It's a bit last minute but I wanted to let you know about the screening of some extremely rare no wave films taking place at the Louis VESP Gallery in Brooklyn tonight (Oct. 1), and next Friday (Oct. 8). The series has been curated by the makers of the no wave film scene documentary, Blank City. Here's the scoop:
Raw Stock: No Wave Films from Downtown NYC, 1976 - 1984
Oct 1st and Oct 8th, 7-11 PM
Curated by: Vanessa Roworth, Sabine Rogers & Celine Danhier, director of the documentary “Blank City”
Selected screenings from New York’s own explosive yet fleeting era of filmmaking known as “No Wave” Cinema. Rising from the ashes of a bankrupt and destitute 1970’s Manhattan, and reacting to the modernist aesthetic of 1960’s avant-garde film, No Wave filmmakers threw out the rules and embraced their own brand of vanguard moviemaking. Inspired by the films of Warhol, Jack Smith, John Waters and The French New Wave many of the films combined elements of documentary and loose narrative structure with stark, at times confrontational imagery. Much like the No Wave music of the period from which the movement garnered its label, these filmmakers freed themselves of the constraints of formal training and pillaged the nascent East Village arts scene for co-conspirators in the likes of Lydia Lunch, James Chance, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, Richard Hell, Vincent Gallo, Steve Buscemi, Nan Goldin, Cookie Mueller and many others. With wildly varying styles, they shared the common mindset of fast and cheap, and catalyzed by collaboration. Equipment could be begged, borrowed or stolen, your friends could be your actors and the city, abandoned and free to roam, could be your set.
Friday, October 1st:
"Minus Zero" by director Michael Oblowitz (1979, 45 mins) - It promised pleasure and delivered death…nothing ever happened to her class…there was no reason to feel nervous even in the heart of New York…you push the fourth button and arrive at the fourth floor…she was one more person in personville was one more person too many… Starring Rosemary Hochschild, Ron Vawter, Will Patton & Eric Mitchell. Newly transferred from the original 16mm print and rarely scene since 1979.
"She Had Her Gun All Ready" by director Vivienne Dick (1978, 28 mins) - With Lydia Lunch and Pat Place, and set in the Lower East Side, NYC, this is a film about unequal power between two people (of any gender), or the repressive side of a person in conflict with the sexual powerful side. Karyn Kay calls it ..'The contemporary unspeakable: women's anger and hatred of women at the crucial moment of overpowering identification and obsessional thralldom.' - Rod Stoneman in The Directory of British Film and Video Artists (John Libbey 1994)
"Barbie" by director Tina L'Hotsky (1977, 10 mins) - A witty comment on female objectification from Downtown filmmaker and "Queen of the Mudd Club" Tina L'Hotsky. It’s a doll eat doll world.
Friday, October 8th - the following will be shown: - The Way It Is or Eurydice in the Avenues (1984, Directed by Eric Mitchell, 73 min.) - Short Films by James Nares - Short films by Michael Holman
Louis V E.S.P. Gallery 140 Jackson Street #4D Brooklyn, NY 11211 between Graham & Manhattan Ave. L train to Graham Ave
7pm - 11pm both nights Visit www.louisvesp.com for more information.
If for no other reason than "Why not?", or "Because it's great music," Domino Records and writer/curator Jon Savage have joined forces to release a very cool compilation of west coast punk, circa 1976-1980, called Black Hole. The only unfortunate thing is it will only be available as an import to those of us in the US. Here's the scoop:
BLACK HOLE - A compilation of California Punk by Jon Savage, released November 15th 2010.
Domino is proud to announce the release of Black Hole, a compilation celebrating the first wave of California Punk that briefly flourished between 1976 and 1980. Compiled by esteemed writer Jon Savage, Black Hole will be released on CD (WIGCD264) and via digital download (WIG264D) on November 15th 2010.
This compilation contains ideas, anti-establishment rants, sharp comments about the world, attempts at transcendence and plenty of savage wit. Featuring The Dead Kennedys, The Germs and The Zeros amongst others, the collection of tracks on this album sound as fresh as the day they were recorded.
The tracklisting for Black Hole is as follows:
01. The Germs - Forming 02. The Dils - I Hate The Rich 03. The Screamers - Peer Pressure 04. Crime - Murder By Guitar 05. The Zeros - WIMP 06. The Avengers - We Are The One 07. The Consumers - Anti Anti Anti 08. The Randoms - A-B-C-D 09. Black Randy and the Metro Squad - Trouble at the Cup 10. The Alleycats - Nothing Means Nothing Anymore 11. The Weirdos - Solitary Confinement 12. The Zeros - Beat Your Heart Out 13. X - We’re Desperate 14. The Offs - 624803 15. The Sleepers - Seventh World 16. The Middle Class - Situations 17. The Bags - Survive 18. The Germs - Media Blitz 19. The Middle Class - Love Is Just a Tool 20. The Flesheaters - Pony Dress 21. Urinals - Black Hole 22. The Aurora Pushups - Victims of Terrorism 23. The Avengers - The American In Me 24. The Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles 25. The Dils - The Sound of the Rain 26. The Sleepers - Los Gatos
And just because I can't see the title without it reminding me of a great SoCal band that wasn't included on this set, lets give an airing to "Kids of the Black Hole" by the Adolescents:
thanks for letting us stay at 171 A ,when we were struggling in the streets of NYC like lost run away Hardcore slaves, for letting us sleep on the stage and under the control room ,and sharing your soaked and dry sunflower seeds, not to mention your Manna bread, and your old school soggy pin joints, thanks for your big brotherly wisdom and patience, and most of all our classic ROIR cassette which blazed the music world with it's message of peace and love, thanks for mixing us live, although you would def me with feedback, thanks for those cashews, and soy milk when I was hungry and had the munchies, we love you man, I can see you now all sweaty in your scuba suit with that white SG, I can hear you now saying "whut's up bruther" with that southern accent - I'd say Jerry "bumba clot"! you'd say whut! Bumper Crop!
There's so much to thank you for Jerry, that I will conclude this by simply saying long live the legacy of the one Jay Dubs! May his kind spirit and giving sharing ways continue to spread throughout the world, through our music and the works of us all, we know who we are, if you are from the 171 A era and family or from any era and family connected to Jerry Williams or not - 1 love J DUBS
sail on brother.
And maximum recognition and respects to our brother Dave Parsons and Dave Hahn, I'm sure they’re jamming and Rocking The Light!
Fans of the early NY hardcore/punk scene will also be interested to know that ROIR is also about to reissue the long out of print Loud Fast Rules by the Stimulators.
The Velvets play Max's as advertised in the June 25, 1970, issue of the Village Voice. Courtesy of It's All the Streets. Bootleg recordings of some of these shows by Brigid Polk were released in 1972 in edited form as the album The Velvet Undergound Live At Max's Kansas City.
305 NORTH BROADWAY, UPPER NYACK, NY (map link) SATURDAY, 9/25 FROM 9:00 A.M. TO 2:00 P.M. RAIN OR SHINE.
SELLING 100’S OF LP’S – ALMOST ENTIRELY ROCK FROM 1950’s THOUGH 1990’s.
SALE INCLUDES ALBUMS BY THE BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, GRATEFUL DEAD, DAVID BOWIE, CLASH, JIMI HENDRIX, THE DOORS, NEIL YOUNG, JANIS JOPLIN, THE CRAMPS, JOY DIVISION, BOB DYLAN, TOM WAITS, THE WHO, BLACK SABBATH AND MANY MORE.
I WILL ALSO BE SELLING A SMALLER SELECTION OF JAZZ AND FOLK ALBUMS AND A SELECTION OF 12” SINGLES (MOSTLY FROM THE 80’s AND 90’s) INCLUDING A LARGE GROUP OF EARLY HIP HOP SINGLES AND 100’S OF 45’s (FROM THE 50’s AND 60’S) INCLUDING MANY DOO-WOP ARTISTS, GARAGE BANDS AND 60’s GROUPS.
A FEW BOOKS AND EPHEMERA RELATING TO ROCK & ROLL AND SOME VINYL PARAPHERNALIA WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE.
"It was good to be reminded of how singular and beautifully abrasive the Pop Group could be, and how dreadfully conservative most rock music since sounds in comparison." - Sean O'Hagan in the Guardian
ONE OF THE SETLISTS:
We Are All Prostitutes Words Disobey me Colour Blind Thief of Fire Trap She’s Beyond Good and Evil Sense KISS THE BOOK ***** Forces of Opposition We Are Time
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I'm a little tardy with this, but here we go...my friend Daisy flew over to London to catch the recent Pop Group shows at the Garage in London, and was kind enough to file this report. Take it away Daisy:
I’ve yet to talk to anyone who didn’t go home from The Garage on the weekend to marmite on toast and gallons of something rehydrating thinking, "Oh shit, will I ever get my hearing back?” I was waiting for my full English this morning with the French tourists and I couldn’t hear “pass the marmalade.” MAN they were fierce. I’m talking about The Pop Group.
The Pop Group had 5 dates on this (hopefully warm up) tour. 6th September they played Le Moulin de Rouge in Paris. Then to Italy where they played after Patti Smith, and then on to London UK. With no dates in New York, I had to fly. I HAD too.
I got tickets for both nights. And booked a B&B in Kings Cross close to the Cathedral that is St Pancreas station. Back in the day that place was a spooky goth hall that video-makers got for a discount. Costa coffee and a swanky upscale restaurant I couldn’t care less about because I was taking the tube, like a magic carpet, one stop to Highbury.
I thought I was going to relive being 17 again. I thought I was going to be blasted with memories that I had forgotten but it didn’t happen like that. The closer it got to show time, the more my heart was bouncing up and down.
I have to admit that I did see Bruce Smith drumming for PiL in New York’s Terminal 5 in May. When Johnny Rotten asked us to “clap along because I need help keeping time” it was like a dart flew out of my head and pointed at Smith. THAT’S WHY YOU HAVE BRUCE SMITH. He plays like he's riding 3 horses at once, and I left that gig so super happy I can’t tell you. Suddenly all the records in my minds record collection, all the boys sofas I sat on Saturday afternoon after trekking round record shops, all the Tuesdays tuning in to the Top Twenty on Radio one, all the bunking off school on Wednesdays to go to the Kings Road to get the NME to find out who was playing - it all made sense. When Johnny was singing “Anger is an energy” I was swaying in the crowd full of Love. I hate to say it. Love. Yes. Like a hippy. I LOVED HIM. I loved him. I loved Bruce. I loved the guitarist with the pointy nose. I loved the bass player wearing a kilt and a PiL t-shirt. All my punk past made me ME.
My friend Kath came with me to the show on September 11th, 2010. A Bristol gal with good recall, her Bristol of the late 1970’s was going out as often as she could to any pub or club she could - when every night was band night. And going to parties when Gareth Sager and Mark Stewart would turn up wearing paper bags on their heads with faces drawn on them a-la Saul Steinberg. And it was, you know, “oh – there’s Gareth. He’s in a band. He’s being arty.”
She went to school with Bruce Smith’s sister and told me his was a wild and beautiful Bristol home with a room of African masks and bohemian parents. An American painter father. He was an artist painter not a house painter. His mother offered you cigarettes and coffee.
And Mark Stewart’s bedroom floor back then, when you stopped in, was covered in photographs he’d ripped from books – photos of Artaud and Rimbaud and Nazis and evil men and poets and Patti Smith. You had to watch how you crossed the room that you didn’t slip on the glossy pages. And lots of singles and a portable record player. And American singles with no centers to them. Imports.
There was always a thirst with this band. An interest in the word. In the world. In that noise. That slap. That bang. That tap. An interest in things political and visual. A reverence for Patti Smith holding up a book of Blake, holding up a mirror, picking up your jacket. Mixing it all up. You didn’t walk down the street listening to your mix on your iPod blocking out the world. You blended with it. And Bristol bands were doing that. There was funk. There were white boys playing it. There was Rock against Racism. There was black and white together. And we opened the door from the mini bar into the main room at The Garage – there it was – that old familiar reggae. I almost turned round to ask Vivien Goldman what it was.
The venue holds 600 people and I believe it was sold out on Saturday. With no starter band we were going to get a pure experience.
Crowd:
Beardy blokes, some grey hair, some young boys with young girlfriends hanging on their arms checking their msgs & Apps. A young lad in a suit who I asked “what brings you here?” And he told me he’d got a naughty download but he’d also bought a Pop Group record and liked it. I saw Viv and Tessa from The Slits but not for long as Viv headed straight to the front to start the dancing. There were some laser looks of love as you scanned the room. I recognized a glint in the eye here and there. If not the face.
9:15PM: The violin strings of “Somewhere my love” – is that the theme to Dr Zhivago? Bruce Smith was first on the stage in his white jacket. My hero, as you’ve gathered.
There was a third young lad on guitar I didn’t recognize. No Underwood. No Waddington. And we got no introductions or name checks from the stage. [Is it true Simon Underwood is playing with Lily Allen these days?] Dan Castis followed Bruce on - now tough and muscley in his red Warhol t-shirt.
There was a guitar tech with blonde dreads against the wall on the far side. He tuned and paused with a guitar for Gareth Sager who headed straight to an electric piano and started playing it like a man sweeping dust off it left from last century. Then Sager took his guitar. And then he put the needle in the grove and caused friction. Out flashed the beginning riff to "We Are All Prostitutes," and Mark Stewart flew into the mic with the lyric. They were here with that familiar haunted house yell and roller coaster clatter.
The set went from LOUD to LOUDER – I don’t know if there are even knobs on the board these days but whatever he was doing, Tony the Soundman got it right. It might hurt, but their sound was tunneling through rubble from the past 30 years and brought them to the surface FAST maaaaan. Fierce, exciting, measured. After a while you’re not sure if the music is inside or outside your head. You have to let go. The Pop Group rattles you. You can’t be afraid.
Highlights:
In the powerful version of Saturday’s "Thief Of Fire" Mr Stewart took the mic away from his mouth and stood with his mouth open allowing the dub vocal to make it appear that his words were still rolling out. Kath saw an old angry landlord. I had a flashback to a painting by Francis Bacon of a Pope having a tantrum.
"FORCES OF OPPRESSION" - Gareth stole the Pere Ubu clarinet and strangled till it squeeled to be let go and back to his guitar. Sager often played like his strings were too hot and or like he was trying to set them on fire by rubbing his strings and his plectrum together. Yeah, he looked a little older, but old is the new Alive, isn’t it. That’s premium gallons of rhythm and action in the man. He often appeared to fly to the front of the stage but in the manner of a caged bird, and he’d be pulling his strings at us rather than pull his hair to pull out. Sometimes he turned his back while Mark was pacing or bouncing or boxing or bending double screaming or (Sunday) singing straight into an audience CCTV cameras.
Bruce's coat came off soon into the set. He looked like he was enjoying himself so much. I can't tell you what a joy it is to watch him. Such a joyful catch-you-out pay-attention drumming style. It’s well rehearsed and it’s in control but then an odd parra-diddle smack won’t throw you off exactly, it’ll just wiggle you sideways. The last song I was dancing from the inside out. He makes it look like he’s going to play til he can’t do it any more. And he sings too.
Half way through the show the lad in the suit got me and shook me by the shoulders "YOU ASKED ME WHY I’M HERE! IT’S THIS! YOU DON'T HEAR MUSIC LIKE THIS ANYWHERE EVER!" He was very excited. Or maybe we were dancing. Kiss The Book.
The finish line was 10:30.
On Saturday I managed to grab the young guitarist who was first onto the dance floor from the dressing room at the end of the show to ask his name. Jason, he told me. I asked him "How are you feeling?" He was in a sort of ecstasy. He said, “I’m playing with legends. They are legends in their own time.” And you’re playing along side them.
The Pop Group is a band that rattles you. You feel in danger. You tense up. That won’t help you.
Saturday the room was packed. The crowd expectant. The band totally present. And the encore was transcendant. Bruce and Dan together on drum and bass – adding Jason, adding Gareth, crowned by Stewart. Giddy making. Sunday – Mark cajoled the crowd. I would say the crowd was boozier and there were more CCTV cameras - every time they were held aloft, Stewart would sing RIGHT INTO THEM. Sunday my highlight was KISS THE BOOK when Stewart became full of visuals for me again. I don’t know how that happens. Suddenly he was an Angry Catholic Dad, or an evil maniac scientist. I can’t help mentioning here that the Pope is supposed to visit London this upcoming weekend. KISS THE BOOK.
Mark Stewart (Pop Group) and Dick O'Dell (Y Records founder and current manager of Bat For Lashes, pic courtesy of Daisy)
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Thank you so much, Daisy! I wish I could've been there with you, Martin, Gary, Dick & the others. Here's a playlist of several videos from the shows:
Live and in color! This is Max's Kansas City video shot by Anton Perich including Andrea Feldman, Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling, Danny Fields, Jason Holiday, Taylor Mead, Mickey Ruskin, and a plethora of others. At 14 minutes & 15 seconds, there isn't any sound until about the 13 minute mark, but it's worth going through for the you-are-there-ness of it. Color photographs from this scene are difficult enough to come by, never mind color film!
This is the edited version of a series of short clips by Perich, and currently being shown at the Steven Kasher Gallery from September 15, 2010-October 9, 2010. See more images from the show here.
Speaking of color, lets give another plug to the other Max's-related exhibition happening now as well at the Loretta Howard Gallery. Click this link or the JPEG below for more info.
As important to the UK music scene as any club anywhere else has ever been, it appears the world famous 100 Club in London is under threat to close. It's a similar story to the CBGB saga - a city government merely paying lip service to cultural cache & preservation while the overhead costs become untenable.
ITS stage has seen the West End debuts of Oasis, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Buzzcocks, while Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Paul Weller can still sometimes be glimpsed in the audience.
Yet the 100 Club in Oxford Street - described by Aerosmith's Joe Perry as "the finest rock'n'roll club in the world" - could close within a few months because of soaring overheads unless it can find a buyer. Its rates bill has hit £4,000 a month and landlord Lazari Investments now charges rent, with VAT, of £166,000 a year.
The cellar club's owner, Jeff Horton, said: "It makes me so angry. The Government, Westminster council and even some of the commercial landlords say they want to help small businesses, they say they want to preserve London's uniqueness, they want to help multi-cultural venues.
"Yet we're all that and all these organisations have all dumped on us from a great height." His father started running the venue in 1964, but it opened in 1942 as a jazz club.
Mr Horton sees few alternatives to closure after Lazari raised the rent by 45 per cent. "In 1985, when I took over, the rent was barely £11,000 In the US the rents are frozen at certain venues that have a bit of heritage. Here it's a total free-for-all."
He added: "What the 100 Club needs is a buyer or major sponsor to step forward. Barring that, we're closing at Christmas despite being as popular as ever. It really is insane."
And since we're on the subject of the Psychedelic Furs, its a good time to bring in Mr. Richard Butler for the next installment of Pictures On My Wall. A longtime resident of New York City, Butler has been painting longer than he's been singing in a rock 'n' roll band.
Starting October 1 and running through December 3, he'll be the subject of three different shows in New York City - quite impressive! Click here for all of the gallery information including locations, and hours. And be sure to visit Richard Butler Studio for the official experience.
The Psychedelic Furs, who have been busy touring (and played NYC this past June), will be playing a couple of low key warm up dates prior to taking their Talk Talk Talk tour to the UK and Europe. One will be October 14 in Fairfield CT. And the second one, which I plan on being at, will October 15 at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock NY. Every once in a while the Bearsville gets a show by a band that would be playing a venue much larger in NYC which is always a very welcome opportunity.
For all tour dates & ticket availability, click here.
After some long delays, it appears Fire Records is also set to release the two Pigbag compilations they've had on the schedule for a while now. Release date is October 11. Start right here for the full story.
Volume 1: Dr Heckle & Mr Jive tracklisting: 1. Papas Got A Brand New Pigbag (7" version) 2. Sunny Day (7" version) 3. Getting Up 4. Big Bag 5. Dozo Don 6. Brian The Snail 7. Wiggling 8. Brazil Nuts 9. Orangutango 10. As It Will Be 1. Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag (12" verison) 2. The Backside 3. As It Was (Live) 4. Another Orangutango 5. Sunny Day (12" version) 6. Elephants Wish To Be Nimble 7. Whoops Goes My Body 8. Getting Up (12" version) 9. Go Cat 10. Giggling Mud 11. Big Bean (12 version) 12. Scumda 13. Big Bean (7 inch version)
Volume 2: Lend An Ear + Pigbag Live tracklisting: 1. Weak At The Knees 2. Hit The 'O' Deck 3. Ubud 4. One Way Ticket To Cubesville 5. Jump The Line 6. Can't See For Looking 7. No Such Thing As 8. Listen Listen (Little Man) 9. Hit The 'O' Deck (instrumental) 10. Six Of One 1. Shack Of Scraps 2. Smiling Faces 3. Sunny Day (live) 4. Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag (live) 5. Jump The Line (Remix) 6. Global Terrain 7. End Of Ubud 8. Can't See For Looking (live)
Fire Records will be releasing Dance To The Best Of ESG in November. "More than anything, they were finally recognized as the creative innovators that they are. Legends in punk, hip-hop, funk and house music: All hands were clapping in time to their beat.". Get the full story here.
Tracklisting: 1. You're No Good 2. Tiny Sticks 3. Moody 4. Come Away 5. U.F.O 6. Dance 7. Parking Lot Blues 8. Chistelle 9. Talk It 10. Erase You 11. Hold Me Right 12. It's Alright 13. Get Funky 14. My Love For You 15. About You 16. Insane (Tambourine Mix) 17. Keep On Moving 18. I Can't Tell You What To Do 19. Moody (Spaced Out)
1. Dance To The Beat Of My Moody 2. Bam Bam Jam 3. A New Day 4. In The Streets 5. Erase You (Puppy To Your Side) 6. You're No Good (Alternate Version) 7. Standing In Line 8. I Wanna Dance 9. Six Pack (Original Version) 10. Moody (A New Mood) 11. There Was A Time 12. Earn It 13. Like This
For those curious about the 2 Timers, they have a myspace page here, and a second single available for download here. Formed in NYC in 1978 where they were a part of the downtown new wave, they moved to London, signed to Virgin, and released at least a couple of singles. This was their debut, and it predates "Start Me Up" by a couple of years. Special thanks to Chuck at Messthetics/Hyped2Death for the suggestion!
Here's a documentary about Joy Division (90 minutes approximately), on Hulu of all places, for your perusal. I haven't been able to watch it yet, but I understand it's more than decent.
Jerry Williams - RIP. Jerry played a hugely important role in the early days of the New York hardcore scene of the early 80's. Read about it over at Achilles In the Alleyway.
It's a bit last minute but I wanted to let you know about the screening of some extremely rare no wave films taking place at the Louis VESP Gallery in Brooklyn tonight (Oct. 1), and next Friday (Oct. 8). The series has been curated by the makers of the no wave film scene documentary, Blank City. Here's the scoop:
, coming out in November. Via 
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