Pop/Punk Fix

Good punk/pop from Tucson.  They drink the same Buzzcocks/Clash/et alia Kool-Aid as their more talented predecessors, The Exploding Hearts.  I also detect some Johnny Thunders and Hives, and this seems to channel Love.  Some weaknesses in lead vocals, but strong guitar work and decent hooks compensate.  I’d put them on par with The Number Ones from a few years ago.  Formulaic perhaps, but it’s still a great formula after almost fifty years. As for lyrics, does anyone care in this kind of music?

The above songs are not necessarily the best from a recent album worth listening through.  There are a couple of semi-duds, but even those have some strong points.  I think they have two earlier albums, but I haven’t gotten to them yet.

Watch Me Jumpstart

I recently stumbled onto a Spotify playlist called Guided by Voices 100 Best Songs. It’s incredible, packed with tons of amazing songs I’ve never heard before.

By total coincidence, YouTube reminded me today that I once watched this mini documentary about the band. Definitely worth a look, and only 36 minutes long. See what you reckon!

New Cure!

Here’s the first single of the first new Cure album in 16 years! What say you bastards? Song of a Lost World drops November 1.

Sublime

Saw these two – Dan Reeder and his daughter Peggy – with Agauhlut last Tuesday at the Crosstown Green Room. (Greg Cartwright opened.) Dan Reeder is a fascinating dude. Here’s a brief bio …

Born in 1954 Lafayette, Louisiana, he moved to California at six, where he would eventually study art. He began his creative career at Chapman College, eventually progressing to California State Fullerton, where he met his wife. When her visa expired, Reeder, with just one semester left of university, decided to move to Nuremberg, Germany. Even though his intentions were to finish out his degree in California after a six month stay, Nuremberg won Reeder over and he never returned to school. Since his move over 30 years ago, Reeder has lived a full life as an esteemed visual artist. He got married and raised three children. He has won various visual art awards, participated in numerous exhibitions, led art seminars, and took on a visiting professorship at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste (aka, Germany’s Academy of Fine Arts). He published an overview of his work in 2012, Art Pussies Fear This Book. In between all of his artistic accolades, sometime in the early 2000’s, Reeder sent a burned CD to John Prine. Prine listened — and signed Reeder to his label, Oh Boy Records.

Otis Blackwell

“That seemed to have been the practice at that time.”

Don’t Be Cruel at about 7:10. Magnificent.