Not ha ha funny...

Bruce was my hero as a kid, he was everything I'm not today, but I'm not dead, so there's that, I guess.  You ever wish you knew how it was all going to play out, based on the choices you make (oopsie, can I get a do-over)? I should be dead like 10 times over, as dead as an animal in the road that's been run over so many times you can't tell what kind of critter it was to begin with...as my oldest pal, Kevin, is known to say, "no longer roadkill, it's just road." Bruce's cause of death, when I just looked it up was Cerebral edema, but when I was a kid, I remember reading somewhere that it was "misadventure caused by a headache tablet." I suppose there's usually a story behind the story.

@ 01:17 I love that line, "I said but I'm tired..."

This vid comes brought to you by my old pal and former bandmate, Brian F, who picked my second favorite Thorogood tune, to vid...my first being "I Drink Alone" because it was my mantra for several years at the dawn of the millennia.  Anyway, thanx B! Lots of juicy lines in this song, but this one has always hooked me...'cuz I'm kinda funny too...

 

So I go down the streets

Down to my good friend's house

I said look man I'm outdoors you know

Can I stay with you maybe a couple days?

He said let me go and ask my wife

He come out of the house

I could see it in his face

I know that was no

He said I don't know man ah she kinda funny, you know

I said I know, everybody funny, now you funny too

I may have posted the studio version on this or that blog, but this live version of "Pain" by Boy Harsher is out-fucken-standing! Did a cursory google search and the are originally from Savannah, Georgia...who knew. The omnipresent google lists their possible genres as Dark wave, Electronic body music, Cold wave, Industrial music, Minimal wave, Electropop, Dance/Electronic...that's a mouthful...and, yet, their musical style is simplified as, "danceable electro pop." The RdM blog, might posit that this duo could be described as, vocally superior, electronical rad-ness.

 

During my work from homes days during the worst of the Covid phenomenon, I started having conversations with Mr. Pickles...he's definitely one of my best friends.  The more I get to know him, the more I see how my personality has affected him...poor guy.  He's a chill dog, but when he's unhappy everyone knows it, hahah, dude makes a hell of a lot of commotion...a lot of ripples when a rock splashes in a pond, ya know?

My high school chum and lifelong brother Davrick, was the co-Live Performance Cinematographer with his buddy Doug Tiano on this here video!  The outfit is called Geronimo and the compositions called, "Obsolete".  Simply amazing...where's the mushrooms when you need 'em.  Intense visuals and captivating music.  Haven't said this in a while but, tripouttanis!

Ridiculously Happy People

 Anybody else feel like dancing?  Ha! Yeah, me neither...but then again, who among us is James Brown cool...I think not.

Whelp, I mentioned in another post having sent a message to the Haus Arafna label Galakthorrö about getting on their mailing list and "asking if perhaps they might answer a few questions from old Mustard" but sadly, the answer was...nope.  

"Hi Justin & a Happy New Year also to you!

Sorry for the late response. There's always a lot to do at the turn of the year.

Thanks for your address (it's added to our mailing list), for your kind words and for the link to your blog (interesting!).

Thank you also for the request in reference to an interview with Haus Arafna.

I'm afraid, there's simply no time for it - too many plans and deadlines in the next time.

I'm sorry... and I hope, you can understand that.

From Germany with love -

Karin Galakthorrö"

Their composition above is earlier than the stuff I've posted before, from their 2010 "You" album, this being from 1998s "Children of God". It reminds me immensely of that harsh earlier 80s stuff from outfits like (Japan's) Grim and (Australia's) SPK. 

Love these guys! Mis compadres en Comadreja de Jardín...

Mentioned SPK earlier and when I did I got to thinking that no eclectic music blog is complete without at least one mention of their compositions. So I got to thinking, again, which one I would like to premiere here. Thinking, yet again, I'd like to do a live one, so why not "Suture Obsession".  Went to good old f'n youtube and found that they had several live versions, but not my favorite one (the one in London on Halloween 1982).  Hmmm...well, I've got nothing better to do most of the time, so I uploaded that one (this blogging thing can take time, ya know?).  So, after all that, there it is...

4 things about this incognito photo...

1. Man, I fucking dig that hat...it's where my Son works and I'll tell you I have never had a seafood experience as good as the Fish Hut Grill has to offer (maybe once)! Many years ago when I was in Venezuela, took a boat trip off the coast of an island called Isla de Coche, simply a beautiful place.  We stopped in some shallow water and pulled up a few scallops...cracked open the shells and with a little lime juice, proceeded to eat the best scallops I have ever eaten.  Well the Fish Hut Grill on Emerald Isle, off the coast of North Carolina, is that fucking good...say howdy to my boy if you ever have the fortune to be there.

2. A mask from my buddy Shawn which I shared on an earlier post. Made me think about the Rona, as I called it and how life, mine in particular (cuz it's my blog...duh), has changed since the Covid age began.  Pretty sure I got the Rona a couple month before it was announced that it had arrived here.  I was terribly sick with all the wonderfully miserable, comatose inducing, symptoms and got tested for influenza A & B but, both were negative, so I was diagnosed with an "unidentified virus".  Talk about a crappy four days.  Anyway, then it hits big time here in NoWhere Kansas, clients and staff sick, and for me working from home.  You know what that did...made me not want to work anymore...tired of working, been working for a paycheck since I was 14.  And for what? I take full credit for the circumstances of my life, by my poor choices, but damn what's that worth and I gotta pay people so I can continue to live it?  Hmmm...oh well.

3. Then there's the flipping off the camera thing, not saying I haven't done it (obviously, here we have proof positive), but was never a huge fan.  When I look back and think now, it's really kind of silly, but to each his own right? Silly ain't the worst thing you can be.

4. The unicursal hexagram on my prominent middle finger, in case you were wondering (if not...fuck off...haha), is for my Mom, who was a wiccan/occult type person.  This six pointed star was made popular by a guy named Aleister Crowley, but was first suggested several centuries earlier by a dude named Giordano Bruno in his 1588 paper Essays upon the Mathematics of Mordente: One Hundred and Sixty Articles against the Mathematicians and Philosophers of this Age. Pretty heavy shit, reminding me of all the philosophy classes I took in college for the degree.  Anyway...

...loved my Mom's. This tune goes out to my Son's gal Kailee 💗

This tat was done by Danny Chapman over at Fantasy Graphics East in Hays fucking Kansas...the same bitchen artist that did the unicursal hexagram.  He asked me if I wanted the picture on the right exactly as it was and I let him know that he was the artist, to do his thing (plus leave off the hand holding the cup, because I didn't like how it messed up the symmetry and the text, as it could be added later).  It is so me, I love what he did with it. Can you tell I dig coffee...a lot?

This tune goes out to my old friend Diosa who may never see this post but...I'm thinking about you and hope you and the boys are well. I think you would dig this tune and lyrics.

I'm not so I don't

I can't so I won't

I could but I shouldn't

But I can't so I wouldn't

I might but I can't

I've got so I don't

I would but I shouldn't

But I not so sure I couldn't

Say what you mean

Mean what you say

Say what you mean

Don't say it mean

Say what you say what you say what you mean!

I can't go on like this

I didn't understand a word you said

You didn't mean to not to

But you didn't cuz you couldn't

But you would've if you could've

And you might but you wouldn't

Say what you mean

Mean what you say

Say what you mean

Don't say it mean

Say what you say what you say what you mean!

For today will soon be yesterday

Tomorrow will be today

And I'm waiting every day

For you to

Say what you mean

Mean what you say

Say what you mean

Don't say it mean

Say what you say what you say what you mean!

Will you say what you mean?

Will you mean what you say?

You try to tell me but I don't quite understand

What you think how you feel where you stand

You open up your mouth and then you start to quit

Why don't you just come out and say it!?!

Say what you mean

Mean what you say

Say what you mean

Don't say it mean

Say what you say what you say what you mean!

Molosser (fucking) Crude...dude!!!

My trio of tunes in perfect synchrony that led me to finally settling down for the day on the fucking Tube, of all places (have I ever expounded upon my love/hate relationship with the Tube?), was Blind Willie Johnson "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning" to Molosser Crude "Twin Moons" to Black Sabbath "Sleeping Village".  Almost 100 years of music right there and Molosser Crude slams this tune on the table, officially, two days ago.  I got the "press" pre release link and my immediate response in the comment section was, "Two of the finest human beings on the planet playing some of the best music the universe has to offer...fucking eh!" So after that trio of tunes I texted my old Bro Brian, "Listening to the new Molosser Crude called Twin Moons.  They fuckin nail it!  In my spaced out whateverness never did review the tune." So here we are...hahaha! The bio thingy on the vid sez, "On "Twin Moons", Swedish power duo Molosser Crude present a heavy stoner rock track where psychedelic vibes meet sonic mayhem. The concept for these Molosser Crude videos is: one take, one duo, one singer, one drummer, one guitarist and three amplifiers." Sonic mayhem indeed!  This song is live as fuck and is a living being, created out of a long tradition of killer music.  I'm not a real posi-guy but this is a great way start out 2023 and look forward to more from this duo. (only on Friday the 13th at RdM)...enough talk...listen/watch and feel!

That's where you find your heart

In between those twin moons ...

 

Skin my soul, won't go too deep,

wring the sun, until my day is done

Bruise the moon, until the night turns black,

then let us fall asleep

Driving fast, backwards,

closer, closer to the edge

Driving fast, backwards,

I seen the darkness it makes

Driving, driving fast, backwards,

closer, closer to the edge

When it pushes me over my ..

oh my being, oh my being

 

That's where you find your heart,

In between those twin moons

That's where you find your heart

In between those twin, twin, twin moons, moons, moons ...

 

Skin my soul until the night turns black

Bruise the moon, won't go too deep

Wring the sun, until my day is done

Then let us fall asleep

'cause I'm driving fast backwards,

closer, closer to the edge

Driving, driving fast backwards,

I seen the darkness it makes

Driving, driving fast, backwards,

closer, closer to the edge

When it pushes me over my ...

oh my being, oh my being

 

That's where you find your heart,

In between those twin, twin, twin moons

Like a burnt out light bulb...

2023! 

I know it's just Hollywood, but for me, it makes me question the reality of my existence, whatever fucking reality that is...mine seems glaringly inconsistent throughout the year.  I suppose on the grandest of scales it's unimportant as I'm just going to keep doing, whatever the fuck that is.  I like the Gnostic themes (among many others) in the Matrix and in just recently contemplating the flick I decided to check out Wikipedia's entry for it.  I was very disappointed by the failure of getting into any kind of detail regarding those Gnostic themes (but you can't please everyone and for most of my life pleasure has been fleeting...I blame it on chemical imbalances in my brain).  I did like where the author(s) of the article mention "Morpheus paraphrases the Chinese Taoist philosopher Zhuangzi when he asks Neo, "Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference from the real world and the dream world?"  Now that's some heavy shit!  The author(s) also mention a book called the Exegesis of Philip K. Dick, which I would love to get (not remembering the last time I sat down and read a book from cover to cover) but it goes for quite a bit, even used.  Exegesis, was a word frequently used during the Abrahamic (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) portions of classes I took as a Religious Studies major...exegesis is "critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture."

Coffee and cigarettes...residual effects of being a 12 stepper, I suppose.  Was interviewing this young gal at my job and in the middle of it, I had to take a break to go take a piss.  When I got back, knowing that I was going to hire her, I told her that I smoke a lot and drink pots of ice coffee a day (hence the bathroom break). I thought of incident as I was sitting here in my cave smoking a low budget ciggy from Mebane, North Carolina and having a gulp of low budget, home made, iced coffee out of my Yeti cup...my prized Yeti cup was a gift from my Son's close bro (and therefore my close bro), Strap, who gave it to me a couple visits back.  And then it made think of that opening line of the Conservatives song "Suburban Bitch" from the epic Hell Comes To Your House Comp (1981)...

"Coffee and cigarettes, small talk and bullshit!"

Great song, but this is the one (two in one) here, I used to always put on comp tapes I made for people back in the day...the whole Hell Comes To Your House comp is well worth a listen if you never have.

"I Like Cola!"  There is absolutely nothing like 80s Japanese hardcore punk and if you don't see that, I can't help you.  I'd like to do a post with nothing but that, but this here Hardcore Unlawful Assembly comp, have to admit the 1st song is a little silly and there's some misses, but it is a great place to start if you're interested and if you aren't, then I can't help you.

I know I posted this on the old blog, but what the hell, a performance this important deserves all the play time it can get.  Two dudes absolutely killing it, it fucking gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.

They made us just like them...

 

2023! I don't feel any different (what do expect from an emotional masochist)...do you?  Had a nice ending to my year with going to Washington to see the Garden Weasel guys and hoping to ride that wave into '23...we shall see, the last few days were utter shit and tomorrow is of course the dreaded Monday.

One of my favorite songs off Haus Arafna's 'You' (2010) album...Judas Kiss.  You ever gotten the Judas Kiss in life?  Anyway, went to buy this off of Discogs only to find out that in order to get the original press you are looking at something like $200 after shipping.  Then I found out it was re-released by their label, again, on very limited vinyl, back on Halloween of 2022.  Whelp, went to the label site GALAKTHORRÖ and sure enough it was sold the fuck out.  They had an email address, so wrote them a note, to see if they maybe had a secret stash or perhaps one fell behind their couch or something...

"Wanted to thank you all for putting out the "You" album again, unfortunately I missed it and didn't get a copy before it sold out...damn!  I don't suppose you'd have found a spare copy have you or even a test press...hahaha???  Anyway, is there a way to get on some kind of mailing list for future releases?  Thank you for doing what you do, that album is a top ten all time release!"

A couple days later, I had a huge fanboy moment when they wrote back!  Not since the early/mid 80s as a teen writing to bands/labels/mail orders have I felt that same kind of elation when receiving a reply...

"we have a snail-mailing list. Just drop us a note with your full name and address and
we'll update you with any news.

'You' is still available at some mailorders, e.g.:

https://www.infrarot.de/haus-arafna/you-limited-silver-vinyl/9958159

https://deejaydead.de/de/haus-arafna-you-limited-lp-silver-vinyl-2022

https://tesco-germany.com/produkt/haus-arafna-you-lp/

...

Best wishes & Happy New Year!

Karin Galakthorrö"

You will being more from Haus Arafna around here...that's a Mostaza guarantee!

The Mostaza guarantee is just as sure as there will be pain if someone were to smash your big toe with a ballpeen hammer!  This was from the last album they released in 2020 and what a bitchin' vid it is.  With a long history, this duo has a fairly large catalogue and musically speaking are huge when it comes to variety...I have yet to find a track in that long history that I don't find important...lyrically, musically and visually superb!  The have a whole other project called November Növelet, but I haven't even had time to delve into...all in good time (unless of course I keel over and croak tonight, in which case that will have to fall on the Reliquias to carry on in my memory).  All this to say that, I sent a response to the label, which apparently they run, asking if perhaps they might answer a few questions from old Mustard...keep yer fingers crossed for me...haha,

Neal Harmer's "Hard Nut" (at 15:35) is my favorite tune on this 1982 demo and it was also his tune on one of Crass's three original Bullshit Detectors. For some reason I think I put this song out there already and if so, too fucking bad, let's chalk it up to the brain damage I received last month when I rolled my truck.  Ya know, still got a decent bump on my head , although nothing like the softball sized, conjoined twin that it was..."Oh, fuckin hell" as Neal puts it, is what I was thinking as the I started to lose control on the ice.  Between the real time and psychological time there was a lot thoughts racing through my head, until my head slammed into the roof of the truck.  I'll tell you, that abruptly snapped me the fuck out of it.  I found myself again thinking..."Oh fuckin; hell"

Was trying to find a pic of the entire band (Steve had mentioned that as the drummer he was never in any of the pics) and so I took this screenshot for him...I succeeded in capturing the full band and yet failed at the same time due to poor quality...

None other than Chris Gambin (RIP) doing the chorus for Boasting..."Boast a bowl with me!"

Tried lightening last picture up and sharpening it a bit...

'91 or '92...the guys and I were trying to figure out what venue it was and who we played with, but there was no consensus.