Finland Rocks
If you noticed in the “Other Media” column (conveniently located to your right), I recently watched the Bam Margera movie “Where the #$&% Is Santa?” There’s a good chance this flick will never become a classic of the road comedy genre, but there are some hilarious moments and I’m not going to say I didn’t like it.
The basic plot, if you’re interested, involves Bam Margera and his buddies taking a spur-of-the moment trip to Finland in an effort to locate Santa Claus and bring him back to Pennsylvania in time for Christmas. The group lands in Helsinki and travels north into the Lapland Region, where Santa supposedly lives (not the North Pole as most believe). I won’t spoil the movie for you by telling you whom they find.
An interesting subplot involves Bam going out of his way to visit, drink with, and listen to various Finnish rock bands, particularly the not-so-elegantly wasted Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks fame. Several Finnish bands – some known, some not-so-known – provide a lot of the soundtrack for the movie, which rocks like you’d expect if you’re familiar with Radio Bam on SiriusXM.
So it was “Where the #$&% Is Santa?” that got me on the Internet this morning, looking for Finnish rock bands. I managed to dig up some pretty decent information (there is a
Wikipedia entry and at least one
Website dedicated to Finnish rock music), and then managed to turn that information into actually locating some of the music and deciding to share it.
In keeping with the theme of “Where the #$&% Is Santa?”, I narrowed down to just a few bands, including a couple featured in the movie: Bullet Treatment and Turbonegro. The songs here by those two bands were both in the movie. I also dug out the Suicide Twins, which featured Andy McCoy, along with Nasty Suicide. The 69 Eyes and Children of Bodom are both Finnish rock bands, and although neither were in the movie (as far as I remember), they have been featured on various
Viva La Bands compilations that Bam has assembled. And no mention of Finnish rock would be complete without Hanoi Rocks. The two songs here come from their 1984 live album
All Those Wasted Years.
Coke Nose.mp3 ~ Bullet Treatment
What is Rock!.mp3 ~ Turbonegro
TV Eye (Iggy Pop cover).mp3 ~ The 69 Eyes
Blooddrunk.mp3 ~ Children of Bodom
Countrified Inner-City Blues.mp3 ~ the Suicide Twins
Lightnin’ Bar Blues (live).mp3 ~ Hanoi Rocks
Under My Wheels (live-Alice Cooper cover).mp3 ~ Hanoi Rocks
Labels: covers, glam, live albums, metal, punk, rock
One-Eyed Doll
A couple of days ago I got a MySpace add request from Austin’s One-Eyed Doll, saying something to the effect of “Check out our music – you’ll like it. We’re intellectual.” There was a little ; ) emoticon thing following that line, so I took it as tongue-in-cheek. Which I think is how they meant it.
I checked out the music on their
MySpace, then went to eMusic and downloaded their album,
Monster. One-Eyed Doll calls themselves a “power-rock-duo,” which to me means sort of like the White Stripes. Except in this case, think reverse White Stripes: One-Eyed Doll is led by guitarist and singer Kimberly Freeman, with P.J. Evans, aka Number Three, on drums. One review noted that Kimberly “combines the rock-star bravado of a Jack White (or Jack Black) with the visual impact of a Japanese Anime.”
The music is lyrically dark, with songs about serial killers and bulimia and power chords that reminded me a bit of early Black Sabbath. This is all in contrast to Kimberly’s sweet sounding, at times almost little girlish, voice. Like she’s the kind of girl who would kick you in the crotch then giggle sweetly.
Monster is One-Eyed Doll’s second album; they released the disk in November last year. Their debut,
Hole, came out January 2007. The band is currently working on a new disk, alongside Kimberly’s solo recordings.
Be My Friend.mp3 Fight.mp3 (
Photo note: The above picture, taken by Daniel Upton, is titled “Full Lemmy,” which I thought was a great – and very appropriate – name.)
Labels: metal, rock
Some 'Hot Gossip' for ya
It’s been a long time since I found any new music through MySpace. Since Tom started with the whole MySpace Music thing, bands don’t or can’t post free downloads anymore.
So it was very fortuitous that Dutch rockers Queen Bee hit me up last week. I sent them back a note saying I enjoyed their music and asked if they cared to contribute to my little blog here. It was my good luck – and yours – that drummer Esther wrote back and said the band would be happy to share a couple of tracks.
I wish I could tell you a little more about Queen Bee. All I know for sure is that they hail from The Netherlands and there are five band members: the aforementioned Esther on drums; Fiona on vocals; Lisette on lead guitar; Claire on rhythm guitar; and Wendy on bass. Their music is a Runaways style of pop/punk, but with a rough, garage edge. They claim influences as diverse as Pretty Girls Make Graves and the Beatles.
Right now, Queen Bee is unsigned. I hope that wherever they get picked up, they’re allowed to maintain their edge and not get “glossed” up. I definitely see more L7 here than GoGos. See what you think.
Hot Gossip.mp3 Saturday Night.mp3 For more information, check out Queen Bee on
MySpace.
Labels: garage rock, pop-punk, punk
NiN|Ja2009 sampler
I was pleased to check my email this morning and see some info on the upcoming Nine Inch Nails/Janes Addiction tour (otherwise known as NiN|Ja2009). The North American tour starts May 8, just up the road from me in West Palm Beach.
What was especially cool about getting notice on this was a link to download a six-song EP with new – or new versions – of music from the bands. Along with stuff from NiN and Janes are a couple of songs from Tom Morello’s new band Street Sweeper, who is also on the tour.
And if all of
that isn’t enough to make you crazy, at the
NiN Website you can also get tour info, media from each band, streaming music, and new multi-tracks for you to create your own remixes.
This tour looks to be one of the tastiest of the summer, so if you get a chance, definitely get there. Word from last Thursday’s SXSW appearance was that Janes Addiction (with the full original line-up) killed. Here’re the scheduled dates:
2009-05-08: West Palm Beach, FL; Cruzan Amphitheatre
2009-05-09: Tampa, FL; Ford Amphitheatre
2009-05-10: Atlanta, GA; Lakewood Amphitheatre
2009-05-12: Austin, TX; Frank Erwin Center
2009-05-14: Albuquerque, NM; Journal Pavilion
2009-05-15: Phoenix, AZ; Cricket Wireless Pavilion
2009-05-16: Chula Vista, CA; Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
2009-05-18: Las Vegas, NV; The Pearl
2009-05-20: Irvine, CA; Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Irvine Meadows
2009-05-22: Mountain View, CA; Shoreline Amphitheatre
2009-05-24: George, WA; The Gorge Amphitheater
2009-05-26: Englewood, CO; Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
2009-05-27: Kansas City, MO; Starlight Theatre
2009-05-29: Chicago, IL; Charter One Pavilion
2009-05-30: Noblesville, IN; Verizon Wireless Music Center
2009-05-31: Clarkston, MI; DTE Energy Music Theatre
2009-06-02: Toronto, ON; Molson Amphitheatre
2009-06-03: Mansfield, MA; Comcast Center
2009-06-05: Camden, NJ; Susquehanna Bank Center
2009-06-06: Holmdel, NJ; PNC Bank Arts Center
2009-06-07: Wantagh, NY; Nikon at Jones Beach Music Theater
2009-06-09: Columbia, MD; Merriweather Post Pavilion
2009-06-10: Burgettstown, PA; Post-Gazette Pavilion
2009-06-12: Charlotte, NC; Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Clap for the Killers.mp3 ~ Street Sweeper
Whores (2009).mp3 ~ Janes Addiction
Not So Pretty Now.mp3 ~ Nine Inch Nails
Labels: industrial, rap, rock, upcoming shows
'Obsessed' with Amanda Zelina
Because of where I live, I sometimes forget it’s possible there are people in their 20s who still actually listen to and love the classics.
I got a note the other day from a 22-year-old singer/songwriter named Amanda Zelina. Amanda has, on her
Website, a podcast that she opens with Ray Charles, followed by Humble Pie. You gotta love that.
I mention this because Amanda is about to release her debut,
Love Me till I’m Me Again, an album grounded in vintage R&B and American folk/country.
“Obsessed,” the first single from the album, is a love song about the good kind of obsession (“No one’s ever touched me so intimately...”). Musically, the song echoes Tom Waits, whom Amanda calls one of her main inspirations. Waits’ influence is the “reason as to why she constructs her songs and lyrics the way she does,” according to her bio, “giving each utmost attention and raw primal fearlessness whilst illustrating a touching story that raises empathy in the listener.”
Obsessed.mp3 Labels: indie, new stuff
Sing Me Back Home
I read a review this morning of the new Marianne Faithfull album,
Easy Come Easy Go. To be honest, other than a song here and there, I’ve never been much of a fan of her music. But when I read that she’s dueting with Keith Richards, I had to check it out.
Richards guests on a cover of Merle Haggard’s “Sing Me Back Home,” and let me tell you there are no two more suitable voices. They sound hard-living country in a way relative newcomers like Keith Urban or Carrie Underwood never will. Keith and Marianne are veterans, with a long history together and I would love to hear them record a full album of country music. The only thing that could have gone better here is if Keef would have played guitar.
Easy Come Easy Go is a double album of cover songs, ranging from this Merle Haggard song to covers of songs by artists as diverse as Randy Newman and The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (the BRMC song, “Salvation,” is a duet with Sean Lennon, by the way). Although the album just hit U.S. shelves yesterday, it’s been out in Europe since November and was released in Australia last month. Pick it up when you get a chance.
Sing Me Back Home.mp3 Labels: country music, covers, new stuff, Rolling Stones
Happy St. Patrick's Day
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
Today seems like an appropriate day to pull out some Dropkick Murphys. And what better than a few songs from their 2002 live album,
Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA.
Live on St. Patrick's Day was recorded, obviously enough, during three shows at the Avalon Ballroom in Boston over the March 15-17 St. Patrick’s weekend. The album was released in September 2002.
The Boston St. Patrick’s shows are a long-standing DKM tradition. If you’re in the Boston area tonight, of course the Dropkick Murphys will be there, closing out a weeklong stand at the House of Blues.
If you – like me – are not in the Boston area, enjoy whatever it is you do and take care: there are going to be lots of amateur Irish out tonight.
Sláinte!
For Boston.mp3 Rocky Road to Dublin.mp3 Finnegan’s Wake.mp3 Spicy McHaggis Jig.mp3 Amazing Grace.mp3 Dirty Water.mp3 Labels: holiday, live albums, punk
Lights Out
There were a couple things behind today’s decision to post some old UFO: First, I still occasionally see hits on a
UFO post I did in September 2006 (the music is on my old host, but the links seem to still be good); next,
Strangers in the Nights is right up there as one of my all time favorite albums.
Strangers is UFO’s 1979 live album. Recorded in late 1978 at shows in Chicago, Ill., and Louisville, Ky., this disk has the band’s classic line-up of Phil Mogg, Micheal Schenker, Pete Way, Paul Raymond, and Andy Parker. Schenker left the band right after this tour ended. It has been rumored that he refused to record any overdubs for the album, which would make this an accurate account of his live guitar work.
Despite often being cited by fans and critics as
one of the best live rock albums of all time,
Strangers in the Night never charted higher than number 42 in the U.S. and number 8 in the U.K.
For me, this is one of the albums I never get tired of hearing. I bought the double vinyl release back when it first came out, then replaced it years later with the CD. Like many of my favorites, it’s hard to put my finger on the exact reason for its lasting appeal. But maybe that’s the secret of something so classic.
Out in the Street.mp3 Lights Out.mp3 Shoot Shoot.mp3Labels: classic rock, guitar heroes, live albums, rock
You Say You Want A Revolution...
Got something tonight that I just read about yesterday and had the good fortune to find in my inbox today.
A supposedly unreleased Beatles track, “Revolution 1 (Take 20),” surfaced a couple of weeks ago, having been leaked from source(s) unknown. So I’m a little late, but better late than never. But if I’m only just now hearing this, maybe a few of you are, too.
Anyway, this is a 10-minute version of
The White Album’s “Revolution 1,” which, according to
Rolling Stone, “makes it clear why seemingly unrelated ‘Revolution 1’ and the maniacal ‘Revolution 9’ sound collage share the same name.”
The ultimate source of the recording seems to be a mystery: “According to Mark Lewisohn’s book The Beatles: Recording Sessions, only two copies of the take were made when recording the song was completed on June 4, 1968,” the
Rolling Stone article continues. “One copy left the studio with Lennon that day, and the other remained behind. It’s unclear which copy appears on the bootleg, nor how the
Revolution (my note: refers to an upcoming, Europe-only bootleg
Revolution: Take… Your Knickers Off) makers even acquired it.”
Richie Unterberger, author of The Unreleased Beatles, speculated on the possibility of someone lifting the recording from Lennon’s Dakota apartment. “Who knows if it was someone rummaging through Yoko's stuff in an unauthorized capacity,” he said. “But it's possible that she still had that tape.”
Naturally, this seeming new recording has brought out the doubters. Here are a couple of comments I read in some forums discussing the track:
-The Lennon ‘knickers’ dialogue is not John Lennon speaking, rather a sped up imitator placed to give the whole thing a semblance of plausibility. The actual music is the White Album track gutted, looped + dubbed by obvious use of digital drop in plus samples.
-Rumor is that it was leaked by Paul, trying to convince other Beatles (families) to release [the] album called Long Long Long.
-I'm not convinced. Seems too easy to construct an out-fake. I'd be quite happy to be wrong, though.
My guess is that it’s a real outtake, but who am I to say? Give it a listen and see what you think.
Revolution 1 (Take 20).mp3 Labels: Beatles, classic rock, outtakes
You got any Leftover Crack?
I posted a few months ago about the doings of one Ezra Kire and the many punk fires he has an iron in.
One of the bands I mentioned was Leftover Crack. I had meant to get back around to posting some of their music and, for whatever reason, that didn’t happen. Until now.
By way of a little background – and a warning if this sort of thing offends you – Leftover Crack is, uh, sort of controversial. They have been banned from several New York venues; they have trouble touring foreign countries because of the members’ criminal records; and the NYPD arrested front man Stza last September after he threw a box of donuts at them. He told New York’s
Village Voice he was “pissed off that the cops wouldn't let the band play their music at a reasonable volume.”
“I admit my behavior was juvenile,” Szra told the paper, “But the issue is a real free speech issue. We've been harassed by the cops for a long time.”
Leftover Crack says they write music that is anti-bigotry, anti-religion, anti-police, and anti-government. In an interview last year (before the donut incident), Stza was asked about the songs, how they seem to be a “call to arms.”
“It is poetry,” he said. “It is art. It is free speech. It’s not a textbook. It’s not a law. It’s not a decree. I’m not here espousing lyrics that I expect people to take completely seriously. I don’t expect people to go out and kill cops.”
And, if you’re curious, Stza explained the band’s name as an oxymoron: It’s based on the idea that crack cocaine addicts are known for vigorous use, and are unlikely to have any “leftover” crack.
Anyway, with that in mind, here are a couple of Leftover Crack songs. The tracks came from various sources, so I’m not sure of the particular origins of each. Leftover Crack are currently more or less signed to
Fat Wreck Chords, so you can probably go there for more information.
One Dead Cop.mp3 And Out Comes the N-Bomb.mp3 World War 4.mp3Labels: punk
Music from My Mailbox
Time to clean out the inbox again. There was not only a ton of music there, but there was a lot of really good stuff, too. And I don’t necessarily mean to say that like I’m surprised to find good music.
I got a few submissions from
Touch and Go Records and every one of them was great – rockin’ stuff. Not only newer stuff like Crystal Antlers, but also punk veterans the Jesus Lizard (who, by the way, will be playing the Pitchfork festival in July if you get a chance to attend).
I got also got a couple of things from people just reaching out after they found my blog. Hemmit and Liquor Boxx came to my attention that way. Both play hard rock in the “classic” mode and I really appreciate them finding me they way they did.
And, as always, there are some songs here that are totally different from what I usually post: Some folksy-type things that I liked, and a couple of remix / hip-hop things.
Give them a listen; you know I wouldn’t intentionally make you listen to something terrible. And, as always, follow the links for more information.
Midnight MassesGospel / Gothic / Religious
From: New York/Texas, Antarctica
Band
MySpace Heaven.mp3 
Jesus LizardAlternative / Punk / Metal
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band
MySpaceBoilermaker.mp3 Double ThinkRock / Rock / Rock
From: New London, Connecticut
Band
MySpace You Think We’re In Love.mp3 HemmitPowerpop / Rock
From: Portland, Oregon
Band
MySpaceHold Out.mp3 
PoomaShoegaze / Indie / Other
From: Helsinki, Finland
Band
MySpace Through the Calm.mp3 Leonard MynxAcoustic / Indie
From: New York
Band:
MySpace Mary.mp3 WeinlandAmericana / Pop / Folk
From: Portland, Oregon
Band
MySpacePeople Like You.mp3
Screaming FemalesRock / Rock / Rock
From: New Brunswick, New Jersey
Band
MySpace Lights Out.mp3 
Liquor BoxxRock / Classic Rock / Alternative
From: Chicago, Ill.
Band
MySpaceSamantha Fox.mp3 Peter WalkerRock
From: United States
MySpaceStars.mp3 All the SaintsRock / Psychedelic
From: Atlanta, Alabama
Band
MySpace Fire On Corridor X.mp3 Two FingersHip Hop
From: Canada
Band:
MySpaceBackyard Betty (Spank Rock remixed).mp3 
Crystal AntlersRock
From: Long Beach, Calif.
Band
MySpaceAndrew.mp3 NopseThrash / Thrash / Thrash
From: France
Band
MySpace We'll Drink The Blood (Meho Plaza remixed).mp3 Mikey WaxPop / Indie / Rock
From: New York
Band
MySpaceIn Case I Go Again.mp3 Labels: "alternative", folk, hip-hop, indie, new stuff, punk, remix, rock
"Are We Not Men?"
I read this evening that Devo are going to be performing their classic debut album,
Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! in its entirety, for the first time.
The show, unfortunately for those of us in the U.S., is going to take place in London. It’s scheduled for May 6 at the London Kentish Town Forum. I suppose we can always hope that if it goes well, Devo may pull some repeat performances.
It’s been 31 years since
Are We Not Men? was released. At the time it got a mixed reception: A
Rolling Stone reviewer said of the album, “There's not an ounce of feeling anywhere.”
Over the years, though, it has come to be considered a new wave classic.
Rolling Stone eventually changed their minds and placed the disk on their list of the Top 500 Greatest Albums (at number 447).
So what is Devo? The name Devo comes “from their concept of de-evolution',” according to the band’s official
bio. “The idea that instead of evolving, mankind has actually regressed, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society.”
In honor of this upcoming performance – and in hopes there are some repeat performances – I offer up a couple of songs from
Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!: “Jocko Homo,” which seems to explain all things Devo; and their one-of-a-kind version of the Stones’ “Satisfaction.”
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (Rolling Stones cover).mp3 Jocko Homo.mp3Labels: new wave
U2 Take it to the Rooftops
U2’s new album,
No Line On the Horizon, is out today. I haven’t actually gotten it yet and I’ve only heard the song or two that have been floating around the past couple of weeks, so I won’t bore you with my thoughts. But from what I’ve heard so far this album is vintage U2 and I imagine I’ll like it and you probably will as well.
I’m sure you’re all aware that in support of their album U2 has been on a media-saturating blitz. They’re playing what I believe is an unprecedented five-night stand at the Late Show this week. Friday morning they are also appearing live on Good Morning America.
Overseas, the promotional onslaught hit a high spot (pun intended) last week when U2 took to the roof of the BBC Building in London. “A crowd of around 5,000 watched the rooftop show,” according to a BBC report. “U2 had been special guests on BBC Radio 1 and rumours of the gig appeared on Internet message boards during the day.”
The band performed four tracks during the 20-minute show, which the BBC also said “echoed The Beatles' 1969 rooftop performance at record label Apple's London headquarters.”
For a little more of an "echo," check out this version of “Vertigo.”
So - I don’t know if the recording of this February 27 show has made its way to your corner of the Internet yet, but if not, I happened across it and thought I’d share. I thought I read that the Beeb broadcast this show, but I can’t find that source again, so I don’t if that is correct. Regardless, the sound is great, as it always seems to be for live U2.
Introduction.mp3 Get On Your Boots.mp3 Magnificent.mp3 Vertigo.mp3 Beautiful Day.mp3Labels: live music, new stuff, U2
If you noticed in the “Other Media” column (conveniently located to your right), I recently watched the Bam Margera movie “Where the #$&% Is Santa?” There’s a good chance this flick will never become a classic of the road comedy genre, but there are some hilarious moments and I’m not going to say I didn’t like it. 
An interesting subplot involves Bam going out of his way to visit, drink with, and listen to various Finnish rock bands, particularly the not-so-elegantly wasted Andy McCoy of Hanoi Rocks fame. Several Finnish bands – some known, some not-so-known – provide a lot of the soundtrack for the movie, which rocks like you’d expect if you’re familiar with Radio Bam on SiriusXM. 
In keeping with the theme of “Where the #$&% Is Santa?”, I narrowed down to just a few bands, including a couple featured in the movie: Bullet Treatment and Turbonegro. The songs here by those two bands were both in the movie. I also dug out the Suicide Twins, which featured Andy McCoy, along with Nasty Suicide. The 69 Eyes and Children of Bodom are both Finnish rock bands, and although neither were in the movie (as far as I remember), they have been featured on various Viva La Bands compilations that Bam has assembled. And no mention of Finnish rock would be complete without Hanoi Rocks. The two songs here come from their 1984 live album All Those Wasted Years. 
