Young Muscovite

I forget if I've posted this picture before but it's one of the Russian girls at Hot Bagels next to Katz's Deli. I dream of drinking goat milk yogurt with her.

Shudder to Think - "Vacation Brain"

Sweet Baby, East Baby

"Many people look to SWEET BABY as the band that should have been on everyone’s turntable, but fell victim to the tragedy that major labels can cause when your A&R dude gets a better job. Ah, well. The music and the singing are, well, incredible! When all is said and done; when the last votes are tallied; when you are forced really to decide for that "desert island" scenario—SWEET BABY is the band that produced one of the best records of all time."

There was a time when it was a requirement that any girl I dated HAD to love this album. I didn't date many girls.
"She's From Salinas"
"Pathetic"
"The Way She Gets Around"
See Also: Background on Trouser Press. Singer Dallas Denery, now a Medieval History Scholar.

Nikki Sudden

Nikki Sudden died in New York on Sunday night. I can't lay claim to being a life-long dedicated Swell Maps fan because I wasn't familiar with their stuff until a compilation put together by Dr. Frank introduced me to the classic "Let's Build a Car." (It was the first track on the set.) If you haven't heard it, you should.

Swell Maps - "Let's Build A Car"

See Also: Official Nikki Sudden Homepage

The Muffs vs. The Devil Dogs

As a split single or EP format, the two band battle concept (for more effect, fighting stances are encouraged) is a time-honored tradition among like-minded pop/garage punk bands. While the Muffs and Devil Dogs never duked it out on vinyl, I offer up some pretend punch drunk lovin'. Incidentally, the records from which these tracks come from (self-titled and "Saturday Night Fever" respectively) are gin-u-wine party albums. Don't start a Friday fight night without them.

The Muffs - "Lucky Guy" vs. The Devil Dogs - "Once Around The Block"
See also: Worship-worthy pics of Kim Shattuck by photographer Ali Smith

Vote Elvis, Early and Often

I'm undergoing a college experiment tonight (to be revealed on Monday) and to get me in the mood I decided to dust off a little "modern rock" from the days of yore momma. The first Popinjays song here was a minor hit in '91 (I can't tell you exactly what the parameters of that determination are other than I heard it a lot at frat parties) and the second track makes this a handy knife and fork set. Dig in, gently.
"Vote Elvis"
"Thinking About The Weather"
See Also: Trying to Be Nice: The Popinjays, Saint Etienne [Robert Christgau]

High on Fire, Low on Fuel

"For a band getting as much crossover attention as they do, locals High on Fire have remained staunchly, unapologetically metal over the years. Celtic Frost-meets-the Melvins riffage, topped off with vocals so hoarse they make Lemmy sound like a choirboy." - SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN
High on Fire - "Baghdad"
See also: Marionettes Performing Motorhead's Ace of Spades

Celebrating See Emily Day

The Krucoffs (missing: Bubbe, Brother Jason, Sis-in-law Lisa)
Assembled for my birthday in Crofton, MD on March 21st, 2006 and the first time I got to see the family's latest addition, Emily. Here's a special (though perhaps not altogether appropriate) Twofer Tuesday.
Pink Floyd - "See Emily Play" *No longer available for download*
The Zombies - "Rose For Emily"
See also: June 1967

TonyALL or Nothing

From the TonyALL liner notes:

The songs on this recording were written and arranged by Tony Lombardo between 1979 and 1989. Tony was the original bass player for the Descendents, who in 1987, changed their name to ALL. The members of ALL appear on the recording as Tony's band.

Sure, Tony pioneered a bass style that punk-pop low-enders would emulate forever but this "showcase" album sucked. A few tracks emerge -- like "Casual Girl" and "At the Party" -- that might have fit on "I Don't Want to Grow Up" or "All" (the album) but then something truly awful like "Special to Me" makes you cringe more than a million teen love stalker stories.

"Casual Girl" and "Special To Me"

Modest Yahoo

Brother, I feel your pain, but may I suggest placing your faith in another Jewish musician? In Fat Mike we trust.

NOFX - "Kill All The White Man"

The Undertones: He Flicked a Kick

My favorite Undertones song has always been "My Perfect Cousin" but I'm sure it has something to do with the Subbuteo reference. Related: Come on you Spurs, a spot in the Champions League is just a couple of not-fucking-it-up's away.

Undertones - "My Perfect Cousin"

SNFU II

I alluded to it before, but let me say definitively that SNFU's "If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish" makes my top ten albums of all-time. These Canadians are no cheap mime-whore musicians and they push punk through prisms of metal, pop, skate, and hardcore. So good it's worth sharing more than a couple of songs.

"The Devil's Voice"
"Scarecrow"
"He's Not Getting Older, He's Getting Bitter"
"Where's My Legs?"

Related: SNFU on Something I Learned Today

Snuff: Domonic Robson, Frankie N.W. Stubbs, Ben Corrigan

Late 80's/early 90's thrashy-pop punk from some English guys who dug Hüsker Dü and Motörhead. See also: Leatherface and Guns n' Wankers

Snuff - "Damage Is Done" and "Spend, Spend, Spend"

The Drama of Alienation

I always considered J Church's brand of "anarcho-situationist pop-punk" to be consistently (and pleasantly) a guitar string above mediocre. Just enough to keep me buying their records.
Related reading: Vision on Fire by Emma Goldman

J Church - "Dramatic History of a Boring Town"

Pyn the Tale on the Dickie

Bobby Pyn aka Darby Crash aka Jan Paul Breahm [via Alice Bag]

I think I've listened to this song 136 times in the last 48 hours. No relation to the Germs frontman whatsoever.

A Day For Kites - "Bobby Pin" [Said the Gramophone]

Smoke Not, Smoke Not, Everybody Smoke Not

Tried to go to this show yesterday at the Living Room on Ludlow St. with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew but it was sold-out. It must suck being a parent in the city, always needing to plan in advance but never wanting to commit due to the unpredictable nature of child-rearing. Fortunately, as a childless uncle, I'm always prepared for a Plan B: dance party back at my place.

Gray Matter - "I've Just Seen A Face" and "I Am The Walrus"

Previously: Vote Senator Flux
Related: Gray Matter on Vinyl Mine
N.B.: Moratorium on posting covers here is effective starting tomorrow.

Only The Good Die, Youngna

Great seats, huh? Meanwhile, Randy goes B&S at Nokia. Don't I feel like the asshole.

Caught the Billy Joel concert at MSG last night (free tix from the gf's boss will do that) and I forgot about the over-inflated, yet charmingly so, "specialness" of the arena rock experience. First, not since seeing Camper Van Beethoven at Georgetown's Gaston Hall in what seems like another lifetime have I felt so comfortable sitting down for an entire show. I can do the head bob and body sway just fine in a chair. I will never go back to standing to hear music. Too evolved. (Truthfully, I enjoy it most when horizontal, or at least curled in a ball.) Second, it occurred to me that the last indoor show of this size I went to was Metallica at the Cap Centre in '89 and damn, now I really wish I caught Anthrax when they played MSG a little while ago. Suffice to say, last night's obvious highlight for me was when Billy Joel had one of his roadies "Chainsaw" come on stage to sing "Highway to Hell." Dare I say, he was quite good.

Here are two mainly unmemorable punk covers of Billy Joel, though I admire how Fat Mike inexplicably begins the MF & GG's song with the Stiff Little Fingers "Suspect Device."

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - "For The Longest Time"
the Vindictives - "You May Be Right"

The Hentchmen Never Left

60's frat-garage trio. No bass. Rock. It. Buy. It.
The Hentchmen - "Yesterdays"
Previously: The Hentchmen and Dirtbombs

TOP Music #8: Trusty sings...

Trusty, originally from Little Rock, AR, was the first (and I believe still the only) band without home-grown DC/MD/VA roots to have joined the Dischord Records roster. Perhaps the Clinton presidency was an underlying factor. In any case, they were a great live band and I saw them a bunch of times in DC and Baltimore. They belong in the better-than-average class of early 90's pop-punk before that sound exploded into the mainstream and went from catchy to kitschy in 182 blinks. This 7" was released on DeSoto Records (run by Kim of Jawbox) in '92 and if I could time-warp to that year as an MRR reviewer, I would say:

Side A is a great slab of driving emo-popcore (like Samiam riding the wohl whip with a shout-out to Lance Hahn of J Church) while the flip slows down a wee bit to deliver the goods more straight-forward "punk" style but just as bouncy. I bet these guys really dig Jawbreaker's "Unfun" LP.

"Kathy's Keen" b/w "No One"
Inlay w/lyrics