Lemmy wants you to have a fuckin’ great New Year. Word to the wise? Always do everything Lemmy tells you to.
Welcome to the last Cherrybombed.com post of 2009! I for one am happy to see this year go already. With that said, it hasn’t been all bad. I’m truly thankful to all of you for visiting the little blog that could over this last year, to say nothing of the legions of friends and co-conspirators that keep me going. So instead of writing my annual musical “Best Of” this year, I decided to write a list of the top five things I’m thankful for this year:
1: The photoshop skills and webmaster excellence of RDK aka Mr. Cherrybomb. Without you I would never be able to put a Walmart label on Joe Perry’s guitar. True story.
2: My girl, shutterbug, timekeeper and rock and roller, LP. Not only does she get me out to more shows than you can shake a beer at, she has time and time again generously allowed her amazing photos to grace the pages of this blog, letting me bring the rock right to your living room.
3:Steven Tyler, Mickey Rourke and Lemmy Kilmister. Thanks for not suing me that is.
5: Being asked back to do more Movies About Girls podcasts! I’ve done almost over a dozen now and it’s more fun than it is work. Who knew that a chance meeting of two teenage miscreant losers back in 1987 would lead to something this cool over 20 years later. Thanks for the memories, Ken McIntyre – past, present and future.
Austin’s The Hex Dispensers just put out their second LP, Winchester Mystery House on on of my favorite labels, Douchemaster, home to the equally excellent Davilla 666. Members of the band have collectively been in at least 10 other bands, including another one of my favorite things, Seattle’sTractor Sex Fatality. Hex sounds like a cranked up Jim Carrolldriving by your house in a hearse doing 80 in a school zone with Johnny Ramone riding shotgun. The bands 2009 record, Winchester, is yet another strong contender for my favorites records of 2009. Hex has delivered some absolute throw-back, full-throttle punk rock ear candy for all. At least those of us with classy ears.
The Hex Dispensers will be at The Scoot Inn in Austin on Saturday, August 1st. More on The Hex Dispensers can be found @ Germany’s Alien Snatch Records.
The band that put out my favorite record of 2008, Davila 666, say they plan to put out a 7″ single later this summer on Chicago’sHoZac Records. I can’t get enough of this band so, I’m completely stoked.
For all you East Coast Strutters out there, Davila will depart from their native Puerto Rico to play a few live gigs in March. Here are the dates:
I have loads of friends that live in places that are considered “radio wastelands”. Places where flipping on your radio can be hazardous. To your ears. Below, in no particular order, are my picks for the 10 greatest songs about the radio, that don’t get played on the radio…:
You can find On the Radio on Cheap Tricks’s1978 record, Heaven Tonight. It’s safe to say that the only Cheap Trick songs you will hear on the radio are Surrender and I Want You to Want Me. Now ain’t that a shame...
The Earaches, Get the Revolution Out of Your Head, 1995.
One of the greatest bands to ever emerge from a Seattle garage, The Earaches, recorded their one-finger-salute to commercial radio, Fake Radio for their 2005 record, Get the Revolution out of Your Head. The record is full of sweet, smash ‘em up tracks like Radio, and is arguably the bands best record. After 10 years together, the band members have moved onto different things. Vocalist August Henrich now fronts the Radio Rockets. Former Earaches bass player Oni Timm is still jamming with the Holy Name Dropouts. Sadly, like their predecessors The Sonics, the bands impressive catalog doesn’t get radio play. Radio: FAIL.
Public Enemy, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, 1988.
It boggles my mind how one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time gets ignored by radio and is often vilified for their blunt, straight up lyrics. Of course, it’s not really surprising that Public Enemy’s, How to Kill a Radio Consultant never got any airplay, despite the fact that it’s a first class jam. The groups 1988 record, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is full of classic PE lyrical grenades. The record went Platinum thanks to heavy MTV video rotation of, Bring the Noiseand Don’t Believe the Hype. Take that vapid radio waves.
I am proud to say that this song from The Kinks1981 record, Give the People What They Want, is a permanent resident on my iPod. The songs lyrics were a prelude to the mid-80’s demise of radio DJ’s that gave a shit about music. When money hungry programmers and computer generated play-lists began their hostile takeover of the radio waves, DJ’s who knew better would refuse to play the crap they were being spoon-fed. Which generally led them to fall into obscurity following a quick stop at the oldies station in town where all DJ’s are sent to die. True story.
If you were not familiar with Queen’s prolific catalog you might think that the band was only a a two-hit-wonder with Bohemian Rhapsodyand We Are the Champions. Released 16 years after Rhapsody, The Works has some of my favorite Queen songs on it, like Hammer to Fall and Tear it Up. And you can bet you’ll never hear either one of those songs on the radio either. Someone might still love you commercial radio, but it ain’t me.
I refuse to be apologetic about including Teslaon this list. Especially since this song praises Thomas Edison and his early contributions that helped make modern radio a reality. As a matter of fact, if you’re in Tesla’s hometown of Sacramento, California tonight you can catch the band live at SacrementoMemorial Auditorium. Take that Nickelback.
I couldn’t agree more withLLCool J on this one. In 1985, LL released his first record, Radio on Def Jam. I blogged about this song a few weeks ago while extolling the hip-hop virtues of the movie Krush Groove. In a sea of amazingly bad mainstream hip-hop these days, you could pull out anything from LL’s 20+ year catalog and not go wrong. Shame on you commercial radio, you suck harder than a whore on Saturday night.
A few months ago, I was rolling downtown with a couple of musically enlightened, good-looking friends when The Buzzcocks1978 smash, “What Do I Get”, came on the radio. This car-radio anomaly prompted our handsome male companion to say “When is the last time you heard The Buzzcocks on the radio?”. Even though Radio Nine consists of 49 seconds of radio fuzz and random guitar licks, it doesn’t change the fact that they still don’t play The Buzzcocks on the radio. And that’s not okay.
Over 30 years later, the only band that matters, The Clash, still get radio play. However it’s the same songs over and over again like 1982’sRock the Casbah or London Callingfrom 1979 or, um, Rock the Casbah. Capitol Radio One is from the bands 1977 EP, Capitol Radio.
Eazy-E released Eazy-Duz-It in July of 1988, one month before NWA’s groundbreaking record, Straight Outta Compton. The record includes stellar contributions from Eric B & Rakim, Ice Cube and MC Ren, who also appears on the cover of Eazy-Duz-It. Still, for some reason I keep seeing the image of Eazy, holding a sign saying “Will Rap for Food” in the video for Dr. Dre’s jam, Fuck Wit Dre Day. But that’s besides the point. The point is that they don’t play Eazy on the radio or Eazy’sRadio, on the radio.
Happy New Year to you. Hey, I know it’s still New Year’s Eve for most of you but I’ll be hydrating for most of today so this list will likely be my last entry for 2008. I want to thank everyone for their support this year especially the RDK, Freddy Pants, Miss E, Surly, LP, G, AFJ, JB, Wonder Woman, Apec, Dr. H, Irish, Amyl, the baddest motherfucker of all motherfuckers, Sleazegrinder, NaterBater, The Electric Kisses, The Radio Rockets, the guys and dolls of The Staxx Brothers, Cancer Rising, Michael Kand all of you who keep coming back to get Cherrybombed. Anyway, everyone does one of these lists. Here’s mine, in no particular order.
Fleet Foxes, Mykonos. From the Sun Giant EP, 2008.
Fleet Foxes eponymous June, 2008 release was a smash. For me, every time I hear Mykonos from the Foxes Sun Giant EP, I get the chills. The Fleet Foxes are currently riding high down under in Australia for a series of mostly sold-out shows. Take that Nickelback…
Shame Spiral is Taco Cat’s first record. Put out by the excellent label Don’t Stop Believin’(home toThe Pharmacyand the The Pleasureboaters) the record is really fun and super fuzzy, just like a real Taco Cat. The Garagey goodness of Taco Cat will be touring through March of 2009 including a stop in Austin for SXSW. Way to go Taco Cat.
Coconut Coolouts, (Please Don’t Break Me Out of) Party Jail. From Party Time Machine, 2008.
If you have never seen the Coolouts live, rest assured the band will be rockin’ the shit out of some juke-joint in Seattle really soon. Party Time Machine is a such a solid record it was hard to pick a favorite.
The Bug Nasties, Help Me. From Which Way You Gonna Go, 2008. Photo by Victoria Renard.
Brother James Burdyshaw is the second coming of James Brown. I’m sure of it. If you don’t believe me get to Slim’s on January 16th and tell me I’m wrong.
Nothing is followed closely by the 6:15 second fuck you to commercial radio, Heart’s Abandonded Will Rust. Followed closely by this whole fucking record. Take that Nickelback…
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Today’s Lesson. From Dig Lazarus, DIG!!!. Not the actual vid but it’s all about the song for this song.
Nick Cave’sDIGG!!! is desert island worthy and then some. Lesson is arguably one of the best songs on DIG!!!. The record itself is a must for fans, and the perfect introduction for any Cave nubies. In March, 2009, you can pick up four Cave re-issues with all kinds of sweet extras. Click here for more info.
The Renaissance is Q-Tip’s first record in nine years. In classic Q style, Won’t Trade features sampled vintage vox from Chicago soul chantreuse, Ruby Andrews and her 1969 hit, You Made a Believer (out of me)on Won’t Trade. Word.
Sweet baby Jesus this song sends me. Lay it Down is Al Green’s eighth studio record and it’s stellar from beginning to end. The word legend gets thrown around a lot in the world of music and it’s almost always misused. Except when it comes to The Reverend. Can I get an amen?
Lucinda Williams, Long Way To the Top. From Little Honey, 2008.
When I blogged about this song a while back, I got an email from a very sexy reader who said that the post had pushed this record to the top of their list. And since my readers have very classy ears, you should definitely pick up a copy of Little Honey too.
The world would be a better place with if we had more Quest Love. The Roots 2008 record, Rising Down, is even more in your face than your actual face is.
This remixed single by Bjork featuring Antony of Antony and the Johnsons is addictive. Antony and the Johnsons release, Another World is also well worth squeezing into your 2008 record budget. AATJ tour starts in Feburary with stops in Boston and Seattle on February 28th.
Georgia’s King Khan and the Shrines put out one of the best garage records this year, The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines. Every time I hear No Regrets, I piss off my neighbors. Which is okay ’cause I hate those guys anyway.
Cherrybombed.com is about the music and culture of the Pacific Northwest, as well as other cool happenings around the world. We also shine a spotlight on celebrities behaving badly. Here, you will find videos, low-brow artwork and images, and tattoos only a mother could hate.
If boozing was an olympic event, we would be on a box of Wheaties. If this all sounds familiar to you (and your mother), welcome home.
