... Stupefaction ...: 08/01/2011

Aug 31, 2011

This weekend at the Vinyl Garage in Woodstock NY

It's that semi-time of year again. Mark Zip puts up the tents, opens the garage, and offers all sorts of wondrous items for your approval. Behold, "The Hell with Hurricane Irene! The Huge! Insane! Labor Day Music Yard Sale is ON!"

Woodstock NY – Sept 3, 4, 5 – 2011 10:00AM - 6:00PM each day, rain or shine. Click here for map & directions.

Zip’s Ziggurat presents another Huge! Insane! Music Yard Sale!

10,000s of LPs , CDs, 45s +12”s - rock, pop, hip hop, country, dance, world, folk, reggae, soul, alt.rock, jazz, funk, punk, r+b, metal, classical, techno, new wave, house, old-timey, breaks, spoken, 80’s, electro, blues, promos, DVDs (music + features), tons more.

Many at insultingly low prices. As low as $0.50 (hey, some are even “cheaper than free”). Listen before you buy. Free refreshments too!

Osnas Lane
Near Rt 212 + Glasco Turnpike junction (Next to Red Onion Restaurant)
Woodstock / West Saugerties NY

Good Times: Nile on skates

These images of Nile Rodgers rollerskating in his kitchen during a recent rainy weekend were too great not to point out. Hat tip to Disney Roller Girl.

Vaughn Mason & Crew - Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll:

Chic - Good Times:

Aug 30, 2011

New book alert - Bob Gruen's Rock Seen

FoB© Bob Gruen has a new book out now via the folks at Abrams. After having quite a few wonderful books published of his work over the years, this is, surprisingly, the first time anyone has published a career covering compendium. And Gruen has about 40 years of rock 'n' roll road behind him at this point. Regular readers of Stupefaction will know this. I've seen a copy of this, and its absolutely beautiful...put together with the usual care for detail that Abrams specializes in. Check it out, and order here.

"For 40 years, Bob Gruen’s name has been synonymous with rock and roll. From taking early photos on tour with Ike and Tina Turner, to capturing the early CBGB/Max’s Kansas City scene to covering current stadium rockers such as Green Day, Gruen has always been at the right place at the right time—and he’s always gotten the shot. In this lavish monograph, Gruen has curated his favorite photographs from his career, with intimate captions and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Featuring such illustrious acts as the Clash, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Ramones, and more, and including an introduction by the legendary Debbie Harry of Blondie, this collection is a must-have for all fans of rock and roll."

Get yer earplugs ready, D-Gen is back!

What initially seemed to be a few recently announced casual reunion shows has apparently turned into a full blown reunion for keepers of the rock 'n' roll flame, D-Generation.

Along with the announcement of shows comes the news that the band will be releasing new material in 2012. The band have confirmed shows for early September in Spain and London leading up to a NYC headline show at Irving Plaza and then San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, Chicago, Austin and possibly more. The band will be playing material from their three full-length albums D-Generation (1994), No Lunch (1996) and Through The Darkness (1999), and plan to write new material, post shows, for a release in 2012.

Originally splitting in 1999, the members (Jesse Malin, Danny Sage, Howie Pyro, Michael Wildwood and Richard Bacchus) last got together as D-Generation in 2008. Legendary Rolling Stone writer, David Fricke, has said about one of the band's more well known songs: "There is no better sales pitch for the snot-rock classicism and teenage-warfare spirit of D-Generation than [the song] "No Way Out." Richard Bacchus’ and Danny Sage’s guitars spit bullets, singer Jesse Malin seethes with rabid impatience. Malin, Sage, Bacchus, bassist Howie Pyro and drummer Michael Wildwood embrace the values of aggressive brevity." Fricke went on to label the song a "stone classic" and fervently predicted more to come from the band.

"No Way Out":

D-Generation has toured with such artists as Social Distortion, L7, Green Day, Cheap Trick, The Misfits, and The Offspring, among many others. Most notably, the band also played on The Ramones’ farewell tour and the KISS reunion tour.

In closing, guitarist Danny Sage says of the new era of D-Generation, “I think it’s a good time for D-Generation. The state of rock & roll is so pathetic, and somebody needs to kick it in the ass and I’m glad it’s us.” Hear, hear!

"She Stands There":

TOUR DATES:
9/02 Benidorm, Spain @ Turborock Fest
9/03 Santander, Spain @ Turborock Fest
9/05 London, UK @ Borderline
9/17 New York @ Irving Plaza
9/23 San Diego, CA @ Casbah
9/24 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
9/25 Oakland, CA @ The Uptown
10/08 Chicago, IL @ Double Door / Riot Fest

D-Generation official website.

Photo ©Bob Gruen. Story originally done for The Vinyl District.

Daily Travels - Since 1919

Gene's, 11th Street & 6th Ave

David Honeyboy Edwards RIP

David Honeyboy Edwards - RIP

Aug 29, 2011

Daily Travels - 5th Ave & 19th Street

Aug 27, 2011

Daily Travels - Downtown N Train

Book review - Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN

Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN by James Andrew Miller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The bad: At over 700 pages, this easily could have been cut back by 25% and been even better. An oral history, there were too many quotes that just didn't need to be included. They also could have organized the whole thing better. Being someone who appreciates knowing the timeline as I'm reading, I liked the fact that it was organized in groups of years, but they could have broken it down even further, and put the corresponding quotes together in a clearer manner than they did.

The good: An amazing story of a true cultural phenomena, anyone interested in media, television, sports, or even pop culture history will appreciate this. Its an easy read too. Despite what I say above, I highly recommend it.

New Mix: Stupefaction II

While we await this hurricane I've put together a new 8 Tracks mix just for fun. I hope you like it!

1. The Impressions - East of Java
2. The Bees - Chicken Payback
3. Dave Barker & the Upsetters - Shocks of Mighty
4. Shirley Ellis - Soul Time
5. Donovan - Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)
6. John Hammond - I Wish You Would
7. Area Code 615 - Stone Fox Chase
8. Tom Waits - Hang On St. Christopher

Aug 26, 2011

Before and After: The Silencers

Before - Vickie Carr:

After - Chuck Jackson:

The Vickie Carr version appears on the soundtrack to this 1966 film:

Friday Ephemera - Esquerita

Esquerita & friend photo courtesy of Preston Lauterbach who posted several cool New Orleans-related photos on his blog today. Check out his new book, The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Daily Travels - Downtown A Train

Aug 25, 2011

Daily Travels - Uptown B Train

Steve Mason and Dennis Bovell in dub

September 6 will see the physical release of Ghosts Outside (already available digitally) - a dub reworking of Steve Mason (ex-Beta Band) 2010 album Boys Outside. The album was recorded earlier this year in Livingston Studios in partnership with UK reggae legend Dennis Bovell. The album is on sale digitally now and will be available on CD and LP from http://dominorecordco.us from September 6.

Steve Mason & Dennis Bovell - Yesterday Dub by DominoRecordCo

This Saturday in Glasgow

Mike Flanagan RIP

Mike Flanagan - RIP

Aug 23, 2011

Revillos Live at Hurrah 1981

Now available on DVD, The Revillos Live at Hurrah, NYC, Feb. 14 1981

For details click here.

Tom Waits "Private" Listening Party

From TomWaits.com:
"Throughout his career, Tom Waits has created milestone albums that serve both to refine the music that has come before, and to signal a new phase in his career: Rain Dogs and Mule Variations are both counted by fans as among these pivotal works. Now comes Bad As Me, his first studio album of all new music in seven years, which finds Tom Waits in possibly the finest voice of his career and at the height of his songwriting powers, working with a veteran team of gifted musicians and longtime co-writer/producer Kathleen Brennan.

From the opening horn-fueled chug of “Chicago,” to the closing barroom chorale of “New Year’s Eve,” Bad As Me displays the full career range of Waits’ songwriting, from beautiful ballads like “Last Leaf,” to the avant cinematic soundscape of “Hell Broke Luce,” a battlefront dispatch. On tracks like “Talking at the Same Time,” Waits shows off a supple falsetto, while on blues burners like “Raised Right Men” and the gospel tinged “Satisfied” he spits, stutters and howls. Like a good boxer, these songs are lean and mean, with strong hooks and tight running times. And there is a pervasive sense of players delighting in each other’s musical company that brings a feeling of loose joy even to the album’s saddest songs. Bad As Me is a Tom Waits album for the ages."

Formats available:

CD (13 tracks)
Deluxe CD version (in a 'stunning hard bound book-like case' with a 40 page booklet sewn on the inside, and the cd with the 13 tracks and another cd with three bonus songs)
Vinyl album (180g - with 13 tracks).
All of those have an 'in store date' of the 24th (Europe) or 25th (North America) of October.
Pre-order at Kings Road Merch.

Track listing: