Bobby Steele and The Undead

I forgot to post about The Undead show at Clash Bar a couple of weeks ago. I was a little iffy at first because Bobby has gotten a little shaky over the years, but it turned out to be a fun show. The drummer in the band Hitomi is a really petite lady who can hit the crap out the drums and Hiromu is an awesome bassist with a friendly attitude. Yay for Japanese band members! Bobby's vocals were good along with his guitar solos and he spent most of the set shirtless.

The Undead covering "Rat Fink" by The Misfits

NOFX New EP Cokie The Clown Review

original review in The Aquarian
I’ve never seen a Punk-O-Rama compilation without NOFX on them. Does that make them super punks? Even though NOFX has graced the t-shirts of teenage adolescents with bad acne for more than two decades, the band still remains at the top of punk rock charts. Why? Because people will always associate punk with acting like assholes, musicians selling their soul to bad hair, and having less than two minute songs, which NOFX fits perfectly into that punk rock formula.

NOFX have always been clowns in my book, so it’s perfect that their new EP Cokie The Clown has a portrait of Fat Mike as a drugged up clown that’s snorted one too many lines. I hate to admit this because I’ll probably loose around 100 punk rock points, but I liked all of the strung out pop punk songs on this EP. The title track has funny lyrics about a drug cocktailing clown’s stage show accompanied by fast bass lines and simple guitar solos. The EP also features an acoustic version of “My Orphan Year,” which is a heart-warming song about Fat Mike loosing his parents in 2006. Though it’s strange hearing a sincere tune from NOFX, it’s a straightforward likable song. The rest of the songs are your average everyday fast NOFX that people can’t get enough of. The band really are those annoying circus slapstick acts that you’ve seen over and over again, but you still end up smiling no matter how bad they are.

Cokie The Clown shows that NOFX still have a sense of humor and they can make fun of themselves like they’ve been doing since 1983. It’s nice that these guys don’t take themselves seriously, so you can’t bash them for their sloppy stage show and crappy lyrics. Though I stopped listening to NOFX years ago, they still haven’t changed and for once that’s a good thing.

Lee Harvey Osmond A Quiet Evil Review

original article from The Aquarian

Marinate the members of Blackie and The Rodeo Kings, Cowboy Junkies, and Skydiggers. Then sauté their folk rock flavors together in a black cauldron of spooky malevolence, and you’ll end up with a pot of beatnik hippies, who could sound anywhere from Kenny G to Shawn Mullins and still be considered cool.

Lee Harvey Osmond’s new album A Quiet Evil combines elements of folk, country, soul, blues, and indie rock to enjoy on an early Sunday morning. With the slide guitar, cello, harmonica, and Tom Wilson’s tender baritone voice, it’s a nice ensemble of silky melodies. “The Love of One” is the best track on the record due to its soulful organ and smooth vocal harmonies between frontman Wilson and guest vocalist Suzie Vinnick, who sounds a lot like Emmylou Harris. “Lucifer’s Blues” starts off with a spoken word and quickly goes into a catchy Jack Johnson-like song with jangly guitars and bongos. Most of the songs have a laid-back country vibe to them, but not so soothing that it’ll put you to sleep.

A Quiet Evil doesn’t go overboard with its ensembles. Even with all the instruments featured on the album, Lee Harvey Osmond balance them throughout the whole album so it wouldn’t sound like a train wreck of jam solos all on one track. The album is consistent with its moonshine-fueled tone, dark ambiance, and quixotically keeps you on your feet with a downy, velvet sound.

The Cult at The Wellmont

original article from The Aquarian

MONTCLAIR, NJ- I remember first buying the album Love by The Cult. It wasn’t 1985, but I probably did have too much hairspray and eyeliner on at the time. I knew a couple of their hits and liked Ian Astbury’s ruffled shirts, so I figured it’d be a good filler record to have in my collection. Instead of lumping it with the rest of the fillers that made few trips to my turntable, it ended up getting listened to repeatedly. So when I saw that The Cult was playing their entire Love album at The Wellmont Theatre, I was curious to see what these guys sound like after forming 26 years ago.

No opening band? Awesome! Starting the show close to an hour and a half late? Eh! I wished there was an opening band instead of hearing the same five songs on loop over the speakers. I did however enjoy listening to the grandpa Goths talk about seeing Southern Death Cult “back in the day.” It sucks being born around three decades too late.

They did a great job playing through Love. “Hollow Man” sounded enormous and the crowd roared once “She Sells Sanctuary” started. Pleasing fans with other hits such as “Fire Woman” and “Wild Flower, The Cult played a solid set of guitar howls, crooning vocals, and sultry bass lines. Ian Astbury looked like “L.A. Women” era Jim Morrison with his grizzly beard, but his vocals haven’t aged a bit. Even though he looks nothing like he did in the ‘80s, he did have on leather gloves and a raccoon tail hanging by his hip. Guitarist Duffy blew me away with his echoed solos and white holy body guitar that looked bigger than he was.
Though I was expecting Astbury’s infamous tribal hip shakes, instead he complained about how the concrete stage was giving him pain from his recent hip surgery and commanding the Wellmont to use the stage lights instead of the spotlight. What a rock star! The psychedelic video in the backdrop of nature, people, and trippy effects made the show better and livened up the lack of movement from the band. By the end of the show, Astbury threw the tambourine he was playing into the crowd, Duffy threw a bunch of picks, and the overpriced beer fueled crowd went nuts over them. Let’s hear it for big hair, leather, and combat boots!

According to Ian Astbury, there are rumors of The Cult going into the studio soon, so hopefully they’ll have a new album out within the next year or two.

FOR VIDEOS OF THE SHOW.... CLICK HERE!!!!

Volcano Choir New Album Unmap

original article from The Aquarian

The word volcano conjures thoughts of hot lava engulfing buildings, ruining cities, and leaving nothing but dust. So with a name like Volcano Choir, wouldn’t you expect a huge explosion of sound powerful enough to melt your face off? Sadly, this Wisconsin band is a bunch of indie rockers that have probably snorted too much dust making their looping melodies and moaning vocals.

Unmap sounds like a bunch of whales talking to each other while listening to ambient synthesizer music. Some tracks abruptly end instead of smoothly transitioning into each other and have lots of tone clusters. “Cool Knowledge” starts off well with some awesome throat singing, but is quickly ruined with the cat-like vocals that come in, but I probably only liked that track because of its short length. The vocals that sound the best are on the song “Still,” but it’s because they use auto-tune. The rest of the album is uncanny reverberations of gobbledygook accompanied by whispering vocals.

Though Unmap does have a euphoric sound at some points, it’s ruined with nasally vocal harmonies, unpleasant popping percussion, and weird spacey sampling. The whole ambient thing is about being avant-garde and different, but it’s no good when you end up sounding like a strung out zombie singing Radiohead.

photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/36936836@N02/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Peter Hook had a band???

yep! I randomly found out about his band Monaco after finding an old mixtape of my sister's and fell in love with the song "What Do You Want From Me." It's so catchy and dancey... I only wished the rest of their stuff was as good as this song.

UKEPUNK!!!!

So we all know about Jake Shimabukuro and how he's mastered "the guitar face", but lets try something simple this time.... Love Punk? Love Ukuleles? You'll love UKEPUNK... Such good covers!!! Even though his voice is a little bit low, his uke sounds awesome. Check him out!

WFMU RECORD FAIR THIS WEEKEND!

For all you record collectors and music lovers out there, this weekend is your chance to get your hands on that super rare import you've been digging crates for thanks to one of the best radio stations out there, WFMU.

There will also be a bunch of live broadcasts from The Trashmen, Heavy Trash, and many other... plus movies in the AV Lounge...

My suggestion would be to go on Sunday because the dealers just want to get rid of what they're selling, so you have a chance of getting music at a lower price... but then again, who knows what will be left after tons of people thumbed through before you.

They have a coupon you could get in for $5 instead of $7 and for desperate collectors, you could pay $25 to get in early and get free re-entry all weekend.

So it's today Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25 at The Metropolitan Pavilion (125 West 18th St. between 6th and 7th aves in NYC.

for schedules and floor plans click here!

Don't bring all your money with you unless you want to be broke by the end of the weekend, but if you don't care, go for it!

photobyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriebb/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Heavy Trash Midnight Sould Serenade

original article from The Aquarian

Jon Spencer is a hot mess, and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Rockabilly bands are the tightest I’ve seen live, but when it comes to Heavy Trash, Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray pull off a muddled rockabilly sound with their mix of blues and garage punk.

Their new album, Midnight Soul Serenade, is what Jack White would’ve wanted The White Stripes to sound like with their crunchy blues guitar, hip-swaying drumming and crooning vocals. “Bumble Bee” is an amusing track with Jon Spencer’s buzzing reverbed voice. “The Pill” is a spoken word song that has a Jim Morrison feel, while Spencer sounds like a growling Nick Cave. It’s pretty funny, but not in the Henry Rollins spoken word sort of way. The last song “In My Heart” ends the album with an echoing love song accompanied by Santo and Johnny-like guitar licks and soulful organs.

Though this album will definitely make cherry lipped pompadour-wearing women swoon over Spencer, it also is perfect music for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It would’ve gotten an A, but that spoken word track threw me off and didn’t fit in.

Halloweeny Shows!

Alright! So there's a bunch of stuff to do on Halloween, but for those looking for something after seeing parades or going trick or treating, maybe a show wouldn't be such a bad idea. recommended shows in orange...

NY SHOWS

• Weezer @ Hammerstein Ballroom... This show is sold out, but there's a bunch of giveaways for it. I'm sure there will be extra tickets somewhere.
  
• Above and Beyond @ Roseland Ballroom... Oontz oontz music on Halloween


• Karl Denson's Tiny Universe @ Bowery Ballroom... Lenny Kravitz's sax players funky band.


• Justin Bond @ Joe's Pub... drag queen goodness!


• Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts @ 171 Lombardy St @ Varick Ave, BK... nom nom nom reverb... yummy!


• Frankenstein Rock Musical @ Highline Ballroom... dude, Frankie comes to NYC...


• The Get Up Kids @ Irving Plaza... emo kids


• King Khan & BBQ Show @ The Bell House... garage rock by Canadians


• The Figgs @ The Knitting Factory... a mix between Glen Mercer and Elvis Costello


• World Inferno Friendship Society @ The Grand Ballroom... everyone should experience at least one Halloween with Jack Terricloth


• Black Taxi @ Mercury Lounge... lead singer likes body paint?


• Lez Zepplin @ Music Hall of Williamsburg... all girl zepplin tribute band


• Thievery Corporation @ Terminal 5... dubby electronic dudes


• Tegan and Sara @ Town Hall.. sold out, but maybe some girl with a bad haircut has an extra ticket so try it out!

NJ SHOWS

• Stevie Wonder @ Borgata... fancy blazers and shades!


• Senses Fail @ Starland Ballroom... lacrosse rock? no thanks!


• Snoop Dog featuring method man and redman @ House of Blues in Atlantic City... for shizzle?


• Black Heart Procession @ Maxwell's... spooky indie dudes


• JOHN EDDIE'S ROCKIN' HALLOWEEN @ Stone Pony... this video says it all


• Robert Earl Keen & Todd Snider @ Wellmont Theatre... yeehaw?

comment if I missed any... I'll add them!

Documentary About The Blitz Kids

Yeah... I have a soft spot for Boy George, Marilyn, Soft Cell, and Visage. It's so much drama, I really can't ignore this scene. These are the things I watch when I'm wide awake at three in the morning. It's a really good doc. about the new romantic era and has a fun soundtrack.

thanks for the video poshtottyvoice

DUDE... YAT-KHA

Thanks to the editor at my internship, I now know about YAT-KHA. They are a group of throat singers from Tuva, Russia that create their own songs, but are more known for covering bands like Joy Division, Motörhead, Kraftwerk, Captain Beefheart, etc. It must be one of the coolest things I've ever heard...
Check out their cover of Motörhead's "Orgasmatron."

And their cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Black Magic Woman"

photo by cactusbones

Shows Coming Up In October!

New Model Army @ The Mercury Lounge on Oct. 1
Just in case you missed these Celtic knot punks last week, check out my review from their show at The Saint.

The Doughboys @ The Stone Pony on Oct. 2
Loud rock n' roll from the '60s. Yep, they're still around!

Teenage Jesus and The Jerks @ Music Hall of Williamsburg on Oct. 3
NY No Wave Gods... Lydia Lunch... enough said!

Psychedelic Furs and Happy Mondays @ Roseland in NYC on Oct. 9
Happy furs and psychedelic Mondays. Manchester jangly guitar goodness, The Happy Mondays are finally playing a show! The Psychedelic Furs are really cute and still sound great after all these years. Check out my Furs review from their show in June.

Pierced Arrows at The Mercury Lounge on Oct. 9 and @ Maxwells in Hoboken on Oct. 10
It's pretty much Dead Moon back together playing different songs... awesome!

Type O Negative at Starland Ballroom and @ Nokia Theatre on Oct. 22 If you can listen to Black No. 1 and not laugh your ass off, there's something wrong with you. With Peter Steele's chained double bass

strapped on him and their spooky tunes, you can't go wrong.

Revolting Cocks @ Irving Plaza On Oct. 17
Now that Ministry said bye bye to touring, I think this the only way you'll be able to see Al Jourgensen play live. Though I won't be surprised when Ministry has a reunion tour in a five years.

The Trashmen @ Maxwells in Hoboken on Oct. 24 and at Southpaw in

Brooklyn on Oct. 23
Well, don't you know about the bird? Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!

New Model Army, Sept. 16, Asbury Park

You know how there's always that one guy at shows who's REALLY into it? Well, he's been around the last three times I've seen New Model Army and guess who was the first person I saw when I walked in the door... 4th times a charm, no? Though I was a little upset that he didn't start as many fights or stick his fists up that much, I enjoyed his company so here's to you THAT GUY! I think no New Model Army show is complete without you.

This must have been the first show in a while that I actually liked all the opening bands. The Obvious sounded like a mix of X, The Rezillos, and Hole with their crooning singers and goofy stage antics. The F Bombers were a nice clean punk band with raspy female vocals and fun bass lines.

Like I've said before New Model Army ALWAYS brings something new each time I've seen them. Whether it's new t-shirts with some of Joolz's awesome artwork or new songs, it always puts a smile on my face.

They did an amazing job playing and the set list was great. Most off them were off Today Is A Good Day, High, Thunder And Consolation, and one song off of Strange Brotherhood. It's cool how they don't have to play all their hits to get the crowd going. Though I was a little surprised they didn't play anything off of The Ghost of Cain, the songs off of the new album made up for it, so please support the band and buy it! They're so underrated and deserve so much more acknowledgement for their talent.

Shame on the DJ for announcing that NMA is from London. I did however enjoy some guy singing The Smiths' "Panic" at the end of the show. HANG THE DJ!

So the plan according to Justin Sullivan is to meet up in 15 years on Sept. 16 at The Saint with the same lineup and I'll be there, right next to THAT GUY.







A little clip of their song,"White Coats."

New Model Army Coming To The Jersey Shore!

original article from The Aquarian

I love how every time I’ve seen New Model Army, I’ve never had to pay over $15 and I leave feeling like I’ve experienced something new. Having punk undertones with a touch of goth and folk rock, it’s hard to categorize this band as they keep on reinventing themselves. With Justin Sullivan’s manic stares, poetic lyrics, and dynamic voice, it’s surprising how the band injects the same amount of talent into their militant, yet soulful sound. From their visas being denied to long time managers dying unexpectedly, it seems that after 30 years nothing can stop this band from touring. They will be playing The Saint in Asbury Park on Sept. 16. Ages18 and up.

BUY TICKETS

photo by Ralf

Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers Playing NJ and NYC

The Stranglers have always been different from the punk bands of the '70s. Their bass is raw and chunky, while the keyboards add a nice melody along with Hugh Cornwell's recognizable voice.

After The Stranglers' breakup in 1990, Cornwell has been going solo. His music does have a little bit of a Stranglers feel, but his sound focuses more on guitars and harmonizing. You could download his new album for free off of his site.

The Brighton Bar on Wednesday Sept. 9 at 8:30 pm.
121 Brighton Ave, Long Branch, 07740, US

He will also be playing The Highline Ballroom in NYC on Sept. 12 at 8 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m. $15.00
BUY TICKETS

photo by g_cowan

Motörhead playing NJ and NYC!

original article in The Aquarian

My ears rang for two weeks after seeing Motörhead play the Birch Hill when I was 13, but all is forgiven because I got to see Lemmy and his trademark cocoa puff play some of the best rock ‘n roll out there today.

Being the only original member left in the band and staying preserved and pretty with his coke and whiskey, Lemmy remains untouched and still pumps out the same energetic music as he did in 1975.

Even if fans can’t tell what song they’re playing because of how loud they are or if Lemmy really does play his bass the wrong way, you have to love them!

They will be playing The House Of Blues in Atlantic City on Sept. 5 and Roseland Ballroom in NYC on Sept. 9.

BUY TICKETS!

photo by Mark Coatsworth

The Squirrel Nut Zippers Lost At Sea

It’s hard to put Squirrel Nut Zippers into a genre, so let’s just say they’re like the jazz funeral bands from New Orleans who make people feel great and get everyone to dance away their troubles. This North Carolina band blends together delta blues, swing, gypsy jazz, and a bunch of other genres, achieving worldwide recognition during the Swing Revival of the late ‘90s and not disappearing after the fad faded away.

Their new and first live album Lost At Sea is a perfect gumbo of sound, which is surprising when it was recorded in the dead of winter at the Southpaw in Brooklyn, a dingy little club. Their songs live transition extremely well with little musical interludes between them and it’s a very clear and well-balanced recording. With classics like “Hell” sung by Jimbo Mathus and slow sultry songs like “Blue Angel” sung by Katharine Whalen, the energy of the album makes up for the band not releasing anything in the past nine years.

Lost At Sea is a great example of how to do live recordings. Surprisingly none of the instruments overpower each other and the clapping and screaming of the fans doesn’t get annoying, enticing people to see The Squirrel Nut Zippers live.

photo by Joshua Smelser

FREE MUSICFEST WITH AMAZING BANDS

MUSICFEST is a free festival that has awesome bands playing every year. It's at a new location at Oak Ridge Park in Clark, NJ. There's plenty of things like amusement rides, midway games, food, bmx exhibitions, market place, laser tag, kids kingdom, and walkathons. Free parking or $10 on site parking. For more info, go to http://www.ucmusicfest.com/

BANDS!

Saturday, Sept. 12

Cy Curnin (of The Fixx)-12 p.m.

Fastball- 1 p.m.

Tommy James & the Shondells- 2pm
The Alarm- 3:30 p.m.

The Minus 5- 4:45 p.m.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd- 6 p.m.

Uncle Kraker- 7:15 p.m.

Third Eye Blind- 8:30 p.m.


Sunday, Sept.13

1910 Fruitgum Company- 11:30 a.m.

Spring Standards- 12:30 p.m.

Tonic- 2:30 p.m.

Glenn Tilbrook (of Squeeze)- 3:30 p.m.

Gin Blossoms- 5 p.m.

They Might Be Giants- 6 p.m. and 1:30pm kids show

Pete Yorn- 7:30 p.m.

My recommendations in red!

they might be giants photo by Bryan Bruchman

admit it, you like them!

I really want to go see The Pet Shop Boys and dance my ass off. YOU SHOULD TOO!

Sept 1 Hammerstein, NYC
Sept 2 Hammerstein, NYC
Sept 6 House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ
BUY TICKETS!

photo by baldiri

Celebrating 75 Years!

Music Country in Cliffside Park, NJ will be celebrating their 75th anniversary on Friday Aug. 14 by having a little party with music.

If you're interested in records, tapes, CDs, comics, old memorabilia, they have a lot of great things in this store and the prices are pretty fair. The people who own it are extremely nice and the cat who is usually on the counter is sweet too.

728 Anderson Ave.
Cliffside Park, NJ 07010

Come out and support one of the oldest independent record shops in NJ!

photo by: Michelle's House of Disco

Sorry... been busy!

I've been interning at THE AQUARIAN since June and have written some spotlights on artists... Most of them are shitty bands and I'm either being way too nice or being brutally honest.

check out some of my spotlights!

Go see Toots and the Maytals for $15 TONIGHT!!!

Fuck all these Reel Big Fish and Sublime cover band shows... go see some REAL reggae ska legends!

TONIGHT at 8 p.m. at Joey Harrison's Surf Club in Seaside Heights, NJ
Then on July 21st at 8 p.m. at BB Kings in NYC.

They're touring all over so try to catch them if they come near you!

TOUR DATES!

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If Otis Redding was Jamaican, he'd be Toots...

photo by Trojan Warrior

video by mrrk

If you could make it to NYC in 30 min... GO SEE WALTER LURE!

he still wears that tie!

Seriously! One of the few punk rock legends that are still alive and kicking is playing at the Bowery Electric in NYC at 10p.m. TONIGHT!

Not only is Walter Lure known for being the guitarist in The Heartbreakers, but his work with The Waldos is amazing!!! What better way to celebrate JT's birthday then with his fellow bandmate? This is as close to Johnny Thunders as you're gonna get!


video by thiswasnotpunk

Show this week that's not sold out (yet)! Camera Obscura!

I LOVE this band. They're what indie-pop should be...

I haven't been able to make it to their shows because they've been sold out last time they came around.

If you like good pop music by cute girls that look like they stepped out of the '60s, go to this show!

Their new album is great too! Check out my review...

WEDNESDAYJune 24th, Webster Hall, $20

We'll see if I could make it out to the city this week

Photo by Oliver Lopena
oliverlopena.com

GRACE JONES IS COMING TO TOWN...

July 30th, Hammerstein 8:00pm... Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am.

This show should be full of costume changes, red lipstick, lots of bitch, and her awesome voice... time to start saving up!

photo by Nat Urazmetova

Psychedelic Furs at the Wellmont

Alright, so I was REALLY pissed when I walked into the Wellmont and they put seats in the standing area. Huh??? I understood that it was an "older" crowd, but that doesn't mean that they can't stand. Stand up, you're at a show! I was really happy we found seats and were able to stand up against the stage, but please Wellmont don't do that again... It's silly.

The opening band wasn't too impressive. Drum machines, side parts, bass and snare drum kit, slide guitar, long greasy hair, synths. They offered dance beats that got some people bopping, but eh... I dunno. None of the songs stuck with me or gave me that "damn" feeling. Sorry boys!

So this would be my second time seeing the furs live and while I did think that it might be a little repetitive, it wasn't at all. Though Richard Butler had a few shaky moments with his vocals and admitted to sounding like a "train wreck" (it seemed he was having trouble with his ear piece), all and all it was a good show.

I can't help but say the word CUTE when it comes to seeing these guys live. They're super smiley and with Richard Butler's jumping and hip shaking and swirls, you can't go wrong. The saxophone player, Mars Williams, was AMAZING. They didn't have him play when I saw them back in 2005(i think?). This guy may be a little short, but he has a lot of energy to belt out the solos that he did. I was a little upset not to see guitarist John Ashton, but the new guitar player was great. The keyboardist wasn't really needed on most songs in my opinion, I'm sure she's awesome and really sweet! Tim Butler will always be cool with his shades and bass lines. It was also cool to see drummer, Paul Garisto, who toured with them in the mid '80s.(thanks Anna at D16 sorry for the fuck up)

Here's a clip of them playing "Heaven", where you'll see Richard Butler doing his signature praying spin at 0:33..haha

I liked the set list a lot more last time I saw them, but this show's set was good too. Alright so I have the set list all jumbled in my mind... So here's just the songs they played in no order. I think I might've missed some!

Goodbye, I Just Wanna Sleep With You, She is Mine, It Goes On, Heartbeat, Dumb Waiters, Heaven, So Run Down, Like a Stranger, I Don't Want to be Your Shadow, All of This and Nothing, No Tears, My Time, Pretty in Pink, Ghost in You, Love My Way..

It was a fun show, some of the crowd was really sweet, while others were yelling "play stuff we know" and "pretty in pink" from the beginning of the show.... lame.

The Furs have supposedly been working on new material. I'm curious to hear what it sounds like. Hopefully it'll be good!

Photos by: Ray Schwartz
Video by http://www.youtube.com/user/ashydave

Three shows coming up that will make you feel like it's 1988 ...(NJ and NYC)

For those of us who were learning how to color inside the lines during the '80s, this is our chance to go to a show, block the camera phones and digital cameras out of sight, get your pointy black boots on, and dance around like it's 1988.

PSYCHEDELIC FURS
Friday, June 12- House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ- $25- Ages 18+
Saturday, June 13- Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ- $23- All Ages
(click on the link for tickets)

These guys are awesome live! They have a lot of energy after all these years. Richard Butler has nice dance moves and is really sweet. Last time I saw them, he held on to my hand and sang his heart out... Yes, I melted even though he's in his 50's. I also recall him ripping up a dollar bill and fans going crazy to grab the pieces..(I got some!) They play a variety of songs from their albums and not just their hits like "Pretty in Pink".

Photo by Jeremy Brooks

PETER MURPHY
Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7, Highline Ballroom, $35, All Ages

C'mon dude... It's Peter Murphy! Bauhaus? King of da Goffics? (haha) I've never seen him live, but I've heard that his shows are an experience that people never forget. From things like him giving the microphone to the audience and doing a Q&A session with them (how sophisticated!) and other things like covering Joy Division, he doesn't seem to disappoint.

Photo by Charlois

THE CHURCH
Wednesday, July 8th, Irving Plaza, $30 Advanced $35 at the door, Ages 16+

This is the show at the top of my priority list. I can't and will not miss this show. I've never seen them, but that doesn't matter. I know this show is going to be amazing because The Church is just that. If you don't have a copy of Of Skins and Heart and/or Starfish, there is something wrong with you! They are really underrated and deserve a lot more recognition!
Photo by Tiare Hellberg

At least at these venues you have the chance to see them up close and get right up on that stage. Hope to see you there!

A STATEMENT FROM EXENE CERVENKA ( a sad one)

from X's website

"After some months of not feeling 100% healthy, I recently had some medical tests run and the prognosis is that I am suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Apparently, it has been affecting me for quite some time.

Although this is obviously unfortunate news, I am choosing to see the positive in it.
I, and X as a band, have supported the Sweet Relief charity since the mid-1990's; the irony of this is not lost on any of us. Sweet Relief was started as an aide to uninsured artists by musician Victoria Williams when she herself was diagnosed with MS in 1992.

While this diagnosis will most certainly mean some changes for me, personally, it will not affect my commitments to the current X U.S. tour, nor will it affect my solo album that is slated for release this fall on Bloodshot Records.

My focus will certainly be on maintaining my health--many people remain strong and continue to live their lives as productively as they had before an MS diagnosis and I plan to be one of those people. "

To find out more about Sweet Relief please visit:www.sweetrelief.org

To find out more about X please visit:www.xtheband.com

photo by Volker Neumann

Simple Minds Graffiti Soul

It's hard for bands like Simple Minds to break away from their one hit that they had it the '80s and it's hard for people like me to get John Bender out of my head and repeatedly sing the "don't don't don't" part of the song.

Sadly, Simple Minds have fallen into the one hit wonders to some due their song "Don't You (Forget about me). I like that song and I'm too a fan of their other hit "Alive and Kicking," but to me, their earlier albums are SO much better. (YES, I SAID IT.... DEAL)

I'm more a fan of songs like "Love Song," which has a Danceteria feel to it and "Chelsea Girl," which has a power pop feel to it.

So when I heard that Simple Minds were coming out with a new album, I was curious to see how it sounded, due to their changes in sound from the late '70s to now.

Graffiti Soul is an album that radios could play comfortably because it's easy listening, but with a little bit of an edge. It's a lot like their albums from the '90s till now, average.

Most of the songs run in the four to five minute range and they could be shorter in my opinion. Yes, I am a fan of songs that are less than two minutes long, but I can tolerate longer songs if I don't get bored with it and it stays inventive. None of these songs did.

I was almost into the third track, "Stars Will Lead the Way," due to it's powerful guitar punch in the beginning, but the song died out very quickly.

I will say that I really enjoyed the guitar on this album. It's very dreary and echoed, which always gains points for me. I also thought that Jim Kerr, lead singer, doesn't sound like he's aged too much either with his smooth voice.

This album seems to be more for hardcore Simple Minds fans. So if you like everything they've made so far, you'd probably love this album.

If you're looking to listen to music where your feet will be enticed and feel like it's 1985, Sorry!

The Damned at the Stone Pony

It’s hard for people like me, who were born a couple decades too late, to actually get to see a band that was around when punk music was at its prime. Some of these punk bands that are still around now consist of just one original member and put on horrible shows and makes me wonder why they still use the original band name. Then there are bands that may have had a few line up changes, but allow fans to go back in time and enjoy a taste of punk rock bliss. The Damned did just that when they played at the Stone Pony yesterday.

The bands that opened up for them were Electric Frankenstein and The BellRays.

Though EF seemed to pump up some people in the crowd, others just stood around. They’re one of those bands that feel the need to turn up their scratchy guitars up way too much, when really; they could use a cleaner crisp sound and some more melodies. There wasn’t even a need for the singer to have a guitar honestly. It’s not that they’re a horrible band, they just sound like a lot of other generic bands that I’ve seen.

The Bellrays on the other hand, really blew me away. If the MC5 had a woman with a huge afro singing, that’s what the Bellrays sound is. Wayne Kramer himself has shared the stage with them in the past. They got the crowd energized with singer, Lisa Kekaula’s shrieks and soulful voice. They were really tight!

The place wasn’t that packed, but once Pinch came out to his drums, more people edged their way up to the front. Captain Sensible (guitar) with his red beret, Monty Oxymoron (keyboards) wearing a skull patterned shirt, Stu West (bassist) wearing his striped shirt, and Dave Vanian (vocals) in a suit, white button down shirt, and a black cravat.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, How do!”

The Damned put on such a great show. From fixing the light fixtures themselves, to the traditional stage banter, to Captain and Monty drum soloing, to Dave dancing with one of EF’s daughters during, “Little Miss Disaster;” it was a very memorable night.

Their set list ranged from early Damned songs like “Love Song,” to their infamous cover of “Alone Again or” (they sang the trumpet solo), to songs like “Dr. Woofenstein,” from their newest album, So, Who’s Paranoid? It’s nice to see a band that doesn’t just play their new album with one or two old songs. Though I wouldn’t mind a few more off the new album, it’s pretty good!

The Damned definitely made sure they hit different songs from the different decades they’ve been around for. Captain Sensible talked about being able to jump from decade to decade with songs and joked about how bands like Green Day couldn’t do that.

My only complaint was that I couldn't hear Monty that well, but it could’ve been because I was on the opposite side right up front by where Captain was.

My face hurts today because I was smiling all night long. I hadn’t seen them since 2002. I love seeing this band live, it gets better and better. I hope they come back soon!

SET LIST

Love Song
Second Time Around
Anti-Pope
New Rose
Alone Again or
Under the Wheels
There will come a day
Disco Man
Dr. Woofenstein
Eloise
Perfect Sunday
Neat Neat Neat
Dark Asteroid

Encore
Curtain Call
Noise Noise Noise
Little Miss Disaster

Melody Lee
Smash it Up

Bellrays photo by Mosieur J.

Damned Photos by Tim Bugbee
(Check out his awesome photography here and here)

(photos are actually from the Boston show, but the band wore the same thing)

Alex Chilton and the Box Tops at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival

This show was amazing! The Box Tops played for a little over an hour and had a lot of people shaking their hips even on a rainy day... With hearing rumors of Alex Chilton being strung out, I thought this show wasn't going to be too great, but he totally washed those rumors away. He sounded great!

They played favorites like "Neon Rainbow" and "The Letter", but they also played other songs like "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry like a Baby."

I was by the speakers for these videos, so the sound is pretty bad on them. Also the show was under a tent, so the image isn't so great either... Sorry!

photos and videos by me: Stina Jimenez