I feel hoaxish, and this town ain't big enough for both of us

Paul Vance is not dead. It was a hoax. A fucking hoax. No wonder the Yahoo news link I provided in my blog post yesterday was broken. I figured my shit HTML skills were worse than I thought. I really feel stupid. Maybe Elvis is not dead after all.



Onto other avenues, a statement of fact I realized today is that Sparks' Kimono My House LP from '74 is absolutely genius. I listened to that and The Stooges' Funhouse all day today at work. The sleeve for Kimono My House is one of my all-time favorites as well. It was their first for Island, a start of a string of four classic records, all essential, all quirky eccentric protopunk genius.

Greenpeace are extremely pus*****!!!!

Every once in a while (ok, a lot), I read Amazon.com customer reviews, especially the music ones. Reviews with 1 star always get me fired up and provide a fun read 99% of the time. Like this one, below, for Bad Religion's masterpiece, 1990's Against The Grain. This guy is funny and I particularly love the "music for Nerds" and Greenpeace references. He must be on the money, because he capitalized the word "nerd" for us. Calling out a band like Bad Religion as having lyrics that "aren't serious either" just makes me giggle, because, you know, singer Greg Graffin only writes lyrics about cars and girls and not about interpersonal relationships or chaos in our ecosystem. Hahahaha out loud funny! Click the link that says "See all my reviews" below and check the other ones out. Apparently, he cannot spell the word "p****" very well. Or "violence". Or "heavy". Or....

Punk Rock For Nerds, February 12, 2006

Reviewer:

Screen Names are fu*king stupid "Signatures are fu*king stupid" (Locations are fu*king stupid) - See all my reviews

Granted, I don't hate Bad Religion as some of their songs are good and How Can hell Get Any Worse? is a great album, but seriously, what is this? Is this even punk? People who call this hardcore have absolutly no idea what they are talking about. You call this hardcore? If you do think that, you suck. This is immensly inferior and a huge insult to real hardcore albums. it's all more pop than punk. Compare this to Minor Threat's "COmplete DIscography", and CD Makes ATG sound like a dispolable pop rock band.

Against The Grain is a total insult to Bad Religion's album discography. ALong with their extremely cheesy INto The Unkown, this one falls flat and is third rate music of the genre it's trying to take. this is really just third rate fake hardcore punk.

This is basically punk for Nerds. Issues such as man polluting the ecosytem (Modern Man), Children isolation (21st centurt digital boy), Religion (OPeration rescue), etc. THere isn't anything punk! This sounds like Greenpeace, Greenpeace are extremely pus*****, far from punk, flat and safe. The lyrics aren't angry, they aren't serious either. Where are all the topiucs pukn was about? Nihlism, LEft wing (clash, crass, dead kennedys), anarchism, anti-corporations, or just plain rebellion? NOne of this is there, only for nerds to think they are cool with Bad Religion.

The music itself is pretty bad. There music is extremely poppy, the riffs are bland and boring, and with the stupid "whoa-whoa-whoa" type vocals are extremely boring and lame, the songs sound the same. There are a few songs that are worthy, but the whole album fo r that matter is just terrible. And this stuff is just a waste for a punk. THis would definitly attract wussie PETA groups, thinking they are rebellious. THe music is just terrible. Don't waste your time with this, listen to Bad Brains, basically the hardcore bands from the birth to it't early death by the early 80's. Go straight for the source.

Basically, hardcore is dead (punk, is not dead, just the subgenre of pukn is), and this pathetic attempt at trying to make it a genre fails. There is nothing good about this album or punk, because the topics basically have nothing to do with it. Skip this.

Paul Vance dead at 68

Paul Vance, a local boy from New Milford, died earlier this month of lung cancer. While you may not know him by name, you will know him by the #1 song he penned for Brian Hyland called "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini", which rose to the top of the charts in 1960. A classic by all means, and another local musician/songwriter lost this year (Gene Pitney died in April). God bless you Mr. Vance, and thanks for the classic rocknroll music.

A college rock mix brought to you by the letter 'C'

Why did I do this? Why would I make a mix cd with no sense or purpose? Why choose a random letter and go from there? Well, the answer, for arguement's sake, is that last week I had a head cold and I was hopped up on meds. I wanted to hear Cabaret Voltaire, so I grabbed their 1987 album Code, which is out of print and going for an average $75 for used copies (glad I have mine still). I had this idea that, maybe I would start there, in order with the letter 'C', and make a mix cd of stuff from my high school days, which was in the time of the term college rock. High school, college, whatever. They were great years for me, and these songs were a vital part of those years. The results are as follows, as if you care. This week's letter will be, I think, 'D'. Get it? CD? Er, yeah.

Please note: I am trying to upload a nice picture of the letter 'C', but Blogger is being a real bastard right now.

1. Cabaret Voltaire - Sex, Money, Freaks - 1987
2. The Call - Everywhere I Go - 1986
3. Camouflage - Neighbours - 1988
4. Camper Van Beethoven - I Was Born In A Laundromat - 1989
5. Caterwaul - The Sheep's A Wolf - 1989
6. Chickasaw Mudd Puppies - Jambalaya - 1991
7. The Chills - Heavenly Pop Hit - 1990
8. The Church - Metropolis - 1990
9. Clan Of Xymox - Michelle - 1986
10. Close Lobsters - Let's Make Some Plans - 1988
11. Cocteau Twins - Blue Bell Knoll - 1988
12. Lloyd Cole - Sweetheart - 1990
13. Concrete Blonde - Joey - 1990
14. The Connells - Stone Cold Yesterday - 1990
15. Consolidated - This Is A Collective (12" Mix) - 1990
16. Julian Cope - Charlotte Anne - 1988
17. The Cramps - Goo Goo Muck - 1981
18. The Creatures - Fury Eyes - 1989
19. The Cult - Dreamtime - 1984
20. The Cure - Push - 1985
    

I Ran?

Me & Mike Score from A Flock Of Seagulls, 28 April 2006.
A Scary Bunnies Photograph...taken by one of the hoppy hoppers.

Weekender: I Am Festival in the daytime, Shagging at night

First of all, we deejayed a set at the I Am Festival in New London, Saturday afternoon. The weather was aces, the people were lovely, the bands were hot and the organizers were well perfect. Thanks Sean and Rich! What we played:

• KING OF WOOLWORTHS - NUADA
• LILY ALLEN - SMILE
• TOM VEK - C.C. YOU SET THE FIRE IN ME
• THE FRANK AND WALTERS - CEMETRY GATES
• THE WALKMEN - THE RAT
• THE ARCADE FIRE - NEIGHBORHOOD #2 (LAIKA)
• TIN BANGS - HE'S SO PRETTY
• BELLE & SEBASTIAN - WE ARE THE SLEEPYHEADS
• BEES - CHICKEN PAYBACK
• PRIMAL SCREAM - ROCKS
• THE B-52'S - 52 GIRLS (REMIX)
• CAMERA OBSCURA - LLOYD I'M READY TO BE HEARTBROKEN
• THE SMITHS - VICAR IN A TUTU
• ARAB STRAP - THE SHY RETIRER (REMIX)
• THE PIPETTES - PULL SHAPES
• HOT CHIP - OVER AND OVER
• CANSEI DE SER SEXY - LET'S MAKE LOVE AND LISTEN DEATH FROM ABOVE
• LE TIGRE - I'M SO EXCITED
• WE ARE SCIENTISTS - THE GREAT ESCAPE
• THE PRESETS - GIRL AND THE SEA
• THE POSTAL SERVICE - SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS
• FEIST - MUSHABOOM (POSTAL SERVICE REMIX)
• THE STONE ROSES - MADE OF STONE ((808 STATE MIX)
• GORILLAZ - DARE
• KASABIAN - CLUB FOOT (JAGZ KOONER MIX)
• LADYTRON - DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH
• BLUR - GIRLS AND BOYS (PSB 12" MIX)
• BJORK - BIG TIME SENSUALITY
• GOLDFRAPP - OOH LA LA
• FRANZ FERDINAND - MATINEE
• THE JUAN MACLEAN - GIVE ME EVERY LITTLE THING

Then, Shag Frenzy was later that night, and it was fucking mega! 200+ showed up, and the dancefloor was moving all night long. No setlist, because my mistress of the evening, Pabst Blue Ribbon, prevented me from using a writing instrument. Some pics here on the blog thingy, more pics there. I am truly grateful for everyone who showed up.

Danse macabre!:



Me, in my Mancunian splendour, and Sara, my love:

Snowden and The Horrors, Whitney and Mirah

Snowden cannot commit to 24 September, but have expressed interest in either 6 or 7 October, which is a Friday and Saturday. Perfect I say. Perfect I am.

The Horrors show...well...that is indeed happening! The date will be Sunday, 29 October, and The Hartford Advocate will discuss sponsorship with us, which is jolly good.

I'm trying. Hartford will be so much more than party cover bands and watered down brews. We will be rocknroll machine music. Er, yeah.

In other news...Whitney is totally available now, er, soon! Guess Bobby Brown's prerogative is getting a good lawyer...or a hot piece of ass in which he can lay out some lines and get a quick snort.

I am in love with Mirah. Her records, her looks, breathtaking. Love love love.

Download an MP3 of hers and check it.

New London's I Am Festival is this Saturday...and it's free

Yeah! Free indie rock! Free people watching! Free good weather in downtown New London!

Sara and I, aka Shag Frenzy, will be deejaying between the bands at New London's I Am Festival until about 630p, at which time we will head into Hartford and do the Frenzy proper at Sweet Jane's. Please come out and support the ones who are making a scene happen in this beautiful state of Connecticut.

FROM I AM FESTIVAL'S MYSPACE:

We are pleased to announce the schedule for I AM FESTIVAL, taking place September 16th on the gorgeous Waterfront Park in Downtown New London.
All times are subject to slight change.

12:00-1:05 Incognito Sofa Love (opening party)
1:20-1:55 Matt & Kim
2:15-3:15 RYE COALITION
3:40-4:15 Crooked Hook
4:35-5:10 The Feverfew
5:35-6:15 Quiet Life
6:40-7:20 GIRL TALK
7:45-8:35 CALLA
9:00-10:00 RAINER MARIA

***all bands' Myspace pages found on I Am Festival profile friends list***

Also, during the daytime, expect filler DJ sets by none other than SHAG FRENZY! Connecticut's hottest hipster dance party comes to I AM FESTIVAL for a daytime jaunt before they rock their monthly dig that night in Hartford.

DIRECTIONS TO I AM FESTIVAL BY TRAIN:

Pretty simple... whether you're coming from New York or Boston or Philly or whatever, all you have to do is buy a train ticket that says "To: New London" on it. The train literally takes you to I AM FESTIVAL. The train station is located at Waterfront Park, where the festival will take place. The festival is free, so all you have to do is get here and party! If you wanna party all night and need a place to stay for the night, let us know and we can probably hook you up with a sweet place and a sweet afterparty. It'll be a blast!

(By the way, same goes for a bus. Greyhound is located at the train station!)

DIRECTIONS TO I AM FESTIVAL FROM NEW HAVEN, NEW YORK way:

* Take I-95 NORTH.
* Take EXIT 83 toward NORWICH / CT-32 / DOWNTOWN / NEW LONDON
* Stay STRAIGHT onto HUNTINGTON ST
* Continue straight until you see SAVER gas station and you can no longer go straight. Take a LEFT onto BANK ST. Find parking downtown and head towards the waterfront.

DIRECTIONS TO I AM FESTIVAL FROM PROVIDENCE, BOSTON way:

* Take I-95 SOUTH
* Take the CT-32 exit- EXIT 84S-N-E- toward DOWNTOWN NEW LONDON / NORWICH
* Take the CT-32 N exit- EXIT 84N-E- toward NORWICH / STATE PIER / HODGES SQ
* Take EXIT 84E toward STATE PIER / HODGES SQ
* Stay STRAIGHT onto WILLIAMS ST
* Turn LEFT onto HUNTINGTON ST (the first light)
* Continue straight until you see SAVER gas station and you can no longer go straight. Take a LEFT onto BANK ST. Find parking downtown and head towards the waterfront.

DIRECTIONS TO I AM FESTIVAL BY FOOT:

Get downtown. Walk towards the water. Get on the pier. You're bound to find it!

Kiss Me Like The Ocean Breeze

I don't know if last night's Little Steven's Underground Garage show was New York themed or not. With the 5 year anniversary of 9/11 being today, I assume that maybe it was, in some way, a tribute to the great city. Little Steven Van Zandt opened with one of the most beautiful monologues I've ever heard on radio, documenting NYC's great musical heritage via the nightclubs and the artists themselves. From The Cotton Club and the Duke to Hilly Kristal's CBGB's and The Velvets playing at Warhol's Factory, Van Zandt covered it all and with a dirty, gritty, sinful NYC drawl that made it just alright, y'know? He lead off with "Sweet Jane" and then went into The Bronx's Blues Magoos' 60's classic "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet", arguably two of the finest NY songs ever written and recorded. Unfortunately, for me, I was only in the car for those first 15 minutes or so of the show and, well, radio reception in my house is basically non-existent due to the fact that I am in the woods, so to speak.

I've got garage and protopunk in my veins today, going so far as to bring in some key rocknroll cds for the long, dreary Monday work day.

• VA - Girls With Guitars (Ace Records UK)
• VA - MOJO Music Guide Vol. 1 - Instant Garage (free with Mojo June 2003)
• The Lords Of The New Church - The Lords Of The New Church (IRS)
• The Pretty Things - The EP Collection (See For Miles Records UK)
• Oasis - Familiar To Millions (Big Brother)
• Iggy & The Stooges - Raw Power (Columbia)
• The Stooges - Funhouse (Elektra)
• The Dictators - Manifest Destiny (Asylum)
  

Arab Strap broke up! Aye! No!

I'm too sad to even write about this right now. Aidan and Malcolm are gods of the perverted Scots rock. As Arab Strap, they will be sorely missed by me and countless others.

Their final album together, The Last Romance, is genius. As usual.

Eric Danton reported it first. Read it from his music blog. He has some links to Arab Strap MP3's as well.

Snowden and The Horrors are coming to Hartford?

Snowden, from Atlanta, GA, may play on Sunday, 24 September. They are dreamy, shoegazey, and have a new record out called Anti-Anti on Jade Tree.


The Horrors, from London, UK, may play on Sunday, 29 October, for a nifty Halloween Costume Party of sorts. These cats have all sorts of press going in England right now (see classy NME cover shot above) and are the next big thing according to, um, everyone in England.

Venue is confirmed and it will be Sweet Jane's in Downtown Hartford on Pratt Street. The only thing in the way is the bands giving us the final word. I am really trying to get some nice, young indie bands to play here, dammit, and hopefully we can get a nice little scene going here in H-Town.

Stay tuned. Remember that Space Blues is your live indie rock mate.

Junior Boys in New Haven tomorrow night, Priestess on Friday

Ontario's fun electropoppers Junior Boys are playing at Cafe Nine in New Haven for a whopping $6. I hope to be there...you should hope so as well.



Also, Priestess is at the same place on Friday night.

Support the nice bands we have coming to town, ok?

Asobi Seksu

Wow. An update! Who'da thunk it? Sorry for the lack of anything, but I've been busy and then fell ill for the long, holiday weekend. Yay for me. Onto greener pastures...

Asobi Seksu, which, when loosely translated in English from Japanese, means "playful sex", is a new-ish band on the shoegaze scene. They hail from NYC, are signed to indie Friendly Fire, and have a fresh, summery album entitled Citrus that has been recently released. Their sound is, well, ethereal in that Cocteau Twins/Lush/Pale Saints vibe. Basically, insert any circa-1986-89 4AD band here and there you have it. Lead singer Yuki Chikudate sings in half-English, half- Japanese, so there's no telling what you're getting other than a sexy, breathy, delicate vocal over swirling, fuzzy warmth. With all the jittery, frenzied electro-disco-new wave music out there nowadays, Asobi Seksu is perfect for that post-nightclubbing comedown on a Sunday morning. Pills, hot tea, and biscuits are optional.

Friendly Fire Recordings, 2006

Asobi Seksu MP3 Downloads (From Friendly Fire Recordings' web)