This is Bob Dylan to Me

So Isiah Thomas is going to have to right the ship that he has already fire-bombed. Thanks to ESPN, the world now knows that this isn't the first time that Isiah has been invovled with a total catastrophe. You gotta love superimposing huh? Well, let's see if could possibly get any worse for the knicks before it gets better.

I just watched the new Minutemen documentary, "We Jam Econo", and I gotta say that even if you are only a casual fan, you have to check it out. It's really good, and just raised my level of appreciation for them ten-fold. Their concept of what punk rock was just really rings true. They did things their own way, and they weren't afraid to not look punk, not sound punk, etc. At least for the first few years, their music was pretty abrasive, angular, choppy, and brutal. They were blasts that were done before you knew what hit you. The Minutemen truly had their own sound, which was very different from the other bands in the punk/hardcore scene at the time, and lyrically they were in a league of their own. At the end of the movie, Mike Watt is saying that they toured with REM in '85, and on the last show, the 3 of them (Watt, Boon, and Hurley) got on stage with REM and played "See No Evil", the Television song. That was the last time he played with D. Boon, and he was saying how much it upset him that he had to play the guitar, and couldnt be playing the bass with him at the end. Depressing stuff. Check out what Watt said about D:

he was my best friend since we were thirteen and the reason I started and still to this day play music. his life was cut way too short at twenty seven. I think of him every day. his spirit lives on in the work I continue to do. folks ask what kind of bass player am I. my answer is "I'm d. boon's bass player."
It would have been interesting to hear where they would have gone in '86. I think that the Minutemen may be one of the more important American bands in the last 30 years (I know, I know...I'm sure shrimp cracker or someone else may want to comment on that - I'm setting you up, what more could you want?) Here is Mike Watt's website. Also, check out Corndogs.org. it has a lot of archive stuff.
Songs:
The Minutemen - Paranoid Chant, Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs, Anchor, I Felt Like A Gringo, History Lesson Part II
I'm probably going to do some more on the minutemen next time, I have a listening assignment for myself now.

As a parting note, here are some songs by the Texas '60s rockers The Zakary Thaks - Bad Girl, Face To Face, Won't Come Back

This post is dedicated to Alex and Benn (just like one of my cd binders), who I hadnt seen in way too long

Teengenerate + why i like MacBooks

Now we're in business, we got Shrimp Cracker on board for the Blog Bonanza. Now I have to take this thing a little more seriously. I need to edit my stuff now (or at least proofread). Hopefully we'll have some other people joining too (irish, you chafe?). I'm happy to say that I have a new computer now (I'm still waiting to retrieve all of my files on my old one though), so I can resume my normal life. This new comp. came with Garage Band on it, so now I can record crappy sounding demos whenever I want (ye$$ - Nashville here I come). I promised Shrimp cracker that I would post some stuff, so here are some half-assed recordings. Once I actually learn how to use the program, I'll have Spector/Wall of Sound type stuff for ya.
An abbreviated version of Billy Childish's "No Mercy"
A Doojh original, "Where Were You Last Night"


Enough of that for now. One of my favorite bands from the early - mid '90s is Teengenerate. These guys were from Japan, and put out a slew of amazing LPs and singles. Lead singer Fink, along with Fifi, Sammy, and Shoe raised the bar for lo-fi fuzzed out rocknroll. Their recordings were so high in the red that you can barely understand a word he is singing, let alone trying to get through his really thick accent. Fink's grasp of the English language was not amazing either, but it all adds up to a whole lot of fun, and some of the most rockin material from that era. They took the best elements for rave-up rocknroll like Jerry Lee, Chuck Berry and Little Richard and added a Ramones style kick in the pants. A shout-out must go to Emplyee of The Month, for their post about the absolute genius that was Teengenerate.

Teengenerate - "My GTO"
Teengenerate - "Gonna Feel Alright"
Teengenerate - "Savage"

How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation On Rhino Reissues: GP vs. The Mats, PT 1 of 2

Not more than a few weeks ago, I told a friend, "I don't see any reason why I'd listen to Gram Parsons ever again." Well apparently someone at Rhino overheard my usual bullshit hyperbole and rushed out this 3-disc Complete Reprise Sessions set last Tuesday.

After a slightly intoxicated visit to the local Virgin Megastore on said Tuesday night (never a good idea, particularly on a Tuesday), I walked out with this & the new Replacements best of, also courtesy of Rhino. Perfect evidence that Rhino can get you to spend your hard-earned $$ on shit you already own by just tossing it inside some cardboard with a few mostly useless bonus tracks.

For the GP set, bonus tracks means alternate takes of GP/Grevious Angel songs and some radio interview snippets. Out of a total 48 tracks here on THREE(!) discs, there's not one goddamn new composition included here. Nothing live, no Fallen Angels, no demos, no unreleased songs. Nice work on the replica LP sleeves, but cardboard alone don't cut it friends.

Emmylou Harris is listed as producer on this collection. Maybe all that botox has finally gotten to the brain.

The two bonus cuts that are new in any significant way is the version of "Kiss The Children" from GP (his first solo album post-Burritos Bros.), sung as a duet with Barry Tashian of the Boston rave-up mavericks The Remains and the Greivous Angel sessions outtake of "Hickory Wind." Barry & Gram befriended some time during the Burritos Bros. days, and the story goes Gram taught Barry to sing country & Barry taught Gram to sing rock & roll. Either way, Gram died before we ever got to really hear him rock, and Barry lives with his wife in Nashville as a songwriting team for the Country Music Machine. As far as Barry's beginnings as a country singer, sounds like he was a slow learner. Or maybe Gram was a shitty teacher.

Gram Parsons & Barry Tashian - "Kiss The Children" (alternate take, GP. 1972).

It is worth noting that Barry did record a terrific lead vocal of "Cry One More Time" for GP, which Gram had the good taste to release on the original album. Apparently ego hadn't totally inflamed Gram's musical sense, and he let another man take lead on his own solo album. Interesting...

Barry Tashian w/ Gram Parsons - "Cry One More Time" (album version, GP. 1972)

At this point, I could very easily go off a Barry & the Remains tangent.. since I feel like talking some more shit about Gram, pop open this in a new browser window/tab & get back here quick (maybe someday I'll do a thing on The Remains if I don't get bummed on this whole mp3 blog thing).

So, back to the Gram. If you're unfamiliar with the Grievous Angel, he's basically a giant fuck you: he grew up fucking stinking rich on a plantation in the South, fucked around in private school & at Harvard for a year, fucked up the Byrds, fucked with country & rock and called it 'Cosmic American Music,' discovered & presumably fucked Emmylou and died like a fuck -- overdosing in a motel at Joshua Tree in '73, followed by a strange series of events starring Johnny Knoxville and a greedy stepfather.

Gram Parsons w/ Emmylou - "Hickory Wind" (alternate take, Grevious Angel. Recorded 1973, originally released The Byrds: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, 1968.)

Some have called Ryan Adams the Gram Parsons of his day, but it's probably the other way around. Ryan isn't as special as he'd like to be, and Gram really isn't as special as we've made him out to be. Both sing nice songs that are a nice blend of rock & country & folk, but beyond "nice," nothing extraordinarily extraordinary have come out of either. Gram's best stuff was the with The Byrds (or, arguably, The International Submarine Band); Ryan's best stuff with Whiskeytown -- and they individually fucked up both bands. Both had grand dreams of celebrity and both ended up slobbish jerks with good hair & drinking problems -- all of which would be a complete bore, except that both wrote some damn fine songs in their day.

Gram Parsons - "Return Of The Grevious Angel" (alternate take, Grevious Angel. 1973)

Stay tuned for "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation On Rhino Reissues: GP vs. The Mats, PT 2 of 2" -- Don't You Know Who I Think I Was: The Best of The Replacements.

uhh, you like the scorps?...

So, I've been without a computer for over a week now, and it'll be a while before I get it back, so its hard for me to post lately. I had to comment about the NBA Finals though. Who would've thought that Miami would come back from 0-2 and win 4 games in a row. For all of the shit that can be (deservedly) talked about the officiating at the end of game 5, Dallas totally blew it on their own in games 3 and 4. They also could not stop Dwayne Wade, who has become the most exciting player to watch in the league right now (sorry tayshaun).

Doojh is playing at the Lark Tavern in Albany on Sunday July 9th. Come check it out. We're adding new covers and a few new originals on a daily basis - never the same show twice. "I've got something to say.....I killed your baby today". You like the misfits? you like the scorps?

Oh yeah.....The knicks just fired Larry Brown, and Isisah is taking over as coach too. what the fuck people. more on that later once more info comes out.

If you're lookin for a good blog, one the consistently best ones is from WFMU. Check out their blog, they always have something good there.

Drive safe people.

Maximumrocknroll

When I was in 7th and 8th grade, and I first got into punk rock, my main resource for my newfound "hipness" (i put it in quotes casue I was very, very far from being hip) was punk zine heavyweight, Maximumrocknroll. It introduced me to an entire new world that I never knew had existed. I read about all of these cool bands, (cool sounding, cool looking, etc.) and I soaked up as much information as I possibly could. I used to stay up late at night and read about all of these cool shows going on in California, at Gilman St. and wish I was out there. Diving head first into punk rock helped me escape all of the bullshit going on at the time. Even though I never wore a leather jacket and had a mohawk, I really identified with the entire scene and the punk ideals and general outsider point of view. As my musical tastes developed, I sort of outgrew their elitist "punker than thou" shit and branched out. However, every issue I kept seeing reviews of new releases (he usually had at least 1 new release out every month at the time) by some British guy, Billy Childish, and that lead me to check out a musician for the first time who has since become one of my personal favorites. So even though they only really cover hardcore and the type of punk that I'm not really into anymore, I still have a soft spot for the magazine I used to read and re-read over and over again till my eyes were bleading and I had newsprint ink all over me. Anyway, the point is that I was in Borders the other day, and lo and behold the latest issue of the punkest zine out there has a nice long interview with Billy Childish, and a nice picture of him on the cover. I guess I'll have to start staying up all night re-reading this shit again.

I have word (directly from his wife actually) that he is planning a tour of the northeast at some point this upcoming fall as Billy Childish and The Chatham Singers (whitch also features his wife). Albany is lovely in the fall Billy, you gotta make it up here. I got the pleasure of seeing him open up for Modest Mouse (??) at Radio City Music Hall (???????) a while ago, and even though it was totally awesome, I was in the balcony and could barely see the band, which really sucked. I can't wait to see him up close. It would undeniably be the BSE.

Don't forget to tip your bartenders.

Mummies, Dirtbombs, and Truckers

The Mummies - "Come On Up"
The Dirtbombs - "Trainwreck"
The Drive By Truckers - "Steve McQueen"

Big Ben fell off his bike? How bout some training wheels you moron. What athlete rides on a motorcycle without a helmet? you get hurt, and you can kiss your millions goodbye. He is a lucky son of a bitch, and so are the Steelers for that matter. The US got smoked by the Czech Republic in the World Cup yesterday. Now, I got nothing against soccer, but I cant imagine that an American team would ever really have a chance against anyone, considering that they actually take soccer seriously in the rest of the world. Tonight, Miami gets to take on the Mavs on their home court. Maybe that will make the difference for them. Shaq needs to step up big time. let's make this a series alright? Who would have thought that the Detroit Tigers are the talk of the town so far this baseball season? crazy shit all around.

avery johnson

Who would have thought that the NBA finals would be so lopsided 2 games in to it. Now, I don't have any particular allegiance to either Dallas or Miami, but I at least want to see a good series. Avery Johnson obviously deserved to win the coach of the year this year if he has Diop and Dampier totally shutting down the big aristotle. Shaq is playing the worst basketball of his career right now in the finals. I dont get it. After scoring a career playoff low of 17 points in the first game, he scored 5 points in game two....Wake up Shaqqie (as the good doctor is wont to call him). Dallas just has the depth that keeps them all rested. Stackhouse is awesome, Jason Terry is playing like he's actually a good point guard, and Dirk is Dirk. Wade has to take over man. Let's make this series more interesting, ok?
jeez, here's a song from The Seeds for you:
The Seeds - "No Escape"

Two Cow...

Last night, I went to go see Two Cow Garage, with Grainbelt and The Old Sweethearts at Valentine's in Albany. It was a good show all around. The Old Sweethearts, from Buffalo, NY were up first, and I remember not being too impressed when I heard their album a few months ago, but live they were pretty good. They've got a nice full sound with well used organ and harmony vocals. Up next was the debut show of Grainbelt, Albany's newest best band of all time. Featuring ex-Coal Palace King founder Howe Glassman, they put on a rockin show that made you wish they played longer. Too bad these "ass clowns" - hg have been too lazy to put together any merch, or I'd mention it here. Check em out in a town near you. They are supposed to be recording some tunes this summer, good times. Two Cow Garage was the headlining band, and even though they are from Columbus, Ohio, they have a pretty rabid fanbase in Albany. They play here pretty regularly, and this was the first time I was actually able to catch them. They put on an amazing show, with more energy then most any other band I've seen lately. If you are into roots-rock/Americana/garage/whatever, you should definetly check them out. RIYL The Drive By Truckers, Slobberbone, Husker Du, Neil Young, The Replacements, etc. You must go see them live if you get a chance.
There really is nothing in this world as good as some live rock n roll is there?
Two Cow Garage - "My Concern"
Two Cow Garage - "Make It Out Alive"

Konks, Reatards, Masonics

Here's some songs for ya. I promised that I would keep posting songs, so here they are.

The Konks - "29 Fingers"
The Reatards - "Sick When I See"
The Masonics - "Ride Your Pony (live)"

stay tuned...

Lester Bangs on his drum

Who are the best music writers of all time? I must confess that I don't read as much as I should, so I am going to pose this question to all of you, and hope that someone has done research on this topic (i'm looking at you....). Lester Bangs? that's about as far as I can go in terms of music writing. Unless you want to count the jackasses who write for magazines like horizontal action, big takeover, and flipside, and MOJO. let me know who's the boss (obviously mona...). and tell me how much of an ignorant asshole I am. bring it on, i love the feedback. Educate.

Happy 666

I had the pleasure of going to check out the Love Drunks at Valentine's in Albany last night (06.05.06). I had heard the name a few times, but didnt really know much about them. my band was originally going to open up for them, but the dates got switched up, oh well. It turns out The Love Drunks are a band from Atlanta, Ga, and their debut album came out on Alive/Bomp records earlier this year. There were a bunch of local bands that opened up that were alright, but not my particular cup of tea. During the warm up sets, my friend and I got to hang out with the band, and they were pretty cool, down to earth guys. I will say they know how to drink though. They hit the stage and their energy was unreal. To say that the lead singer is a lunatic is the understatement of the century. He was jumping around, rolling on the floor, smashing plastic beer cups against his head, and generally getting up in people's faces. The bassist also played an upright (+ 2 cool points), and the whole band just fucking rocked. The singer even made fun of the opening bands (while they were all still there), saying that "apparently, they don't like rock n roll". Balls on this guy, huh? I dont have their CD with me at the moment, but if you go to their myspace page, you can download songs from there. Check them out, kinda like The Cramps crossed with a more straight up garage band like the Black Lips or The Devil Dogs, and a little bit of the pop influence a la the Exploding Hearts. Can ya dig?

In other news, we may have some other people starting to post stuff on this here blog, so hopefully, it will be much more well rounded in the not-too-distant future. pretty sweet. make sure you check back periodically.

The NBA finals start this Thursday night, and even though it should be an interesting and exciting series, the two teams that I wanted to see make it to the finals both lost in the last round. even though the pistons bitched out in the last round, taysh is still my man. Plus, I'm sure Shaq-Pack will have a handful of absurd soundbites in the next two weeks to keep us all satisfied.

Happy 666 you sinners.