a real primal bass rumble 
with some fantastic staccato guitar runs way on the low end.  Yup, I was 
impressed.  As things head towards the finish, the lead runs up high, 
builds it up, and gives off a final gasp... a release.  But, as usual, it's down 
below that things really begin to fly.  Now, my guess is that "Surfin' Bull" 
is a surf tribute to Sitting Bull himself.  With the tribal beat that's going on, 
I'm betting I'm right.  What sends this one into my personal pantheon is 
the organ, thick and eerie.  Sure, the guitar opens up and lets loose later 
on, but it's the organ theme that keeps coming back, setting the mood.  
Last time out, The Bomboras took the day's trophy.  Well, they do it again 
here, proving themselves to be world class competitors.

COMP TIME
	Thanks to Ms. Tuesday Knight, I've known that A Perfect Pop 
Compilation, 1991-1994 (Perfect Pop) was on its way for quite some time.  
This is, as its title suggests, a comp of material from the gang at Perfect 
Pop, a label devoted to sounds with melody, often with some sort of psych 
influence.  Groups included are King Midas, The Time Lodgers, The 
Release Party, Astroburger, the Monsters of Doom, The Bartlebees, The 
Blind Bats, The Tables, Todd Dillingham, The Loch Ness Mouse, The Silly 
Pillows, and Robert Birdeye.  And while the first 17 tracks are from 
previous releases, the final eleven are unreleased.  These, of course, end 
up being the most interesting to me, as I've got just about all the other 
stuff.  These start with The Blind Bats (the first Perfect Pop group I ever 
heard, thanks to a letter and cassette from bassist Tuesday Knight a few 
years ago.) doing "I'm A Believer" (always a fave of mine) with Sandy 
Shore's Farfisa singing out joyfully at all the right times.  Definitely one I'll 
be spinning quite often.  As I went through this disc, I remember hearing 
The Release Party's "The Return Of The King Bees" without looking at the 
disc and thinking how the guitar had a real buzz-sound to it.  Then I look 
and see the title and I thought, "Geez, if I describe it like that I'll be 
accused of throwing myself into some sort of tired clich� thing."  But... that 
wasn't it at all, was it?  Anyway, this one's a definite fave... interesting 
sounds flying around.  One of the "legendary" bands in this circle seems to 
be The Tables.  Listen to "Why Not?" and maybe you'll understand why.  
Energetically trippy, this one psychs out with a smiling power.  The Silly 
Pillows, formed out of the ashes of a 1982 Rochester, NY high school 
group called The Degrads, appear here with a track called "Perfect Pop", 
thereby closing out the disc with something that truly is just that.
	One I've had for quite some time now is SymPOPhony #1 (Not 
Lame).  This is a four by five type thing that takes on some of the cooler 
power pop groups from around the US and lets them strut their stuff 
through an EPs worth of tracks each.  Honestly, there's not a loser on here.  
Actually, one friend, reviewing it on-line, said he didn't much like Martin 
Luther Lennon doing "Dancing With Myself".  Now, personally, that song 
was a definite fave of mine as I finished up high school in '83.  This 
version takes a whole new perspective, slowing it down and going for a 
much bassier feel.  Personally, I love it.  (So, by the way, did my brother 
Glenn, who made me repeat it a couple times on that long drive out to 
Indiana for our brother Drew's wedding in June.)  But this one's hardly 
MLL's best track.  For that, I'd either have to go to the first track on the 
disc, "I Own The World", an energetic blast with definite mid-80s leanings, 
or the slower "No Love Lost", with some melodic strumming and strong 
backing vocals, not to mention a semi-a cappella midsection.  Of course, 
"Disconnected" deserves mention, as well, but I've got four bands to go.  
My fave track by The Rockerfellers is much easier to pick; it's "I Love You 
Better".  This is the kind of thing that deserves major airplay, thanks to a 
melody that's got me hooked, more of that wonderful backing vocal stuff 
that I love, plus a chorus that stokes the energy flame.  What scares me 
about Cherry Twister's "Leila" is that the vocal sound eerily similar to Yes.  
Luckily, that's where the similarities end.  And when they move on to 
"Rose Garden", I feel like I'm in a certain octopus' garden.  I've no idea 
what "hooskinawahway" means (if that's what they're really singing), 
but "Frozen Teeth" definitely picks up the tempo while still keeping the 
beat nice and straight-up.  The Finns seem to be reaching back to the late 
70s/early 80s on "Satellite Receiver", but somehow it seems extremely 
now.  Revved up, with space sounds thrown in to beef up the effect.  I'd 
like to see this one live.  Something I'd like to get up, dance and sweat to.  
Lastly, the one band loyal TS followers have read about before, The 
Shambles (the San Diego bunch).  Now, lately, I've been listening to tapes 
of some of my radio shows from the past year on my way to and from 
work each day.  One particular show has been going back and forth rather 
often.  And there was this one song on there that was slower, with a sad 
longing to it.  Thing is, I couldn't remember who it was till I pulled out 
this disc again, to finally write this review after having the disc for almost 
four months.  Sure enough, it's The Shambles' "I Believe".  I'm impressed.  
Now, just to keep myself from going on too long, I'll shut up now and let 
you go buy this.  (I meant NOW!)
	The Parasites cruised through a little while back.  And, as befits a 
band of their musical persuasion, they had a host of stuff available for 
consumption.  In keeping with my role of "poor college student", I was 
stingy with my greenbacks and only picked up a split single they'd done 
with The Beatnik Termites (on Just Add Water).  The BT's waste no time, 
zipping thru a little ditty entitled "I Don't Wanna Be Bad" in just 54 
seconds.  And while the verses border on the hardcore side of punk, 
they're just melodic enough (and end quickly, anyway) to keep you 
going till that next catchy chorus, in which they once again pop out the 
punk in an extremely bubblegum version of The Ramones.  The Parasites, 
however, spend over three minutes on their endeavor, "I Almost Loved 
You", which gives them more time to set things up.  And, while they do 
give an actual intro, pretty soon they chow down on the meat of this one, 
sprinkling a fair helping of melody on top to make their punk that much 
more palatable.

EVEN MORE REVIEWS
	Now, Bluesman was always a much bigger fan of Jack O'Fire than I 
was, but the release of Beware The Soulless Cool (1+2) has forced me to go 
back to the older stuff and give it another go.  (A good thing, too.)  
Anyway, this disc features the boys interpreting some of the treasures 
from their own record collections.  This includes material from Chester 
Burnett and Willie Dixon thru JD Loudermilk, Link Wray, The Who, The 
Cramps, Wire, The Emperors and more.    Damn this is powerful!  Not one 
weak link in the chain.  Call it blues, R&B, soul, punk, whatever... you 
need this.  Buy this or suffer... I've been checking out Mondo Topless 
pretty much since their formation.  It's been a few years now, but they've 
finally got some vinyl available.  "I Want To"/"Real Gone Girl" (Worrybird 
Disc) is a strong introduction to this Philly foursome.  Leading things off is 
a mid-tempo garage punker strong on the organ.  Sam Steinig's Vox oozes 
throughout.  Combined with his low-end vocals (baritone, maybe?  As if I 
would have a clue), this gives this one a real thick-syrup Original Sins feel.  
(Something I'm sure Sam will agree is a true compliment.)  Underneath, 
they slow it way down.  This one's high point is Sam's organ solo.  His 
fingers fly and it GOES... Way back in the mid-80s, I used to go see this 
band called The Alter Boys.  By about 1989, tho', a few members of the 
group had formed a side project called The Gashounds, which eventually 
became their sole project.  Well, all bands (except, I guess, The Rolling 
Stones) eventually drift apart.  Which left singer John Carruthers without 
a group.  Not for long.  The story goes that he found himself drinking with 
another pal from the NYC scene and they found out that they were both 
into country.  Now, while it's hard to call Lancaster County Prison 
(named for the place a friend was incarcerated) a straight-ahead country 
group, that's the main influence at work here.  Though I get the feeling 
that they won't soon be finding themselves on the Grand Ole Opry stage.  
If only 'cuz this bunch will always have some punk in them, no matter 
what they do.   Maybe it's John's voice, but this stuff sounds just like a 
countrified version of the music John's been into for years.  Which is just 
fine by me.  Oh yeah, I definitely like their version of "Battle Of New 
Orleans", with two very different voices taking vocals together.  And a 
pretty inspired instro break... Hot Damn In High Heels Slut (Hell Yeah) 
proudly proclaims itself as "Music For You Horny Bastards." And what 
with the glitzy LA-looking curtains and the gals on the cover, you're 
starting to understand why.  Of course, record jackets don't make you put 
records on over and over again.  So let's get to it... this isn't really my sort 
of thing, but there are some moments of sweet sleaze that I'll be throwing 
on when I'm in the mood.  For instance, "On Top" what with the saxes 
creating the sort of sweaty sex sound that only a sax can.  Then, of course, 
there's the "hit", "My Panties Are Too Tight."  While this one isn't gonna be 
hitting Top 40 anytime soon, there's a definite appeal (give the sax sound 
some credit for this one, too)... One of the tough things about getting 
promos is figuring out what gets reviewed.  Personally, I've got a policy of 
not writing nasty reviews about stuff I got for free.  If I've spent my own 
money on it, then it's fair game.  But if someone spent their money to send 
me something, I figure it isn't doing them much good if I get really nasty 
about it.  Besides, I've only got limited space.  And I'm not about to blow 
my ears on something I hated just 'cuz someone sent it to me.  So I had to 
decide whether to review A Slice Of Lemon (Lookout/Kill Rock Stars).  
This thing's a double disc, which I just don't understand.  There doesn't 
seem to be any really unifying theme.  Some of this stuff I actually despise.  
Other stuff means almost nothing to me.  But there are a few tracks that I 
really enjoyed:  The Delightful Little Nothings "Blah Blah" reminded me of 
The Go-Go's "Vacation" at times; Pansy Division's "Ring of Joy" not only 
features a great melody, but some hilarious lyrics ("it's an orifice for 
stimulation... Any girl, any boy, can break on thru that ring of joy.") sung 
with such happiness that you've gotta love it; Shaken 69 hand over "Rudy 
Rudy", a fun ska-pop romp; Sunnychar's "Mr. Holiday" might be a bit 
silly, but it's really poppy and fast and fun; The Bomb Bassetts "Love Like 
Gravity" has a definite relationship to vocalist Dallas Denery's old 
combo, Sweet Baby, but tends to be a bit more frenetic; I suppose it's 
obvious, but Cub's "Green Eyes" is probably my fave track here, with their 
genuine smiles coming right through in the melody.  The cuts by Mr. T. 
Experience & The Potatomen are also pretty good.  Now, I think I've 
painted a prettier picture of this comp than I truly should.  This is far from 
a garage record.  In fact, like I said, there is no unifying musical theme.  
There's some stuff that's way too far on the hardcore side for my tastes.  
But the tracks I mentioned are definitely cool... Geez!  A record from 
Brazil!  Brincando De Deus explore a few different musical territories, but 
their better stuff hangs out in a sort of indie-dream land.  Definite pop 
melodies on Better When You Love (Me) (Self).  This isn't really my main 
musical thing, so it's a bit harder for me to do comparisons.  (Yeah, like I 
spend lotsa time on those in other reviews.)  They definitely seem to enjoy 
throwing feedback into the equation.  A vague similarity to Our American 
Cousins every once in a while (in case anyone wants a reference point).  
One or two songs seem to stray further from that than I'd like, so I move 
on to the more engaging tracks.  A bit slow at times, but they have the 
sense to throw something in that makes you want to listen all the same.  
Maybe it's the softly shining guitar notes sprinkled here and there... I must 
be getting old; I can't recall whether I ever published my review of The 
Silly Pillows' 7"er, "Lacing Up My Sneakers."  (Of course, if I weren't so 
lazy I could just look back a couple issues and check.)  Anyway, their 
latest effort, Up In The Air (Perfect Pop), is pretty much a comp of 
previous releases.  Included are tracks from their Little Teddy LP, 
Strangest of the Strange, and all four tracks from the aforementioned 
Perfect Pop EP.  The order of the day here is songcraft.  The Silly Pillows, 
simply put, have a strong handle on just how to put a song together.  Like 
Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, many of these songs seem constructed rather 
than simply  hatched.  Many different sounds can be heard, with engaging 
melodies woven throughout.  The arrangements, the backing vocals are all 
simply superb.  No need for a play-by-play here, each song stands up all 
on its own.  I just got this one as I was closing out the ish, but I get the 
feeling it's going into regular rotation at TS HQ... From Vancouver, BC 
come Gaze, with a self-released four-songer that falls more into the 
dreamy side of things.  Melodies, but more laid back... Sticking up there in 
beautiful BC, then, we hear from Pluto, with their debut CD, Cool Way To 
Feel (Mint), staying faithful to the sound of their singles... An issue or 
three back, I intro'd folks to the smooth, light-hearted fun-pop of The 
Beauticians, via their debut 45.  Well, now this bunch has seen fit to release 
Imperiale (Cheemo).  Moving from "Silk Velour" (never before has a song 
sounded so much like a fabric; never has a fabric so-well described a 
band's forte), through their hit single, "New Age Song For A Cynical 
Generation" and beyond, this one laughs at itself in all the right places.  
Will this make you get up and dance?  Well, no.  But if you're in the mood 
for something to put on while you relax, this'll put a smile on your face... I 
remember being in junior high in the late 70s and seeing some older kid 
walking around with this cool baseball-type shirt with the name Pezband 
on it.  I asked him what it was and he told me they were this band his 
big brother had been nuts about when the family lived in Chicago.  Well, 
actually, that's not true at all.  I really have no idea when I first heard of 
Pezband.  But Not Lame has just released four songs recorded by the 
original lineup in 1974.  Of these, "Eddie's Pals" hits me hardest, but all of 
them are hook-filled Power Pop (the liners say the term was coined by a 
reviewer attempting to describe the group's sound.), with great singing to 
boot... I still haven't found the by-now-no-longer-new  7" by The Rip-Offs, 
but at least I picked up the Savage Middle-Aged Rip-Offs EP on Pure 
Filth.  These recordings are proclaimed as the first the band ever did (back 
in August, '93) and show the boys were just as blistering back then as they 
were later on.  I'd have to pick "Hooked On Phonics" as my fave, but that's 
probably only 'cuz "Zodiac" made an appearance on their LP last year.  
Yeah, The Rip-Offs are lo-fi punk, so what?  If you don't like it, 
nobody's forcing you to listen.  Or, if they are, thank 'em.

GOT LIVE IF YOU WANT IT IF YOU DON'T, EXERCISE YOUR FAST-
FADING RIGHT TO MAKE A CHOICE

Saturday June 10th... Tonight's show down in Asbury Park is enough of an 
excuse for the Platterpuss to come down early and do my radio show  
with me.  Since th'Puss was just two days short of completing his 44th trip 
around the sun, I decided I'd let him program pretty much the whole 
show.  Which he did with a vengeance.	After a quickie trip to Cheap 
Thrills, we headed back the Teen Scene Central and hung out for a bit.  
Me, I napped.  I think The Puss played Myst for a bit, then reverted to 
form and spun records downstairs. I dunno, I was out cold.  Finally it was 
time for that Asbury Park run.
	Now, I've never actually done this trek from the New Brunswick 
area... I've always cruised down the Garden State Parkway and gone from 
there.  Not this time.  That wouldn't make sense, I'm told.  So there I was 
cruising South on 18, wondering when the hell I was gonna see signs for 
Route 36.  Turns out it's waaaay down.  But Lord Tom's direction's were of 
the first magnitude and we made it hassle-free.  What nobody'd told us 
was there was some opening band at this place... Geez, I don't even 
remember the name of the venue.

	Well, the next weekend found Roberta & me jumping into cousin 
Jason's dad's Ford Explorer along with Jason and brother Glenn.  Leaving 
on Thursday night about 10:45 (thanks to NorthWest Airlines which 
delivered Roberta's bags 12 hours after they actually got them)
	There were a few good shows on Friday the 23rd, but... personal 
reasons (shut up, I said they were personal reasons) prevented me from 
checking out Ronnie & The Pussycats with The Royal Crowns at 
Brownies, The Rooks at Sidewalk, or The Subsonics at Coney Island High.  
Such is life.
	While I didn't catch any shows this weekend, I did make it over to 
what Rob Farrell termed "Lutherpalooza" after my radio show that 
Saturday.  Much of the NJ gang was there, plus a few NYC-types, along 
with a few friends from Pennsylvania.  I always love Bill Luther shindigs... 
the music is better than any other parties I'm ever at (even my own, I 
think), people are completely relaxed, and there's tons of people who've 
known each other for about 10 years.  Besides, Billy stripped down to his 
skivvies and joined the beer bottles cooling off in the ice floes sitting in his 
rowboat.

Friday, June 30th... 11 years ago this night, the FuzzFest was held at 240 
West in Manhattan, starring The OuttaPlace, The Fuzztones, The Tryfles, 
The heepskates, The Vipers, and The Mosquitos.  Tonight we were at the 
Lion's Den for the latest installment of the Mind's Eye.  Leading off the 
attack were The Gnats, coming in low and hard.  So far, their numero uno 
(for me, anyway) is "Night Ride", an insistent garage-punker that never 
lets up.  My only complaint about their set this night was that I couldn't 
hear enough of Jon's guitar.  Louder, please.  Can't wait till these guys 
decide to do a 45... While a couple friends happen to be playing in Adam 
Roth's Psychic Penguin, things just seemed a little too progressive to 
warrant denying my stomach the natural goodness of some NYC 
pizza.  So, Danny & Spencer joined me for a walk down to Bleecker where, 
unfortunately, the pizza was  not what I'd hoped.  The creamsicle was, 
though... Back then, to the Lion's Den (ooh, a rhyme.)  Next up were The 
Insomniacs.  I suppose I could go on and on, raving about how far these 
guys have come in the last 5 years, but you've heard me do that enough.  
Even so... this may have been the best Insomniacs set I've ever seen.  
Certainly, it was among the top three.  Call it Mod, garage-pop-psych, 
whatever; these guys just turned it on pure and simple.  And I was lucky 
enough to have a dance partner to enjoy the festivities with.  The guys 
went from ravers like "You Make It Move" and "Going Out Of My Mind" 
to psychedelic pop ditties ("Mind's Eye") and dance floor faves ("Jump 
And Dance"... yeesh, they better record this one soon.)  And, of course, my 
longtime love, "Sylvia Grey", with a guitar line that just keeps singing over 
and over in my head.  The guys were more than ON this time out... they 
were IT!  I don't think anyone could've taken these guys tonight.  Nope, 
nobody.  One mid-80s garage scenester (who hadn't caught any of this 
stuff in quite some time) was heard to say, "These guys are better than The 
Vipers."  And she was right.

Sunday, July 2nd... This was the big "Brownies Punk Fest" weekend.  Five 
nights with 4 groups per night, most of whom would be recorded for a 
live CD to be released on Feralette Records sometime in the fall.  
Obviously, I missed the Friday night show.  Saturday night had a couple 
cool acts, but we took the night off and stayed home.  Sunday, tho'... well, 
no way I was gonna miss The Vacant Lot... last time they played, nobody 
had the decency to tell me, so I missed out.  Not this time.  One of the 
other bands must've had a rather young audience, 'cuz the club was using 
that dastardly "no re-entry" policy (ostensibly to keep the kids from 
passing IDs back and forth, I guess.)  Of course, this meant that I was not 
about to go in and endure hot, smoky air until it was absolutely necessary.  
So I hung outside for a bit.  Finally, time for the Vacant Lot.  Well, gang, 
Pete and the boys smoked it up tonight... I found myself talking to this gal 
from Dallas for quite a while.  She was up visiting a friend who was 
leaving NYC about a week later.  They'd looked thru the paper for 
something to do and somehow ended up at Brownies... knowing 
NOTHING about the bands playing.  I gotta give 'em credit... I haven't 
done anything like that for quite some time.  Anyway, she and her friend 
were going pretty wild.  The melodies were flyin' fast and dancin' up a 
storm - from the fast ones to the just barely slower numbers (personal pick 
hits like "Remembers Me" and "Blue My Mind" come to mind).  Throw in 
that cover of The Barracudas' "Neighborhood Girls" and I'm a happy man.  
Can't wait for the next record.

Monday, July 3rd... When I showed up at Brownies this time, I inquired 
whether we were free to come and go as we pleased.  Yup.  (Hallelujah!)  
So I stepped in.  Up on stage were five guys, four of whom I recognized... 
ex-Soul Assassins Flick Ford (mouth) and Brian Spaeth (guitar), the 
hardest-working-musician of the night, Gordon Spaeth (sax), and ex-Optic 
Nerve/Ravens/Fad guy Frank Manlin behind the kit.  And they were 
stayin' true to the (mainly mid-) 60s groove, too.  Some pretty cool garage 
action, with only one or two misfires.  "What are they called?" I asked of 
Pete Zaremba, who was shakin' me around, pretty psyched about the 
whole night.  "The St. Marksmen."  Hmm... I'd like to hear a 45 of some 
of their straight-ahead garage stuff...  I'll admit right now that I've never 
been much of a fan of Roscoe's Gang, which is why I took the time to step 
outside for a breath of fresh NYC air.  (Of course, I know a bunch of you 
reader-types are into these guys... don't take it personally, it's just my 
opinion... they don't do anything for me)... Now, it'd been ages since I'd 
seen The Waldos.  Some years back, I was seeing these guys at Continental 
what seemed like every week.  And their show tonight reminded me 
why... basically, these guys are doing much the same thing that leader 
Walter Lure did with Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers almost 20 
years ago.  In fact, they even do some of those songs ("Born To Lose" for 
one) along with newer stuff right in the same vein.  And it's still fun.  I 
gotta pick up their CD.  Oh yeah, guess who played sax with 'em?  That's 
right - Gordon Spaeth... I hadn't seen The Fleshtones since that show in 
that closet (uh, I mean 'restaurant') in Brooklyn in February.  My friend 
Lou, from 'RSU, was up for the show... at some point he asked me, "Are 
they ALWAYS this good?"  "At least," I promised.  The Fleshtones know 
how to mix it up... stuff from the older records, plus tracks from the last 
few discs, and even some of the stuff due out on their next LP.  During 
"Leather Kings", I once again found myself doing the choreography... right 
arm out, facing down; then left arm, ditto; turn the right palm up; then the 
left, ditto; right hand to left shoulder; then, left hand to right shoulder; 
now bow.  Yup, you got it.  (Actually, maybe I've got the hands mixed 
up...)  At the end, it was time for their march out... right thru the doors to 
the back of a truck... playing as they drove away.  The Fleshtones... "Put 
'em in the Hall of Fame!"

Tuesday, July 4th... I showed up early, real early.  Like a bit after 8 PM.  
Now, to some of you out-of-town folks, that doesn't mean much.  Your  
city/town/general store/whatever probably closes down the bars by 2 the 
latest... which means a much earlier start.  But in NYC, the bars don't have 
to close till 4, so we usually start nice'n'late (which gives us all a chance to 
get dinner, see a movie, nap, or indulge in other... pleasant pastimes.  So 
this was early.  And it showed, too.  See, New Yorkers are used to shows 
starting late, so most don't show up till 10:30 or so.  Bad idea tonight, 'cuz 
they all missed out on The Insomniacs, who proved that they really are 
one of the best bands in town.  Unfortunately, too few of you are smart 
enough to realize this.  Geez, gang... get with it.  Can't wait to hear 
whatever track of their's appears on the live CD.  I guess I could go song 
by song, or do some sort of rundown on them, but I said enough about 
their Friday night show, so we'll leave it go.  Get everything they put out... 
Now, another group that's never done much for me are The Mad Daddies, 
so I went outside and had a chat with Insomniacs drummer Mike Sin.  
Still, I heard the MDs do a pretty swingin' cover of "Pretty Thing" from my 
perch just outside the window... Ah, finally it was time for Los Primos.  I'd 
missed their show at Continental a few weeks earlier, so I was damn 
psyched for this one.  (And, as it turns out, rightfully so.)  Ex-Devil Dogs 
Andy Gortler (guitar/vocals) and Mighty Joe Young (drums) are joined 
here by Candy Del Mar (ex-Cramps' bassist) and Pete Linzell (sax at 
various times for tons of groups, including The Vice Royals, Dragsters, 
Raunch Hands, Devil Dogs, etc.)  I had absolutely no idea what this bunch 
would be like.  Well, not exactly.  I figured they'd probably be lots like the 
Devil Dogs.  And, I guess, there are similarities to one facet of the D. Dogs.  
But this group is definitely another animal entirely.  Sure, there's some 
punk in the stew, but it fits blends together (perfectly) with a certain late 
50s/early 60s NYC musical greaser-tough attitude than anything else.  
Andy's a talented songwriter... he manages to take his favorite rock'n'roll 
from past eras and just go beyond them all to create something real 
leasing.  Now, all the little punk kiddies may not be as hyped about this as 
the D. Dogs, but I, for one, have no problem with that.  The single should 
be out by the time you read this, and the disc should be ready in the fall... 
Next up were The Botswanas, who've been rippin' a wide path thru the 
NYC scene recently.  Unfortunately, the smoke was getting to me, and I 
was pretty beat, so after a few songs I decided to grab a breath of air... and 
ran into a few friends outside.  So I listened to most of the set from just 
outside the door.  From what I heard, it was a damn good set... but "I 
cannot tell a lie" (let's hear one of today's politicians say that and mean it), 
I wasn't focused on the band the whole time.  Sorry, gang.  Next time, I 
promise... Well, The Friggs were supposed to close out the show this time, 
but... well, Palmyra Delran got nailed in the eye by a vengeful bungee 
cord and had to go to the emergency room.  Thankfully, I hear she's OK 
now.

Friday, July 7th... Rock'n'Roll Bliss, pure and simple.  I mean, Ronnie & 
The Pussycats, The Trashwomen, and The Swingin' Neckbreakers all 
together on the CBGB's stage.  What I hadn't counted on was The 
Minstrels.  Actually, the reason I showed up at 9:30 was 'cuz I vaguely 
remembered Todd A. saying they were on this bill.  But I really didn't 
remember much about them.  In fact, I'd never seen them before, tho' I 
seem to recall someone giving me a tape of them a few years back (and I'd 
liked it, but hadn't heard anything about them since.)  Now I remember... 
this has gotta be the same bunch... Back in TS #12, Brian Diffenbaugh 
reviewed an EP called Come Out To Play.  "They sound like they look: a 
Merseybeat, sometimes folky sound reminiscent of The Flamin' Groovies 
and early Beatles."  Brian goes on to mention that the guys cover songs 
by Jonathan Richman (the title track) and Ben Vaughn's "She's A Real 
Scream", which he says "they turn into a Beatles-styled rave-up a la 'Dizzy 
Miss Lizzy' or 'I Saw Her Standing There'."  
	OK... so let's get to tonight.  I started out hangin' back a bit, as The 
Minstrels began in more of an instro vein.  But when things really started 
to kick in a bit later, I went right up front.  Brian's description of the band 
from some four years back still holds pretty true.  The vocals were passed 
mostly from the bassist to the drummer, but all three contributed backing 
vocals on a regular basis... and DAMN GOOD! backing vocals, yet.  Beat 
was the mainstay, but these expatriated Quebecois also checked in at the 
Link Wray rest stop, not to mention the big surf gulp that began the trip.  
Like I said, tho', Beat was the name of their best game, and these boys 
know their way around that camp.  While they don't fly as frenetically as 
The Kaisers, they outdo the Scottish lads when it comes to melody.  The 
Minstrels know melody.  And their singing... well, birds die of envy.  
(Hmm... maybe I'm laying it on a bit thick.  Well, too bad... these guys 
sound DAMN GOOD!  Remember that - DAMN GOOD!)  You should've 
seen the big, wide grin on my face and the sparkle in my eye.  Geez, the 
band's drummer could see how much fun I was having from his perch 
way back there onstage.  Yup, I was happy.  Throw in covers of Jonathan 
Richman's "Dancing Late At Night" and, well - like I said - I was happy.  
Real happy.  DAMN happy.
	OK... next up were Ronnie & the Pussycats.  These four gals have 
been making quite a splash with their appearances around NY town.  
Yeah, sure, it's mostly (all?) covers, but nobody gives a damn.  Why?  
Well, firstly, their choices are primo.  But, more importantly, they pull 'em 
off with energy spurting out their pores.  (Pretty amazing... I just sweat.)  
And I get to hear Sue Stanley singin' backing vocals... and Heidi Lieb 
hittin' that guitar and worrying about little else.
	Time then, for the out-of-town trio, The Trashwomen.  My first-ever 
time seeing these gals.  I remember tuning into their trashy tramping a 
few years back and thinking, "These girls are having FUN!"  The T-women 
went wild this night, having yet more fun.  As did the crowd.  While all 
the gals were fantastic, it's Elka (guitar) who gets my hands-down vote as 
the biggest 'wow'.  Her guitaring was... uh, wow.  (Can you tell I'm not a 
musician-type?)
	By the time The Swingin' Neckbreakers came on, I was plumb-
tuckered out.  Which, of course, didn't stop me from jumping around like 
a maniac.  I just took breaks now and then.  (Hey... gotta rest here and 
there... I'll be 30 in a couple months.)  Of course, when they slammed into 
"The Girl Can't Help It", I was on my feet, gettin' ready to stomp-and-
shout-and-work-it-on-out (and just about any other frenzified flakiness 
you can think of.)

Thursday, July 13th... I ended up missing Blacktop's big Wednesday night 
show in NYC, thanks to my 4 hour class in the morning, plus afternoon 
interviews that had me travelling to the top of the Garden State Parkway 
then about 65 miles down it immediately thereafter.  Well, that just meant 
I'd have to see this bunch the next night at Maxwells.  Which I did.  And 
was mighty pleased with my decision.  These guys & gal were the cricket's 
chirp.  (Gotta stay away from cliches like "the bee's knees" and "cat's 
meow", y'know.)  Seeing Mick out front again was a pure joy.  And 
watching Darrin Lin Wood was pretty damn cool, too.  Not to mention 
Janet, who was whackin' those drums just right... in addition to being 
extremely attractive.  (Maybe I should be leaving that kinda stuff out of 
the mag, but... well, that's part of the rock'n'roll experience, gang.  I mean, 
plenty of girls are nuts about guys in rock'n'roll bands.  What's wrong 
with guys being attracted to a girl onstage?  OK, let's get outta here before 
we're cut off at the pass.  Hope that made sense to at least one of you out 
there.)  Anyway, Blacktop handed over most everything off their vinyl-to-
date, plus a version of "Idol With The Golden Head", which Mick did to 
such great effect with the Gories back in the days of yore.  My only regret 
is that this lineup is no more.  (Of course, the new lineup is something to 
look forward to with great anticipation... see the Bits & Pieces section at 
the end of the zine.)

Now... I went to a fair amount of shows over the summer... but at some 
point, I just got too busy to worry about writing all this.  Or maybe I just 
got too lazy.  Actually, it's both.  I was spending so much time finishing 
up with school that, after learning how to lay out #53, I was in no mood to 
write down what shows I'd been to.

So let's pick it up with September 1st over at Maxwells.  I got there a 
couple songs into The Hentchmen's set.  They were riding high at the 
time, organ dancing out front, etc.  All the hits and more.  My only 
problem was that they played a bit too long for my tastes.  I ended up 
heading out for a chat with a few friends.  I could still hear from my spot 
in the hallway, but I was also able to catch up with my friend Danielle, 
who I hadn't seen in a couple years.  Later on, Danielle asked me if I was 
ready to dance.  We first got to hanging out when I used to go out to 
Bethlehem, PA every week or two to see The Original Sins, St. John's 
Alliance, or The Creatures.  And she was my #1 dance partner out there.  
Would I dance tonight?  "I don't know..."  Well, she was not going to take 
that for an answer.  So dance I did.  As The Original Sins once again 
reminded everyone why they've been one of my favorite bands for nearly 
eight years now.  Tonight's set included material from almost every record 
and was (as usual) a damn good time.  The only thing that got in the way 
of my enjoyment was these two buttheads.  Let me explain... well, better 
yet, we'll use ex-roomie Andy's description.  "Some people think that 
paying your six bucks gives you the right to act like an asshole."  And, 
y'know, it doesn't.  So these guys are pretty much slamming each other all 
over the place, happy as can be, completely oblivious to everyone else in 
the room.  Now, if they were, say, in high school or college, I might've 
understood.  But these chumps had to be at least in their late 20s (like 
yours truly).  And they just have no repect for anyone else.  Well, chump 
#2 was a bit further from me, so I didn't have too much of a problem with 
him.  But Numero Uno kept flying into me.  When he finally hit me head 
on, I told him to watch it... that I was trying to dance (civilized-like).  But, 
inside of a minute, Chumpo went flying into me yet again.  But this time I 
was semi-ready.  As he hit me, I managed to step back a bit, grab him, and 
use the rest of his force to slam him up against the cement wall.  Now, 
genius boy had absolutely no clue why I was treating him in this 
neanderthal manner.  (I told you he was oblivious.)  After his friends 
separated me from him, he asked me why I hadn't just asked him to 
refrain from his offensive actions.  OK... whatever.  Luckily, the Sins 
played a good while longer, which gave me and Danielle a chance to get 
back into the dancing groove.

Friday September 9th:  Back at Maxwells again, this time for The Hi-Fives, 
The Flat Duo Jets, and The Swingin' Neckbreakers.  Now, I hadn't heard 
the Hi-Fives (well, not under that name... I had a seven-incher by them 
from their days as The Ne'er-Do-Wells), but both Eric Fusco & The 
Platterpuss had had good things to say about them.  So I was pretty 
bummed out when I got there and found out they were halfway thru their 
set.  But, from what I saw... well, I gotta see them again.  These guys were 
a ton of fun, pulling off some real 60s Mersey-style moves, playing some 
fun, almost Beat-style, rock'n'roll.  But the thought that jumped to mind 
more than any other was... The Smugglers.  And, evidently, they get that 
comparison quite often.  Which doesn't bother them at all... 'cuz The 
Smugglers are a ton of fun.  (In fact, the two groups have a split 45 coming 
out.)

Sunday September 10th:  A Sunday night and I'm going out?  Geez!  I 
gotta wake up at 6:30 AM.  Am I completely nuts?  Maybe, but I hadn't 
seen 9 Lb. Hammer or The Lazy Cowgirls in quite some time.  I'm gonna 
cut this one short and just say that I had a wild time.  9 Lb. Hammer 
delivered the goods bigtime.  And the crowd was pumped for it, too.  It 
seemed like a bunch of folks left before the Cowgirls went on... but that 
was their loss, 'cuz Pat & Co. went wild.  Pat brought the show right into 
the audience only to find himself tackled by Ms. Jodi.  The Lazy Cowgirls 
are only getting better.  Shame on those of you who blew this one off.

Saturday September 16th:  Somehow things just weren't feeling right this 
night.  Not enough get-up-and-go on my part maybe?  Hard to say.  I 
thought I'd be missing something when I turned around about a mile from 
my house to go back and check if I'd closed the refrigerator.  But actually it 
ended up being a good thing.  See, the paper had said Mildred Pierce were 
opening.  Well... they weren't.  Instead there was some truly horrible band 
on when I got to Continental around 10:30.  So bad, infact, that I overheard 
the bartender tell the lead singer something like (and this is NOT a direct 
quote, so leave me alone), "Every time I see you guys I like you less and 
less."  (Of course, he went on to blame it on the other guys in the band.)  
Luckily, Los Primos were up next.  Not a big enough crowd for my taste, 
but the band was still pretty rockin'.  Definitely different than the 
Fabulous Andy G.'s last outing (The Devil Dogs), with some great sax 
sounds courtesy of Pete Linzell (also currently of The Vice Royals).  More 
on them later.

Friday September 22nd:  Two stops on tonight's itinerary, which makes 
me feel a bit like I did about six or seven years ago.  Plus, I'm living in 
Rutherford, so I can stay out late and not have to worry about the long 
drive home.  First, I head over to the Lion's Den in the West Village, for 
the latest installment of the revitalized Mind's Eye.  I showed up just in 
time to catch the Wrong Directions.  This New Haven trio is pretty much 
The Double Naught Spys without a bassist.  They didn't do many 
originals, but the one I remember was pretty cool.  As were their 
covers of a couple Remains' songs.  Next up were The Creatures of the 
Golden Dawn, who've got a new disc out on Collectables.  (Well, actually, 
it's older stuff finally seeing the light of day.)  I've been seeing these 
Bethlehem boys for about 8 years or so now.  I'll have to agree with a 
recent post to banana-truffle that said they're just getting better.  
	Over to Coney Island High, then, to catch The Chesterfield Kings.  
Now, as many of you know, I spent the mid-80s going to school up in the 
Kings' home stomping grounds of Rochester, NY.  Yeah, Rochester... it's 
between Buffalo and Syracuse; it's cold; lotsa snow (add in a few extra 
inches for the "lake effect" every time, too); Nick Tahou's Garbage Plates; 
House of Guitars; and The Chesterfield Kings.  Back in the mid-80s, the C. 
Kings ruled the garage roost with the likes of The Lyres, The Miracle 
Workers, The Pandoras, The Vipers, & The Fuzztones.  Now, all but the 
Kings & the Lyres are gone.  The Kings, like The Lyres, however, 
have been thru a number of lineup changes.  At this point, the only 
originals are vocalist Greg Prevost and bassist Andy Babiuk.  And, truth 
be told, most NYC area fans haven't been too high on the group since 
about '88 or so. Me?  Well, I remember being pretty down on Berlin Wall 
of Sound when it came out.  (And I still rank that as the band's low point.)  
And, while I enjoyed last year's Let's Go Get Stoned for what it was, it still 
doesn't come close to the group's first three LPs.  So... you'll remember 
that - thru a quirk of timing - I saw the guys twice within a week's time 
last year.  You'll also recall that not many folks much cared for the boys' 
performance down at Maxwells last October.  I thought it had its 
moments, but evidently not much of the old guard really cared for it.  And 
there weren't that many people there, either (which may have had 
something to do with the fact that the guys hadn't even come to NYC for 
something like four years before that.)  So I walked in this night only out 
of a sort of loyalty to old friends.  I checked out part of the Turbo ACs, 
who were in the midst of a charged-up Mod portion of their performance 
and sounding pretty good, Rickenbackers blazing.  Things changed a bit 
later and I headed down to CI High's Detention Lounge to see if Andy or 
Greg was around.  I ran into Andy and chatted for a while.  It was then 
that he told me that they were gonna play the same set they'd done on a 
recent European tour, a sort of "greatest hits" set.  
That gave me some hope, but I still didn't know what that really meant.
	Then they came on with "Stop", the title cut of their second LP, from 
1985.  This was looking good.  Real good!  Fast Eddie had just come from 
the Stiff Little Fingers show over at Tramps and the look on his face was 
priceless.  This was what he'd always loved from the Chesterfield Kings.  
And when they moved on to "99th Floor", he blasted off.  A few songs 
later they hit "Bad Woman" and we both went into orbit.  That cruncher 
has always gotten me bouncing off the walls and tonight's take on it was 
no different.  Follow this one by "Little Girl" and "Are You Gonna Be 
There?" and barriers were being smashed to smithereens.  They eased up 
for "Critics Choice", the perfect change-up to lead into "Time To Kill" (a 
personal fave from the first LP).  Not much later, we heard "Satisfaction 
Guaranteed" and "60 Second Swinger."  (The latter being one of the tracks 
that got me nuts about these guys way back when.)  "Don't Need Your 
Lovin'" had us completely gone.  It's been over a month since this show 
and I'm still reeling over just how good these guys were that night.  I hope 
they keep doing sets like this.  'Cuz that'll have 'em reminding folks just 
who the Kings are.  So, to answer a question from alt.music.banana-
truffle... yeah, they were MORE than worth the trip across town this night.

Saturday September 30th:  

Friday October 13th:  I'd missed The Vacant Lot's record release party a 
week and a half earlier 'cuz it was during the week and I didn't want to 
take the chance of being out real late on a school night.  So I showed up to 
Coney Island High this night in time to catch the boys do their thing.  
Unfortunately, Mike's guitar was having some pretty major problems this 
time out.  Even so, they blasted thru a set dominated by material from 
their new LP, peppered with a few choice older numbers, plus covers of "I 
Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" and an encore of "Drive In".  Next up 
were The Dickies.  Before they went on, I stood around the second or third 
row, next to Holly, who's pretty tiny.  We hadn't seen each other for a 
while, so we said our "Hello's" and got on with the business of waiting for 
the show.  Then this biiig, steroid-type one-time punk bullies his way thru 
us, looks at Holly and says, "Aren't you a bit small to be up front?"  Holly 
just kinda looked at him and said, "Aren't you a bit big to be up front?"
	The Dickies went on and a huge shock wave of flesh and bone 
flattened most of us against each other.  So I spent the next 45 minutes or 
so a bit to the side.  Meanwhile, this one rather attractive young lady 
latches on to Brutus and he clears a path thru the crowd with her for the 
rest of the show.  He was in a pretty wild mood already, so I guess when 
she ripped her shirt off (don't worry, Mom & Dad, she had a bra on... 
strictly PG-13 here) Brutus got kinda excited.  So much so that she 
eventually started coming up with ploys to separate from him.  Even if it 
meant being manhandled by half the crowd as she passed above their 
heads.  (Before Le Brute plucked her down.)  Geez, she even did a little 
time using a couple of us as human shields, playing hide & go seek with 
the guy.  I guess he might have gotten the picture if she hadn't kept going 
back to him.  And I suppose those kisses probably didn't discourage him 
much.  Later, she went home with her boyfriend.  The Dickies?  Oh, yeah... 
they were great.  Lots of the old hits plus a couple new ones.  What else do 
you wanna know?

Saturday October 14th:  I got to Maxwells early tonight, since The 
Botswanas were opening up.  I won't dwell on this, but this bunch is really 
taking off.  Definitely a group everyone ought to see.  Power-pop with a 
definite feel for the garage, but dwelling nowhere near the past.  Anyway, 
tonight the place was packed 'cuz Southern Culture On The Skids were in 
town.  They've been pulling packed houses around here for a while now, 
but tonight's was different.  Many of the old familiar faces were either 
waiting for Monday night's show at Irving Plaza in NYC or they just 
hadn't gotten tix in time.  As a result, lots of the newer fans were around.  
Not really a bad thing, 'cept these folks don't know enough to dance.  Still, 
the band sounded great, on both old & new.  Todd A. reprised his Santo 
role, the Skid-Ettes (a bunch of Hoboken-NYC gal-pals acquainted with 
the band) came onstage to dance thru a few songs (and hand out the 
chicken), and I got to hold the limbo pole.  For me, the highlight was my 
favorite from the new LP, "Firefly".   Can't wait to see SCOTS on New 
Year's Eve.

Friday & Saturday, October 20th & 21st:  I got to the Mercury Lounge just 
about 11 PM on Friday night.  Not a smart move as it turned out, 'cuz the 
joint was jammed.  Sold-out, actually.  But I hung on line, anyway, as 
Bailter Space (described by one attendee as "the evil anti- A-Bones") 
finished their set.  Sure enough, a bunch of BS fans left and the door-types 
let a few of us in.    I worked my way forward, running into a few old 
friends, chatting, etc.  Then the band came on and time to talk was at an 
end.  Time for Man or Astro-Man?  "We're from Space."  (They meant 
Outer.)  The next night was at Maxwells, an infinitely better venue... for 
just about any band I'd ever want to see.  Tonight, Dex Rex played it 
smart... he donned the Dex Rex 2000 robot gear at the start of the show, 
rather than the end.  This way, if he fell, someone would be on-stage to 
help him up.  Unlike the night before, when he lay face down on the stage 
for nearly 15 minutes after the show.  At one point, either Birdstuff or Star 
Crunch messed up (the band opinion was that it was Birdstuff), but 
refused to do the required push-ups.  Birdstuff said he'd do 'em if Star 
Crunch did, but somehow neither one went at it.  Geez, Coco did 'em the 
night before.  Of course, when Coco messed up at the second go, it was 
decided that he wasn't gonna do 'em this time, either. See?  That's how 
discipline erodes.  Next thing you know, these space refugees are gonna 
be too wide to fit back in their space suits.  All 'cuz they refused to do a 
couple measly push-ups.
	Surf instro stuff is going thru a real boom right now, partially due, 
obviously, to the return of Dick Dale.  And, OK, "Misirlou" is "that song 
from Pulp Fiction", but most of the surf groups out there right now have 
been doing this stuff since long before the movie.  And before the Al 
Bundy TV cheapo collect call phone commercials, too.  Before Los 
Straitjackets placed a song on Melrose Place.  While some of these groups 
stay in the traditional mode, others are adding, subtracting, multiplying, 
and dividing the sound. Some just let it flow and flow, others go for the 
spaghetti-western thing, others get tough with it... and then there's Man or 
AstroMan?, best known for their sci-fi angle.  (Of course, anyone who's 
listened knows they're doing MUCH more than just that, but...) In my 
opinion, MoAM? are the most popular of all the instro-surf influenced 
groups around.  (They're certainly my personal favorite, tho' The 
Bomboras are making a damn good run.)  And, as with the night before, 
the Maxwells show sold out early.  The guys picked from just about every 
point in their gigantic discography for these sets... including a couple 
vocal numbes... "Destination Venus" & the "MST 3000 Love Theme" have 
become major fan favorites.  But so have a bunch of the older things, like 
"Nitrous Burnout" and "The Joker's Wild."  And, while the schtick 
certainly helps bring in a few fans, it's the group's BIG sound that carries 
'em forward.

Friday October 27th:  Roberta had said she wasn't into making the trek 
down to Philly tonight, so I finally made good on my promise to take her 
out to dinner at this local place that's all into natural food.  (Me, I'm 
perfectly happy with White Castles, but Roberta's still clinging to the old 
ways.)  Of course, right before I left, I put on Teengenerate's first 45.  She 
was hooked.  I gave her three minutes to get ready.  She took ten.  We still 
made it to Philly with plenty of time to spare.  As it turned out, The Friggs 
were playing over at Khyber nice and early.  (There was some Philly 
Music Convention-type thing happening.)  We missed it, mainly 'cuz 
we ended up hanging out with Coco, Star Crunch, and Marisa, who was 
finishing up her MOAM? interview (should be ready for TS #55) just as 
we arrived.  I gotta say, usually when I hang out with rock'n'roll bands 
before the show, the conversation is more about music than anything else.  
This one, however, detoured into the world of computers.  Various Mac 
hardware and software made their way into the discussion, but a fair 
chunk of the discussion was on Web pages and Netscape Navigator 2.0.  
But we're supposed to be talking about the show here.
	Eventually, the Astro-boys had to start thinking about the show, so 
Marisa, Roberta, & I made our way upstairs to watch Los Primos.  I tried 
hanging back with Roberta, but when they went into "Pretty Flamingo", I 
had to be up front.  This one's becoming a particular favorite of mine.  

IN THEIR OWN WORDS:
	Most of this section comes in the form of e-mail messages.
	I'd been cruising around UseNet when I dropped in on 
alt.music.alternative.female for the first time in a while.  Which is where I 
saw a couple comments about Brenda Kahn.  Through asking about, I 
found out how to get in touch with Brenda and soon got the following 
message from her.  "Good to hear from you.  You may have heard I am no 
longer with Sony.  They dropped my record 2 weeks before the release 
date.  Now I'm making plans to mail order it myself, and release it 
through independent distribution later in the fall.  I have a new band 
together and we should be playing out by the end of the summer."  
(OK, OK, old message, I know.)
	As I stated last issue, one of the nicest people I met at GarageShock 
this year was Tim Kerr of the Lord High Fixers.  I asked him about his 
own group's recordings, as well as some other material that he's had a 
hand in producing. (Much of which he's given me a preview of.  And this 
stuff is sounding incredible!)  So, first, about the LHF.  "It will all be on a 
CD from Au Go-Go and various vinyl over here... Estrus, Sympathy, In 
The Red, etc..."  Now, about the rest of the stuff he's been working on.  
"The Motards album will be on either Little Deputy or Empty.  The Death 
Valley 10" will be on Double Naught Texas comp Vol. #1.  ...Au Go-Go 
[for The] Makers... Sympathy/Estrus Cryin' Out Louds... No Lie (along 
with a texas speed trial live recording)."
	As many have heard, Blacktop have called it a day after an 
extremely brief existence.   Much news was heard on banana-truffle about 
the revamping of the group.  First, all we heard was that Darrin & Janet 
(guitar & drums) of the Fireworks had split the group and that Lord High 
Fixers' Tim Kerr & Stefanie Friedman had replaced them.  Then the news 
was that the name was the Soul Imperative Quartet.  Then The Imperative 
Quartet.  Finally, this news from Tim.  "The official name for this (Blacktop 
new thang) is The King Sound Quartet. We are recording right now and it 
is going really good with lots of new ideas to work on for future 
recordings... Covers at this time are "Memphis Train" (Rufus Thomas), 
"Whole Lot Of Shakin'" (The Miracles), and we are going to attempt 
"Tonite Space Is The Place" (Sun Ra).   Pretty crazy, but its a blast!"
	Alex added, "Look out for a 10" on In The Red Records and a 7" on 
Estrus in early '96." 
	Henry Owings writes, "The Oblivians and MOA? singles should be 
out by summer's end.  Oblivians do "Pill Popper part 1&2" which smokes 
live so much it's on the B side."
	From Stanton Park Records' chief Aram Heller, "The Nines have a 
brand new 45 on a new label called Clamorama."  For those who're 
unaware, this is the group formed by guitarists Evan Shore & Dave 
Harrison upon the dissolution of The Voodoo Dolls in the Spring of '94.
	Aram also had news of his own.  First off, he's got a 'zine coming 
out, entitled Banjo Room Revisited "after a club that was in Cambridge in 
the mid to late 60s."  In addition, he's got a new comp coming out, called 
Relative Distance Vol. 2.   Included on it will be "All 60s bands:  Bad 
Manners, Bondsmen, Travis Pike's Tea Party (the same track as Bill's 
comp, unfortunately) Triangle, Barracudas, and on and on....I sequenced 
this almost 2 years ago, I can't remember right now cause I haven't been 
working on it for a few months. It is probably not going to be out till the 
end of the year."
	I asked Deke Dickerson if the Dave & Deke Combo had anything 
in the works.  "Yes, the album is completed.  It should be out on both vinyl 
and CD in January or February.  It's called Hollywood Barn Dance and is 
going to be on the HEYDAY record label of San Francisco."  Also, adds 
Deke, "I'm working on a bunch of new ECCO-FONIC releases, mostly 
rockabilly reissue 45's (Missouri stuff and otherwise) and maybe even a 
Deke LP if I can find the time to record it."
	Grant Lawrence chimes in with the following news on his wild 
Vancouver bunch, The Smugglers.  "Hey, here's some Schmuggie news for 
you: besides touring around western USA this Sept/Oct (Grant sent me 
this in early September, I think.), us Smugs are finally doing a European 
tour! Yeah, so far we have a week of Spanish dates booked for early 
November and we HOPE to add dates in France, Germany, and maybe 
Belgium, Italy or Switzerland. We're excited!  Just read the latest great 
issue of TS again while recording a new Spanish EP at Dave's (for the tour, 
entitled, and I think you'll like this one, "Senor Pantsdown").
	And he issues the following warning, "WATCH OUT!!! ...for these 
new Smugglers' records: "Whiplash!" 7" (1+2 Records/Japan), "Talkin' 
'Bout You" 7" (Pin Up Records/Germany).  Coming soon: "To Serve, 
Protect and Entertain" 7" EP (Homo Habilis Records/USA), "Senor 
Pantsdown" 7" EP (Rock 'n' Roll Inc. Records/Spain), Smugglers/Hi-Fives 
"Summer Games" split 7" EP/CD-EP (Mint/Lookout! 
Records/Canada/USA)."
	Mark Smith, lead singer for The Creatures of the Golden Dawn 
passes along the following info on upcoming/current releases.  "Standing 
At The Gates Of Time will be out in a couple of weeks (it's on the shelves 
according to a friend or two; review next ish? - ed.)  - 16 songs from the JT 
era (Editor's Note:  JT was the lead guitarist for the Creatures during their 
first couple years.  Around '87 or so, he released a single by his then-side 
project, The Original Sins.  Soon after, the group split up, with Creatures' 
bassist Ken Bussiere & drummer Dave Ferrara joining JT in making the 
Sins a full-time thing.), and 2 from 1990 - "Clown With The Broken 
Frown", and "Living In Sarah's Lies".  It also includes the original (pre-
Neckbreakers) "Same All Over The World" from 1986!  The second one 
will be out in early 1996, and is about half done.  We're doing it at Coyote, 
and Peter Zaremba is asst. engineer (OOOHH...).  Dave Amels came and 
played on a cover, and will be providing more scintillating organ playing 
on a few originals next session."

BANANA-TRUFFLE RUMORS, ETC.:
	Hey, here's a hot one that I have from a reliable source who shall 
not be mentioned."The guitarist for The Makers has quit and is moving to 
San Francisco, where he will join up with Mr. Greg Lowery and Mr. Shane 
White to form a new band, which will probably be the snottiest, rockin'est 
band yet.  (Lab Rats) But have no fear, The Makers have already found a 
new guitarist. I don't know who that is.  (A guy named Jamie, who's said 
to be pretty damned wild.) The Zodiacs is  the name for Greg Lowery, 
Shane White (ex-Rip-Offs), Tim Maker and whoever their new drummer 
is.  Greg said he dumped "the Lab Rats" after seeing too many other bands 
with rat names at the record store. So it's back to something more 
personal.  And the gimmick is wearing black, cuz "black is it, man" (a 
direct quote)."


AND THE REST:
	Drummer Mighty Joe Vincent has left Los Primos.  Filling the stool 
for an indefinite period is Mike Zadroga, ex-Vacant Lot and many others.
	Ms. Ginger Moon has left The Friggs, reportedly to start her own 
group and play stuff more suited to her own personal tastes.  Replacing 
her on bass will be Ms. Sookie Von Trapp.  Many NYC-area fans know... 
uh, Sookie, from her days in Sit N'Spin, but she's also been extremely busy 
since her move from New Jersey up to Manhattan a year or so back.  She's 
played with tons of folks, most notably (to me) Ronnie & The Pussycats... 
The Chesterfield Kings are recording a surf album!  This was first heard 
from two distinct sources.  Not hard to believe, really.  After all, Andy told 
me back in '85 that they wanted to do a surf LP.  Of course, he also 
promised a folk-punk LP.  Hmm, be great if that happened, too.  Maybe 
someone needs to put the bug in his ear.  Anyway, as you've already 
read, I had a chance to talk to Mr. Babiuk before the C. Kings set at Coney 
Island High.  'Tis verily true, the Rochester fivesome are, indeed, working 
on a surf LP.  Instrumental surf fans, however, will have to look 
elsewhere, 'cuz this one's surf vocal.  All covers, too, I believe, including 
"Our Car Club" and "Little Honda".  Why such obvious choices?  Basically, 
Andy said, they're only gonna do one surf record - they might as well do 
the ones they really love.  They're evidently having such a good time with 
the surf thing that they're considering a surf-only tour.  While they record 
this one, however, they're also doing a regular record.  This one includes a 
cover of an old Chocolate Watch Band chestnut... with Jorma Kaukonen 
sitting in on guitar!... One of the best groups in Boston in the 80s were The 
Prime Movers, starting with (if I recall) their cover of The Haunted's "1-2-
5" back around '81, and continuing thru their track on Battle of the 
Garages, Volume II, the early version of their "hit", "Come To Where It's 
At" (if you haven't heard this one, you're in for a treat), as well as some 
songs on the old Throbbing Lobster comps, plus their Matter of Time EP.  
Best of all, though, were their live shows.  When they broke up (was it 
'87?) I remember being pretty bummed out.  Almost all of them climbed 
right back up on the rock'n'roll horse, tho', with a few of the guys forming 
a real heavy pop trio called The Slaves.  (I remember someone at the time 
saying they were between the Blues Magoos and Blue Cheer, but that was 
way too much of a rock description; these guys had damn fine pop roots.)  
They did one LP with a track called "Radio Daze" that still gets spun on 
my turntable to this day.  But it was singer Cam Ackland that really took 
off, playing with The Voodoo Dolls, one of the best rockin' groups of the 
late 80s/early 90s, recording a few singles, plus one LP/CD, and blowing 
everyone's minds with killer live gigs.  So what's the point?  Well, The 
Prime Movers are back together and (sez Quisp) itching to play out.  As 
drummer Dennis moved out to the West Coast a few years back, his spot 
is filled by ex-Voodoo Doll Bruce Pierce.  Look out for these guys, 'cuz 
they're one of the best... The Original Sins disc on Bar None is going 
through some changes, it seems.  Originally, it was supposed to just be the 
material that JT released on LP as Turn You On.  But it's taken Bar None so 
long to get on the ball with that project that they've decided to expand on 
things.  This brought the O. Sins to NJ to record some other material.  
Including, I think, all of JT's Bethlehem LP.  This was a recording JT did a 
few years back that was supposed to be a solo release.  He got a couple of 
the other Sins to back him up, but it was supposed to be under his name.  
It was extremely different (I thought) from the Original Sins material of 
the time.  Nowhere near as wild.  More on the level of stuff like "Why 
Don't You Smile, Joan?" and "Read Your Mind" from Big Soul.  Well, 
anyway, Bethlehem never came out.  Which really bummed me out, as it 
was a strong record.  Here we are now - it must be at least five years later 
(though my time sense has been off before) - and they've rerecorded that 
stuff as a band to be included with the Turn You On material (and some 
more stuff) on what may be released as a double disc set by Bar None.


WHERE TO GET 'EM...
Cheemo Records
#45-345 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V5T TW5
CANADA

Dionysus Records
Hell Yeah
Bacchus Archives
PO Box 1975
Burbank, CA 91507
DDionysus@aol.com

Gaze 
720 W. 19th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1X2
CANADA

Get Hip
PO Box 666
Canonsburg, PA  15317

Gouramie Records
PO Box 856
Tucson, AZ 85702

Lucky Records
PO Box 4636
Seattle, WA  98104

Mint Records
#699-810 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
CANADA  V5Z 4C9

Norton Records
Box 646 Cooper Station
New York, NY  10003

Not Lame Recordings
PO Box 9828
Aspen, CO  81612
notlame@aol.com

Perfect Pop Records
Daelenenggata 14A
N-0567 Oslo
NORWAY

Pollo Del Mar
4104 24th St. #237
San Francisco, CA  94114
pollodmar@aol.com

Precedent Records
7616 Latona NE
Seattle, WA  98115

Pure Filth Records
PO Box 77473
San Francisco, CA 94107

Rat City Records
9014 45th Ave. sw #20
Seattle, WA  98126

Self Records
CX. Postal 2211
Salvador/Bahia/BRAZIL
40.210-970
messias@ufba.br
http://www.dcc.ufba.br/~deus

Shake Records
598 Victoria C.P. 36587
St-Lambert, Quebec
CANADA J4P-3S8

Telstar Records
PO Box 1123
Hoboken, NJ  07030

Twist Like This
PO Box 540995
Houston, TX  77254

Worrybird Disc
PO Box 9548
Atlanta, GA 30347


Well... that about wraps it up... Catch ya next time...

		Blair
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