A Place To Bury Strangers. Photo by Christina Carroll.
On this particularly muggy Wednesday evening, A2 Industries presented a showcase of great noise rock bands at the White Rabbit Cabaret in Fountain Square. The opening act, Stagnant Pools, comprised of siblings Bryan and Doug Enas on guitar and drums, started the evening with a looping guitar drone that echoed in anticipation. During their set, the brothers proved to be apt pupils of the Kevin Shields school of tremolo bar shoegazing, in addition to the drummer channeling his inner Colm Ciosoig with fill frenzied back beats.
Stagnant Pools. Photo by Christina Carroll.
Supporting act, Hunters, from Brooklyn, New York, hit the stage with their brand of party punk metal. Pink haired lead vocalist, Isabel Almeida, commanded the stage with wild poses and writhed on the floor throughout the band's set, inspiring an outburst of photography flashes from the front of the stage. Almeida would often trade vocal duties back and forth with guitarist, Derek Watson, who also alternated between upbeat noisy punk and doomy metal guitar riffs. The band appeared and sounded like they could equally play big stages and house shows.
Isabel Almeida of Hunters. Photo by Christina Carroll.
Headlining act, A Place To Bury Strangers, made their entrance to a dark stage filled with fog and started their set with "You Are The One", from their latest album, Worship, to a barrage of lasers beaming across the stage. Vocalist/guitarist, Oliver Ackermann's beaten up Fender Jaguar shrieked with distorted chaotic abandon and played well with the projections and triggered light show. A couple of times, Ackermann's guitar strap fell off his shoulder, yet not deterring the guitarist's playing style. At one point of the show in mid-song, Ackermann picked up two separate speakers next to his custom built amplifier, and positioned them in the middle of the stage for added feedback bliss while he dialed his unlabeled customized effect pedals like an electronic shaman. I was wise to wear earplugs to this show as "The Loudest Band In New York" lived up to their name in sheer volume.
Dion Lunadon of A Place To Bury Strangers. Photo by Christina Carroll.
Oliver Ackermann of A Place To Bury Strangers. Photo by Christina Carroll.
Today marks the day that I get my local Indy music reviews published in alternative newsweekly, NUVO. As I came into work, I picked up the stack of newly printed NUVO's outside of Indy CD & Vinyl and placed them into their designated rack inside the store and grabbed a copy. When I skimmed straight to the music section, I noticed that my reviews are only available online. I would be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for a printed copy of the reviews, but now it's up to me to get people to read them and make them popular.
I will try my best as a music scene writer not to tell people that "they sucked" or that "they rule!" I'm more into hyping and describing the show experience and allowing the readers to decide for themselves if they would be interested in catching a future show date of the bands being reviewed.
If you have an upcoming show that you would like to get reviewed and published in NUVO, please send an email to catlikerec@gmail.com. Keep in mind that I will only cover original bands at this time.
It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted anything new on Temporary Rough Venom and I have some good news to share with my readers. I have accepted a teaching post in Australia. Oh wait, no I didn't, that was Leggy Mountbatten from The Rutles mockumentary, "All You Need Is Cash". The truth is that I have started writing music album and show reviews for NUVO, an alternative newsweekly in Indianapolis. This may scale back some of my TRV music writing but I will be shifting the format and content of the blog to include more videos and music related articles that do not fit within the scope of my new writing gig. On that note, I am posting some great new songs that have come out recently that I hope everyone will enjoy.
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Brian Jonestown Massacre - "Blue Order / New Monday"
Everything you've always known about the Beatles is about to get turned over on it's head. The Fab Four have always been known to sing and write sugary songs about love gained, love lost, and everything in between. I remember becoming a huge fan when I was a young tyke due to my older sisters and parents playing Beatles records all the time. Like Paul McCartney raps (Yes, he was rapping!) on the song "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the Beatles have gone in and out of style with me as I've grown up. However, the Beatles are still loved by young and old and considered one of the most important bands of the last 50+ years. So, now to shock the current Beatles fanatics and perhaps gain more acolytes among haters, I present in this article in alphabetical order, 6 violent Beatles songs.
1) A Day In The Life
Sample Lyrics: "He blew his mind out in a car. He didn't notice that the lights had changed. A crowd of people stood and stared. They'd seen his face before. Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords."
Basically, John Lennon is singing about a story of a British politician that shot himself in the head in his car in heavy traffic at rush hour. The crowd of witnesses were not even sure if they recognized the guy with his head blown to bits, but the consensus was that he had to be from the House of Lords. Maybe there was a white wig in the passenger seat.
2) Getting Better
Sample Lyrics: "I used to be cruel to my woman, I beat her and kept her apart from the things that she loved."
John Lennon and Paul McCartney harmonize beautifully together about domestic partner abuse. This was only a couple years after singing 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'. It was widely believed and accepted that John wrote this line about his relationship to his first wife, Cynthia. He was a real jerk to her and did terrible things. The lyrics continue with "Man I was mean but I'm changing my scene and I'm doing the best that I can." He acknowledges that he was a complete douchebag and sings about making things better. I hope Cynthia got massive Beatles alimony checks.
3) Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Sample Lyrics: "Bang bang, Maxwell's silver hammer came down upon her head. Bang bang, Maxwell's silver hammer made sure that she was dead."
Paul McCartney takes the lead vocals about a medical college student named Maxwell Edison also majoring in serial killing with a freaking hammer. Paul makes him sound adorable with this nursing home style orchestrated diddy. Maxwell even goes on and kills his teacher for treating him like a young boy after being forced to write how naughty he's been, 50 times on the blackboard. Of course, he ends up getting arrested and gains some female followers named Rose and Valerie that want him set free. The judge at his trial says no way and Maxwell kills him with his silver hammer. You'd think the British policemen would have confiscated his favorite killing toy before the arrest.
4) Rocky Raccoon
Sample Lyrics: "Rocky had come equipped with a gun, to shoot off the legs of his rival. His rival it seems had broken his dreams, by stealing the girl of his fancy."
Paul sings this tale about a young boy named Rocky Raccoon that had his heart broken when his girlfriend Nancy dumps him for another guy named Dan. Rocky is so hurt that he decides to go shoot Dan. The problem is that Dan is not only boning Rocky's girlfriend better, but he also knows how to quick draw a pistol and shoots Rocky when confronted at a local saloon. Rocky doesn't die but learns a valuable lesson when he licks his wounds and discovers a Gideons bible in his room.
5) Run For Your Life
Sample Lyrics: "Well, I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man. You'd better keep your head little girl or you won't know where I am."
John sings this anthem for jealous freaks around the world that probably treat women as objects. The entire song sounds completely sociopathic and crazy. Whoever this little girl is should get a restraining order as soon as possible or she will end up dead. She better not have any guy friends either or they will probably end up slashed into dozens of bloody pieces in a heap on the floor. I wonder what all the screaming teen girls in the 60s thought about this song when it came out?
6) The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
Sample Lyrics: "Hey Bungalow Bill, what did you kill, Bungalow Bill?"
A very peculiar song about an elephant hunter named Bungalow Bill that brings his mother along his various hunts in case of accidents. During one particular hunt, Bungalow Bill gets surprised by a tiger and either shoots the tiger, or comic book super hero Captain Marvel appears out of nowhere and zaps Bungalow Bill between the eyes. This is completely open to interpretation. Some might say that the lyrics are sarcastically calling Bungalow Bill "Captain Marvel" for zapping the tiger between the eyes, or Captain Marvel simply appeared and zapped the tiger between the eyes. No further lyrics suggest that Bungalow Bill was upset by a costumed freak interrupting his hunting, so I believe Bungalow Bill was in fact Captain Marvel.
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In conclusion, I'm surprised that Charles Manson never mentioned any of these songs as his inspiration to tell his maniac family members to kill celebrities. I did not include the Beatles song "Helter Skelter" because there's no mention of any sort of violence anywhere in the lyrics. I really did try to find other violent Beatles songs but I think I have them all covered. If I missed any, please let me know in the comments.
I have been a Smiths fan for over 27 years and still remember the day I bought 'The Queen Is Dead' album on cassette a few months after it was released. Over the years, a common theme of fans and non-fans have continuously painted this great Manchester band as mopey or depressing, probably because they've really only heard "How Soon Is Now?" at their local goth night. I would say that there are a dozen or so Smiths songs that defy the depression description and contain lyrics that are comedic gold in content.
Here is a list of Smiths songs in no particular orderthat are upbeat and happy sounding with comedic lyrics:
1) Panic
Sample Lyrics: "Burn down the disco, hang the blessed DJ, because the music that they constantly play. It says nothing to me about my life."
What seems like frightening words that would be banned if sung by a metal band of the 80s, these lyrics are sung along a bouncy beat and chord changes very similar to 'Metal Guru' by T-Rex. Also, who hasn't felt this same sentiment at a club playing terrible music?
2) Rusholme Ruffians
Sample Lyrics: "Scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen. This means you will love me."
This describes most teen life. Too young to get a tattoo, yet serious enough to leave a minor scar on your arm of the one you love. This song describes scenes in an English carnival and shuffles along to a beat very similar to Elvis Presley's 'Marie's The Name (Of His Latest Flame)'. The Smiths even covered a portion of the Elvis song on their Rank album.
3) Ask
Sample Lyrics: "Shyness is nice and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to. So, if there's something you'd like to try? If there's something you'd like to try? Ask me, I won't say no. How could I?"
Next time some non-Smiths fan tries to tell you how depressing Morrissey sounds, just point them to this inspirational and uplifting happy sounding Smiths song.
4) Cemetry Gates
Sample Lyrics: "A dreaded sunny day, so I meet you at the cemetry gates. Keats and Yeats are on your side, while Wilde is on mine."
A nice bouncy song about a couple of poetry loving graveyard dwellers that meet at the cemetery gates to read tombstone inscriptions. Who hasn't done this once or twice? I've also marveled at the British spelling and usage of cemetery as cemetry.
5) Is It Really So Strange?
Sample Lyrics: "Oh yes, you can kick me, and you can punch me, and you can break my face, but you won't change the way I feel. Cause I love you."
Put aside the fact that the character in this song traveled many different directions, accidentally killed a horse and a nun, and won't care that you beat him up because he loves you. Romance is always alive in Smiths world.
6) Sheila Take A Bow
Sample Lyrics: "Sheila take a, Sheila take a bow. Boot the grime of this world in the crotch dear, and don't come home tonight. Come out and find the one who you love and who loves you."
A great anthem for lonely souls to go out and live life instead of staying at home and being miserable. I especially like the ending lyric of the song that states, "Throw your homework onto the fire. Come out and find the one you love!"
7) Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
Sample Lyrics: "Some girls are bigger than others. Some girls are bigger than others. Some girls mothers are bigger than other girls mothers."
The wit and wisdom of Morrissey's lyrics doesn't get more basic than on this song. Johnny Marr's guitar spritely bounces around in acknowledgement.
8) Vicar In a Tutu
Sample Lyrics: "I was minding my business, lifting some lead off, the roof of the holy name church. It was worthwhile living a laughable life, to set my eyes on the blistering sight, of a vicar in a tutu. He's not strange. He just wants to live his life this way."
You pretty much have no sense of humor to see that there's a Smiths song about a priest that likes to wear tutus and dance around his pulpit during a sermon. Depression, my ass!
9) Accept Yourself
Sample Lyrics: "Every day, you must say, so how do I feel about my life? Anything is hard to find, when you will not open your eyes. When will you accept yourself?"
Millions of people walk around every day and feel dreary and miserable and sorry for themselves. Morrissey comes along and writes a song about them and asks them, "when will you accept yourself?" Accepting yourself is the first step towards happiness.
10) Handsome Devil
Sample Lyrics: "Let me get my hands on your mammary glands, and let me get your head on the conjugal bed."
Morrissey sings about grabbing a pair of breasts. Possibly the most uplifting and surprisingly happy lyric in the Smiths catalog. Or is it?
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What Smiths songs would you have included that are upbeat and happy? Leave them in the comments.
On the morning of April 18th 2012, the legendary Dick Clark, died of a massive heart attack at age 82. He had suffered from a stroke in 2004 and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Without Dick Clark, many of the music icons we have today would not have had their big breaks. He hosted American Bandstand from 1952 to 1989 and showcased many artists and bands on this show to enthusiastic dancing, screaming teenagers.
Here are some of my favorite moments of American Bandstand.
Dick Clark Interviews James Brown in 1983:
Public Image Ltd perform on American Bandstand:
Dick Clark Interviews The Beach Boys:
ABBA performs on American Bandstand in 1975:
Dick Clark Interviews Jefferson Airplane:
The Jackson 5 live on American Bandstand in 1970:
Dick Clark Interviews Paul Collins' Beat:
Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett on American Bandstand:
Run-DMC Interviewed by Dick Clark:
Link Wray Performs on American Bandstand:
Love Perform on American Bandstand in 1966:
The Music Machine Perform on American Bandstand in 1966:
