Beck / Bean split 7"

Wish-ta-God I knew what movie this is from. Makes you wonder what the rest of the flick is like, although this could be as good as it gets, that's usually the kind of luck I have with movies. Haven't seen a good horror movie in a while, if I was a good blogger I would list some of the lame ones I've seen, in order to warn you off of them, but I don't remember any.  A while back we watched "Human Centipede", so part 2 is on my list, but the wife refuses to watch it after watching the first one. Been scarce here lately, still working on my Electro compilation CD that I'm releasing, I'll write something about that in the next post...

The latest email joke from my Gramps... They say that during sex you burn off as many calories as running 8 miles. Here’s my question, who the hell runs 8 miles in 45 seconds?

I'm a huge Walking Dead fan. In fact the show brought me back to reading comics and that, of course, is a good thing. Here's a pretty bitchen deleted scene that I ran across...

[video width="640" height="360" mp4="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-Walking-Dead-Season-4-Deleted-Scene-Ep.-408.mp4"][/video]

Got a really good deal on this, Beck's first release, and it has a special spot in my collection. My band Garden Weasel played a show with locals Grimace and out-of-towners Muzza Chunka down in Garberville, and I don't remember meeting him, but Beck was there, must have been around 91 (the only time Garden Weasel ever played outside of Humboldt County). Grimace, Muzza Chunka and Beck were all on Bong Load Records. This is pretty typical early Beck, odd stuff...whacky is a good word. 

Melt-Banana - Lefty Dog (Run Caper Run)

New Melt-Banana video...this new incarnation is growing on me... "Lefty Dog (Run Caper Run)" [video width="640" height="360" mp4="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Lefty-Dog-Run-Caper-Run-MELT-BANANA.mp4"][/video]

Those Poor Bastards - The Hellbound Train

I absolutely worship this band, check them out at the Tribulation Recording Company...

Those Poor Bastards - "The Hellbound Train"

[video width="640" height="480" mp4="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Those-Poor-Bastards-The-Hellbound-Train-.mp4"][/video]

In case it doesn't work embedded, here it is at Youtube

Woody Guthrie - Songs To Grow On For Mother And Child 10"

Parenting is probably the toughest job there is and the easiest thing to fail at. Raising a kid is no fucking joke, although parents range from laughable to pathetic. For about half of my son's life I chose the distilled bottle over being anything that resembled a Father. Overall I would rate my performance as a low C. On the plus side the gifts that I did give took the form of a love of the written word and a love for music. That is the bare minimum that I could do, and really for every parent out there, those should be required. They were two of the gifts given to me. This here record features one of my favorite artists (who himself was reputed to be a less than stellar Father) doing original lullabies. It's 1956 and what a parent might cuddle up with their child and sing may have changed, but the sentiment is still there. If you have a little one, play these tunes for them, maybe you can plant a seed... Grass-y Grass Grass Swimm-y Swim Swim Little Sack Of Sugar Rattle My Rattle I Want My Milk Grow Grow Grow 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Day 2 Day 3 Days Old Wash-y Wash Wash I'll Eat You I'll Drink You Make A Bubble Who's My Pretty Baby Write A Word In case you want to pass these on to someone else and their little one, here's the whole thing...Woody Guthrie - Songs To Grow On For Mother And Child

 

Lonesome Wyatt - The Strange Adventures of Edgar Switchblade #1: Krampus Unmerciful 7"

All kinds of interesting characters I've gotten to know (sort a...as well as you can in a virtual world...see the movie Gamer for further reference) over the years of doing this thing. I'm in awe, especially, of those gifted souls out there, who, on a daily basis, are churning out creativity (sowing seeds and reaping a harvest, you might say, if you were biblically inclined). It's just fucking incredible how they make use of their talents. One such character is Lonesome Wyatt. In his Ghost Ballads we heard his musical side, "Haunting was the first word that came to mind, shortly followed by the word creepy. The songs are simple yet complex in their simplicity, they’re like sinister lullaby’s." Then, just in time for Halloween this year we heard a combination of his music and storytelling in the Halloween Is Here LP (which I desperately want on vinyl), "you get these stories reminiscent of those kids Halloween records that I used to listen to in the 70's, only these are much more descriptively gruesome, taking the theme to the next level. The sing-a-logs are like wise gruesome, but they are super catchy." Lonesome has also written a book called The Terrible Tale of Edgar Switchblade and it only makes sense that he would put that story to vinyl. Well, The Strange Adventures of Edgar Switchblade #1: Krampus Unmerciful 7" went into pre-order on an ominous Tuesday, and the 300 copies were sold the fuck out before the end of that fateful day (another record I desperately want). Not to fear though, the digital copies will be released on December 3rd. Here's as much as I could glean from old Lonesome, "Join Edgar Switchblade and Old Red in their first audio adventure as they team up with the legendary Yuletide monster, Krampus. Hear them torture and punish the wicked ones on a dark and stinking Christmas Eve." I of course was blessed, or cursed, as it may be, as a humble reviewer, to get the digital copy, in advance, and sure as shit, I was humbled. I'm too young to have lived in the hey day of radio, before television, when stories would be told to captivate and mystify. Lonesome, a master of the written/spoken word, mixes that with dramatic narration and terribly appropriate sound effects. You can almost imagine Mom, Dad and the kids, on a nice pleasant evening, sitting around the radio in anticipation. As Lonesome's story unfolds, that anticipation is replaced with horror. Sinister, malevolent, perverse, dire, malignant. He has taken a lost art and pushed it up a menacing notch. His words sing the song of Edgar Switchblade, the anti-hero, on his adventures with the anti-angel Krampus in an anti-world filled with anti-people. Just about every character "spits poisonous bile" in this thing. I don't want to give too much away, so do yourself a favor and hit up the Tribulation Recording Co. on December 3rd or better yet, be heinously proactive and get  The Terrible Tale of Edgar Switchblade book.

Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks - Halloween Is Here 10" / CD

Around my house the Wife makes sure we are properly seasonal. Come mid-September, by the time of the autumnal equinox, the house is splashed with orange and browns, even before you see those colors outside. But when we hit October it's on like donkey kong...pumpkins, scarecrows, spiders, skeletons...Halloween is our holiday. So imagine me, a snickering jackal, when our old friend Lonesome, of Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks, told me they had released a Halloween album. I could pretty much say, "I was DEFINITELY not disappointed", and that would summarize everything else I have to say. Here's was my response, "damn Lonesome, I fucking love it. How the hell do you guys come up with this stuff, the creative juices must just ooze out of your pores. The wife and I are big time Halloween people, both spiritually and commercially, so this is right up my alley (gonna have to play it off and on for the rest of the month and then of course that night)." In their usual cryptic and enigmatic way, this was all they had to say, "Halloween Is Here" is a terrifying tribute to all those strange and obscure Halloween albums from the 1950s to the 1980s. It contains twelve spooky stories and monstrous sing-a-longs for your unholy holiday party at the local insane asylum." So here we have LW&HS rearing their ugly little heads again, with a theme that just fits perfectly into their creative aura. As their description says you get these stories reminiscent of those kids Halloween records that I used to listen to in the 70's, only these are much more descriptively gruesome, taking the theme to the next level. The sing-a-logs are like wise gruesome, but they are super catchy. You have these black metal bands that almost sound silly in their dramatic attempts to sound evil but LW&HS really are evil, tormenting you with smiles on their faces. They toy with you, playfully like a child pouring salt on a slug, a soundtrack to that same child pulling the wings off a fly. Behind it all you have just damn good music, created by a genius. On any given day Lonesome has more creativity in his pinky nail than most people have had in their entire miserable lives. I've tried to ween more information out of these guys, but they lurk in the shadows, someone did what I should have requested and did an interview. LW&HS have a Facebook, a Last FM, a Myspace, and of course their WEBSITE. Unfortunately the vinyl is sold the fuck out (would have really liked to have gotten my greedy little hands on one of those, put it on my "want list" on Discogs), but you can still get the CD or digital download HERE. Here's a monstrous sing-a-long... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdKJbDmKDFs&w=790&h=695]

Sinn & Ros - Svaiy Muy Maek

Even though the "blog" is a dying form of communication, I still visit a few of the ones (that aren't dead) you can find ion the right there. Was at Glorify The Turd and I'm stuck on this guy named Kit Ream. Some people get it but I don't, and I feel like I've failed a test or something. Listened to that yesterday and then again today, but... So, in my never ending quest to educate myself in music,with it's many forms (or as one of the guys at work said when he heard me listening to this, "beat"), went in a completely different direction and ended up at this one (by way of my buddy's band Dengue Fever). Another time another place, (another language) yet you get a vibe, a sort of longing....objective transcendent emotion.  A stark contrast to the Cambodian genocide of Pol Pot a few years later. Anyway, I'm babbling as usual...

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Sv9seKcD0]

In case you wanted to download it for further study...hahaha Sinn & Ros - Svaiy Muy Maek

Lonesome Wyatt & the Holy Spooks - Ghost Ballads LP

Love these requests for reviews, especially when it comes to something that is seriously interesting, music that diddles my fiddle, so to speak. I found that, in the demented stylings of Lonesome Wyatt & The Holy Spooks.  Not much is known about the band, on their web page it says that, "Lonesome Wyatt and the Holy Spooks play strange and sad music from a time that never was."  They are on Tribulation Records, which I have a feeling is their own label and have been releasing records since 2001.  Their only label mates, with whom they share band members, Those Poor Bastards, have sort of a similar sound.  LWHS have a Facebook, a Last FM and a Myspace, so you're fully covered if you want to explore them on the net. Their newest release, Ghost Ballads is slated for release March 5th and is described as, "Ghost Ballads was covertly recorded at the deserted, decrepit and allegedly haunted Maribel Caves Hotel (otherwise known as Hotel Hell) in Maribel, WI. Lonesome Wyatt serves as the spiritual medium for these thirteen strange tales of death, longing and revenge from beyond the grave."  This stuff literally blew me away when I first heard it.  Haunting was the first word that came to mind, shortly followed by the word creepy.  The songs are simple yet complex in their simplicity, they're like sinister lullaby's.  Bad (in the best kind of way) dreams.  Reminds of a guy I used to work with, let's call him Frank.  I work with adults who have developmental disabilities and many of them are dual diagnosed, as in they have been diagnosed with mental retardation and mental health issues.  Frank used to tell me, "I had a bad dream Justin" and I'd ask him, "are you okay?"  He would say, "I like bad dreams, Justin."  God only knows what was going through his mind.  I love the bad dreams of Lonesome Wyatt.  These are really passive songs though, the aggression is implied, there is an impending doom and a persistent gloom.  The feeling is like that of a funeral dirge or the haunted house ride at a carnival.  This is a very unique band, I haven't heard anything that is exactly like it, but two acts that came to mind were Syd Barrett and Sparklehorse, the nightmare side of dope, like a heroin den or a bad acid trip.  All that and still very enjoyable.  It leaves me smiling but a devilish kind of smile.  This album would make a perfect soundtrack to an Edward Gorey book.  The songs tell griping stories and the lyrics flow like a ship on the river Styx.  The show American Horror Story would do well by having some this music to strengthen some of the scenes.  The packaging fits the band, far out graphics and you ge the lyrics, which like I said are worth following as you listen to the music.  You can get samples of this album at their website and actually samples of tunes on all their releases, along with lyrics and you can purchase most of their releases and those of Those Poor Bastards (whatever hasn't been sold out of course)...vinyl, CD, downloads, it's all there in it's darkened glory.   As is customary around here, I wanted to share one of my favorites. This one takes the form of a gruesome kind of pirate shanty..."the souls are trapped and they can not break free, doomed to walk the plank eternally"... Terror On The Ghost Ship

This here is their official (as in done by the band) video and it could not be more well done...the vibe is just fuckin perfect in every way! [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ4ffgyir7M&w=560&h=315]

From the new album, some twisted shit... [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naLrecSbp1E&w=560&h=315]

Dengue Fever - Tiger Phone Card b/w Genjer Genjer 7"

Just picked up this 7", had a search (with email reminders, you know what I mean if you're an ebay-head) going for it for quite some time, but was waiting for the right price and a new copy. Dengue Fever (named after a mosquito borne virus, also known as breakbone fever) are this psychedelic indie thing with some hardcore 60's Cambodian Khmer pop thrown in, or is it vice versa. Way out of charted territory for me, but VERY diggable. The singer, Chhom Nimol has this completely mesmerizing voice that takes you off on a trip to far away lands. The guitarist, Zac is an old college schoolmate from Humboldt State (his brother Ethan, on the organ, may have gone there too). The bass player, Senon, also went to Humboldt, but I've known him since about kindergarten when we played AYSO soccer at Fairfax High in LA on the weekends. Funny small world thing, was my first day at Humboldt, I was in the quad of the Sunset (where I lived my first year) and Redwood dorms, talking to Gage, whom I had just met (but still friends to this day), and all of a sudden this 6'6" dreadlocked giant come up and says "hey Justin!" At the time I was sporting the bald head, bomber jacket look and I figured I was going to get accused of being some kind of nazi skin (yeah my dark skin and obviously mutt appearance didn't dissuade some people). The big smile on his face told me this was a friendly encounter and it turns out it was Senon. We hadn't seen each other in 6 years, since I stopped playing soccer at Fairfax. One of the cool people I have ever known. Anyway the rest of the band is Paul Smith on drums and David Ralicke on brass, they do a bang up job. Was thinking about rippin the 7" and posting it but it is readily available from the band. Up to the plate is utube and the folks who upload this kind of stuff. Found live versions of both tunes. Dig it don't, you at least have to try to educate yourself... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1oFAD-uu5M&w=420&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lgy1p6mdVg&w=560&h=315]

Aperiodic - Future Feedback LP/CD

Another one from those guys over at Cincinnati's Phratry Records (if you follow things around here you might remember these bands, also on Phratry...Disguised As Birds, Mala In Se, Swear Jar, Rambos & United Sons Of Toil.  This time we have Aperiodic and I gotta tell you this band is way the fuck out there.  Here's the description I got, "Aperiodic is a meeting of Noise and Free Jazz with elements of No Wave, Musique Concrète, and Hardcore. In addition to standard rock instruments they utilize an arsenal of world instruments to create freely improvised music. The end result is free, but not aimless. Guitars shift between angular riffing and textural lilt, elastic drumming, and a multi-directional low end. Aperiodic currently shares members with HOLY FUCK (Young Turks/XL/Beggars Group) and THE EXPONENTIAL and previously shared members with ENON (Touch & Go Records), A TEN O’ CLOCK SCHOLAR (Grass Records) and LAB PARTNERS."  I don't know if I can describe it any better than that, "free, but not aimless" is just perfect.  But I gotta say something about this bad boy, don't I (cuz I never shut up around here...I'm actually very quiet in person)?  Well for starters, it's all over the place in a way that only something along the lines of avant garde would be.  It's passive and ambiasonic at times, and then builds into a monstrous crush that test the moxy of your speakers.  It's a whisper then a roar.  The average guy might not dig it, because it's not melodic and doesn't have that verse/chorus formula.  I remember when I was in high school we went to on a tour of the University of Redlands, to kind of give us a vibe as to what college was about.  Anyway one of the students who was a tour guide, was a music major and for a project he hooked up an old standup piano with all kinds of microphones and set it on fire.  He had a tape of it, and of course I asked to listen to it.  Well can you picture it in your mind or imagine what it might have sounded like?  It's sort of a natural sound with the crackling of the fire, the straining of the wood, strings popping, sounds that leave you wondering what it might be...that's Aperiodic.  Natural.  It just makes sense, it's exactly how it's supposed to sound for that moment.  Blah, blah, blah...I don't know.  They've got some reviews and more info about the band HERE. Here's what I thought was some of the best of it for your sampling pleasure...

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvlwcp_2xQ]

...and if that wasn't enough check out their Bandcamp player (below) and then go pick it up at Phratry Records... [bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1913976764 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Matt Ebert

Got quite the package in the mail the other day, 3 CDs and an LP from a guy named Matt Ebert, we had messaged back and forth a little bit via email. Here's what he had to say... "Hello Mustard Relics.  My name is Matt Ebert. I'm an independent musician outta ATL.  I was checkin out your site and thought you might enjoy my music.  Its kind of a fusion of all kinda music..jazz, blues, punk, funk..ect.  Anyways I saw that you dug all kinda music and thought you'd enjoy my new record.  Its a vinyl release(cd included) and I was wondering if i could send it to ya. Got some of the new tracks up on FB, Mattebertmusic. I was readin the mustard relic for an hour or so when i thought "I bet this guy'd like my stuff". No, I don't play everything but i write it all.  I know some bad ass musicians so i manipulate them for a better sound. I'll send ya my latest deal and my last couple of cds.  They're all fucked up little jazz fusion/funk/bluesy whatever kinda records.  You'll dig 1 er 2 of em....maybe." So I already like the guy, just because he took the time to hang around my place for a while, even though in these impersonal interent times, he could be a serial killer. Serial killer or not, this guy is as serious as a knife to the eyeball as far as creating good music. If you don't believe me, go check out Hanging Sounds and Ripple Music (this review makes for a REALLY good read and if I was a bastard, which I am, I would just cut and paste his words here), they know what's up. So if you read that, what am I going to say? When I listened to Matt's stuff before reading anything or getting the music in the mail, the first thing I thought of was Mr. Zappa. Like Frank, Matt is a very talented musician, writter and arranger, but on top of that, again like Frank, he has the sense of mind to surround himself with some top notch musicians (or is that in Atlanta these high caliber musicians are a dime a dozen, I don't know). Matt pretty much describes his music perfectly as "jazz, blues, punk, funk..ect". In my burnt out mind I will oversimplify it and say that it's just plain old fun, easy on the ears, groovy. Matt's vocals have some serious feeling, so maybe it's not cool to call them fun, maybe deep is a better word. There's quite a few musicians that play on these three records, but one thing they do is nail the groove. The quality of the production is incredible especially when you consider that these are all DIY, self released projects. I'm surprised he isn't sign to at least a minor label. I went ahead and ripped/labeled some of my favorite tunes, all three records are equally good, but as with most musicians, the earlier you go the rawer you get...

"Hard Work" (2011)  One of the reasons I prefer to get "hard copies" of the music I review (other than the fact that I am a music hoarder), is the artwork (this is my favorite artwork-wise of the three releases).  In the age of digital only releases, there's something missing when you can't physically hold the whole thing in your hand or slap the vinyl on the turntable.  Obviously Matt's newest release, and probably the most polished.  This first tune reminds me of the Beastie Boys when they have their groove on and are playing live instruments...

Ain't Never

...and a Sabbath cover?  Yes and captures the soul of the original but done in an Ebert-esque way...

Hand of Doom

"Snakes & Tornadoes" (2009) The horns really stand out on this album more than the others, not sure why.  This first tune starts art very Tom Waits-y (not just the gruff vocals) and then takes on a whole other flavor...

Time (Don't Waste Mine)

...hardcore vibe with horns and even a noodly quick guitar solo...

I'm Hip

...new territory as far as being digable for me, this one is probably the most pop/hip hop tune of all...

Do It

...maybe my favorite of the lot, distorted blue grass, country, slide guitar, kin to a band I've posted around here called Los Duggans...

House Carpenter

"R&Bewilderment" (2007)  The earliest of the three, this one could be thought of as the roots of the Ebert experience. Fuzzy funky with the Mowtown backup singers

Sweet Nothing

Can you say catchy as fuck ("Bang Bang"), Hendrix guitar and real heavy on the bass...

The Top of Gainsville (Bang Bang)

...this one is just cool, acapella, air guitar, beat box...

Raymond

...and on the CD it breaks right into this Zepplin cover on heroin...

Communication Breakdown

The website is obviously under construction, but my source says a guy who is not a lazy stoner is on it now, so it may blow up soon, check it...

www.ebertmusic.com

Mao Tzu - Doodles digital download

A lot of my fellow bloggers don't like getting hit up for reviews, not sure why, it satisfies that lazy Roman emperor side in me to have the music coming my way instead of having to search far and wide, slave away and toil, beg and steal, for it. This latest one is from Jamarcus Drake, a jack of all trades, who sits in all of the chairs for this thing, his thing Mao Tzu. Obviously I admire musicians in general, so it goes without saying that a guy who does everything is worthy of some praise. Dude has his shit together, at least musically.  Ja(Marc)us is a young guy judging from the pics, but the sound doesn't come off as amateurish or stupid. He reminds me of one of my close friends growing up, Alexander Wallace IV, who could play just about any instrument and would fuck around with a 4 track, coming up with all kinds of shit (that's where the similarity ends, as rumor has it that my old buddy Alex killed himself years ago...wish I hadn't lost touch with him). The music here is simple yet intricate at times, if that makes sense, and varies quite a bit, but it's cohesive enough to tell that it came from one band (guy). The sound ranges from what I call heroin music (maybe a little on the fast side), like Sparklehorse (who have been featured around here...BTW the brainchild of a guy who killed himself), checkout "Case Closed", to an almost industrial thing you get in "Curb Your Enthusiasm".  There's a few tunes that I haven't included that don't do much for me, not to say they're bad, they just didn't do much for me.  I like the combination of electronics, live instruments (especially the drums, ala the Beastie Boys) and samples.  I'd be interested in knowing all the equipment and instruments used.  Not sure if Marc was just fucking around bored or if he put a ton of time into it, but the outcome is fucking cool and doesn't sound hoaky.  As I said these are the some of the tunes that spoke to me, but you can get all 11, plus some other output at the link in their name, up above.  Dig it or don't... MaoTzu - Case Closed MaoTzu - Dragon Ball Bitch MaoTzu - Full Metal Torrent (FWLTF) MaoTzu - Curb Your Enthusiasm (Cadence)

Woody Guthrie - 3 7"s

Took a couple of people on my caseload for their 90 day mental health medication reviews the other day and was sitting in the lobby waiting for their appointments.  The magazine selection was pretty slim, mostly women's homemaking and fashion magazines (I realize that those magazines could be enjoyed by men, but judging by the ads they are made for a certain breed of woman).  The only thing that looked interesting was a Time magazine and that was just because the cover article was about a resurgence in interest in the Shroud of Turin, which I had thought was debunked in the late 80s.  I read that article, it turns out that some believe that the radio carbon dating on the thing was flawed.  Was then leafing through the rest of the magazine, not really paying attention, one my guys (my favorite to spend time with), on top of having developmental disabilities, is very schizophrenic and requires some supervision and plus he just enjoys shooting the shit (in a very random way) with me.  Stumbled upon the above page and realized I was a reading a news magazine from April 12, 1998...hahaha.  Anyway, a very interesting week in music news.  Tommy Lee admitted he was a wife beater, Tammy Winette blood clotted, half of Milli Vanilli ODd and the queen of punk, Wendy O. Williams, blew her brains out.  The second two were total news to me and even Wendy I didn't find out about until years after the event...I was busy drinking a gallon or so of rum a day in 1998.  Sad really, it was a bad year for me and obviously it was a bad year for them. Figured that Antiseen had covered this tune... antiseen - my god can beat up your god Then I just found out, the original done by an outfit outta Florida is well worth a listen... Broken Talent - My God Can Beat Up Your God Just because I buy records, doesn't mean I'm a purist, I do still MP3 hunt (but I usually leave at least a comment of thanx...usually).  Was on the hunt in the wilds of internetdom and stumbled upon some live John Cale bootlegs over at Viva les Bootlegs. I knew of the Velvet Underground connection, but I had never heard Mr. Cale's solo stuff.  Gotta tell you though, maybe it was just the muddy late generation sound of the bootlegs, but for some reason it reminded me of the Grateful Dead made for heroin junkies.  Is it an acquired taste?  Did I miss something?  I don't know...here's the 1st track from CBGBs in '78... John Cale - Dance Of The Seven Veils I've been sitting on these rips for quite a while and figured it was about time for something for the soul, Woody Guthrie. Not too many people are as important to music as he is especially outside of the mainstream, but I imagine this early folk stuff is not up too many people's sleeves.  I just love it, it speaks of a different time but it's still relevant today.  Did a mention of his Ballads of Sacco and Vanzetti a while back that are a must for your collection (I got mine), if not your iPod!  These next two are French releases from the 60s of much older tunes.  I contacted the Woody Guthrie foundation to ask them about these two, but they knew nothing about them and suggested I donate them...hahaha (maybe someday).  I guess that makes them old timey bootlegs, sort of.  As I said before the guy did not believe in copyrights..."“This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all we wanted to do.”  If you haven't listened to Mr. Guthrie before, do so now, educate yourself... John Henry Aint Gonna Be Treated This Way Buffalo Skinners Hard, Aint Hard

 

 

Hey Lolly Lolly Lonesome Day Gipsy Davy More Pretty Girls Than One

 

 

This one I just got the other day, it's a bootleg of sorts too, limited to 300 copies, not sure why I got it since I already have both tunes on vinyl

Buffalo Skinners (same version as above)

Pretty Boy Floyd

Tom Waits - Live 7" (Glitter and Doom Tour)

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all, my friends who are the most important Mustard Relics of all, a tall glass of water and a wide cup of coffee to you.  I think my New Year's resolutions are going to be, coming to work on time every day and not taking a nap during lunch.

One of my wife's old party friends had a son who died of alcohol poisoning a week or so ago, he was 20.  This is of course a real tragedy, him being a young man with so much to live for, as it is when any young person dies.  It got me to thinking about things like fate, luck, divine intervention, etc.  I'm sure if you grew up partying like I did you know someone who died from alcohol poisoning.  For me, in high school it was some kid on a skiing trip (or did he die from hypothermia from passing out in the snow...can't remember which).  What makes that one person, every so often, die from having just that little bit too much?  Suicide really, even though you have every intention of waking up the next morning (albeit with a massive hangover)), so maybe it's just playing with fire.  Maybe guys are just young and are doing things like beer bonging hard liquor, I don't know the exact circumstances.  Sometimes even pro drinkers like the late Amy Winehouse, manage to drink themselves to death.  Starting to babble a bit here, but I certainly can't understand how I managed to live through all the shit I did and that kid didn't.

I am not a good singer but I've always admired a good voice. I can't play any instruments, but I can respect the artistry of playing one. I've never been able to dance, but I'm in awe of someone who is light on their feet. A band that was all those things, live in 1979... The B-52's - Dance This Mess Around Not sure why I'm not dedicating a whole post to this 7" as it's not bad, but it just didn't hit me hard enough to have a whole post dedicated to it.  The band on the flipside, Spithead, you would think I would really dig with that ska vibe, but somehow they were just average.  Jackbeast on the other hand blew me away, with that kinda touch and go sophisticated feel.  You can get all their stuff from the DIY Irish Hardcore Punk Archive, but do yourself a favor and give at least one of their two tunes a listen. Jackbeast-01-Scrape #8 Jackbeast-02-Illicit Philtre Spithead-03-Personal Spithead-04-Hard Dog Club I first got into Tom Waits in college circa 1987, at the hand of my friend Katie who was a one of the boys kind of girls. Dude has been around since the early 70's doing his thing and I suppose when I first got into him it was kind of trendy among college students to listen to him.  His voice is a make it or break it kind of thing and I guess for me it makes it and the music is a bluesy, folky, cabaret deal.  But I don't need to blab too much about that.  "Lucinda" and "Bottom of the World" were written by Waits, but with what he does with Ledbetter's "Ain't Goin' Down to the Well" my jaw literally dropped (especially at the chorus).  Start the New Year off right and give that one a listen.

 

Lucinda-Ain't Goin' Down To The Well Bottom Of The World

Beck - Loser & Steve Threw Up 7"s

Finding this GIF coincided perfectly with a Bruce Lee marathon they had on cable.  Just like this GIF that was some classic shit.  I know the choreography, special effects and acting has come a VERY long way since the late 60's early 70's martial arts flicks, but one thing they had back then was excellent casting.  The strictly Chinese ones from the same period are good in that way too...anybody ever see the Master of the Flying Guillotine?  Check those flicks out sometime or maybe you remember but the villains and the extras they had were spectacular. Found a cool site where you can do online image editing, check it out it's called LunaPic.  I had fun playing with the pic below from a screen capture using VLC (a very good media player), but the image came out pretty dark, as it is in the movie. Played with it and I think it came out pretty sharp.  I'm too chicken shit to try out a pirated version of Photoshop (no way I could afford a legit version). Speaking of movies, we're always watching them around my homestead, renting/recording or actually buying (usually used at Hastings, do they have that chain of stores in your neck of the woods?).  A while back a buddy of mine recommended a Swedish flick called Let the Right One In.  INCREDIBLE movie!  It's got just a little bit of gore and I guess it could be called a horror film, but really there is so much more.  Well worth seeing, if you're looking to have a cinema night.  So last year they came out with an American remake, which I was leery of but I figured at least I could talk about how shitty it is when they take foreign films and remake them for an American audience.  The question is why and my guess is $$$ (not a difficult guess, if you don't mind me saying).  I don't mind when they take an old movie and remake it, with modern sensibilities and special effects (with Halloween, the remake and the remake sequel were a 1000x bloodier and more importantly, brutal).  So any way they immediately remade this recent foreign film and instead call it Let Me In (why even change the name, silly media movers and shakers).  First thing I gotta say though...damn GOOD FLICK.  Not a whole lot of differences between the two so it was almost like what's the point ($$$ again), but I don't know if it was seeing the story a second time or that the Norwegian version was more subtle, but I understood a lot more of the story and it's themes.  I have a feeling that as an American I need to be kicked in the head to understand underlying meanings.  Anyway GO rent either one and let me know what you think. Hot sauce, anybody can make blistering hot stuff, and unfortunately there is the weak stuff too, that tastes like tomato sauce, but the real trick is finding the stuff that has the taste and just the right kick.  My three favorite here, next to my own garden fresh salsa fresca, can be found at just about any major store...yeah I'm ashamed to say I shop at walmart but out here in the sticks there aren't a whole lot of choices, when I was in San Diego it was all about Trader Joes and Costco (a damn good store that pays their employees fairly when you compare those wages to the guys/gals at the top).  So...salsa, you have three very different flavors from three very common hot sauces, I don't miss a meal without one of those three (except maybe cereal).  Any favorites you guys have? Was kind of looking at posting something abrasive as most of what I've posted for a while is on the mellower side of things, but been sitting on this one for a long time.   I had posted one of my favorites off his One Foot In The Grave and promised I'd legitimately do a post on him.  That tune is well worth listening to and if you've ever felt like an idiot in a relationship...you will relate, Beck - Asshole You can tell by his music that Beck is a trippy mofo but I don't think that's an act, you can read his bio at my usual questionable source Wikipedia.  In the article it talks about Beck signing to Geffen (DGC) for less $$$ than other big labels had offered him so that he could have more creative control, which is kinda cool because he has all kinda releases on the smaller independent labels (as both the 7"s I've posted are) like Flipside, K, and Bongload Records.  I guess he was born into Scientology, which I've read a lot of negative stuff about, but I really know nothing about the "religion" (future internet wandering topic).  Johnny Cash himself must have had at least a little respect for the guy as he covered one of the tracks off one of his early records, Stereopathic Soulmanure, Johnny Cash - Rowboat This first single has three very different tunes.  "Loser" was the "hit" that made it for him, but you know what, rightly so because it's a damn good song...I mean it.  The guitar work is killer, the drums are right there, but fuck, lyrically the guys is a genius.  Seemingly meaningless musings that for me (maybe too much acid) makes sense,

"Forces of evil on a bozo nightmare Ban all the music with a phony gas chamber ’cuz one’s got a weasel and the other’s got a flag One’s on the pole, shove the other in a bag With the rerun shows and the cocaine nose-job The daytime crap of the folksinger slob He hung himself with a guitar string A slab of turkey-neck and it’s hangin’ from a pigeon wing You can’t write if you can’t relate Trade the cash for the beef for the body for the hate And my time is a piece of wax fallin’ on a termite who's chokin’ on the splinters"

As Cheech and Chong would say, that's some good shit.  "Alcohol", the whole emotion of the song reminds me of being a miserable  24/7 drunk...  Now "Fume", there's a tune, the guitar in the chorus is almost exactly what it sounds like after a hit of nitrous...maybe if there was a bit more of a helicopter sound.  Play it till the end.

Loser Alcohol Fume

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0o8gqaa_zw]

I've gone on and one...this is another early one, the one above was his 3rd 7", this is his 6th.  "Steve Threw Up" is hilarious, while "Mutherfucker" has the hard edge that I initially wanted out of this post (next time we will tear shit up).  Enjoy

Steve Threw Up Mutherfucker untitled

"Joys Of Mountain And Sea" Greek demotic

As has become regular around here, I wanted to share a tune I heard on the classic rock station today (the BBC version anyway).  Cream - Politician One of the invaluable functions I have at work, is making flyers for different events.  Kind of a fun thing to do because I like browsing through different clip art images (you may have seen them around here before, but it's been a while).  One of the many things that may make this site your regular stopping place is my use of recycled clip art.  Anyway so I'm making a flyer to celebrate the birthdays of two of the guys I work with, type in "party" and on the first page of images I get this piece of clip art.  It's entitled, "woman getting botox injection at a party".  The image itself, in that playful clip art way really portrays the grotesque vanity human beings are capable of.  Man I fucking love that image, it's almost a story in itself and really could be a topic all by itself.  I don't know if you see it but it reminds me of something Nick Blinko would do. So I'm still looking for "party" images and I run across this image.  Love this one too, but it was interesting because it made me think of some topics that have come up here and elsewhere.  My old band Garden Weasel and the super successful Green Day.  Other than both starting with the letter "G" and playing music you might wonder what those two bands have in common.  Well we both played Angelos Pizza in Arcata California in 1991.  Ha, my brush with fame.  Actually I've brushed elbows with many super stars in my time including the actress who played Nellie Olson on the TV hit "Little House On The Prairie".  See what I mean.  Now what made that show special was not that we played with Green Day, who were just like us at the time, nothing, but the fact that for Garden Weasel it was the best paying gig we ever had.  The owners decide to pay us in beer and pizza.  I don't think they realized how much a few of our friends (roadies, ha, ha) could consume.  I remember thinking that we must have ingested about $400 worth of beer and pizza.  So what the image above is, is a picture of me watching Green Day.  In the picture at left, the manager or owner thought the people there were getting a little to0 crazy, so he made everyone sit down or he was going to stop the show.  Now I give Green Day a hard time and maybe a part of that is that they are making a (too) good living doing something they love and I'm jealous.  The reality is that they are a damn good pop band and no one can take that away from them.  But to this day I can't stand what they stand (stood) for and in hanging out with them I decided, that night, almost 20 years ago, that had they stuck around the pizza parlor for very long I would have puked on them and all the little idiots that followed them around.  I read this at one site, "punk just wouldn't have been the same without Green Day. The band brought back punk in a big way, laying the groundwork for many pop-punk bands to follow".  As penance for my envy I thought I'd share some of their tunes with you. 1000 Hours - (their 1st EP) An Operation Ivy cover, that I don't really dig.  If you want the best that Lookout Records had to offer, forget Green Day, and think about Op Ivy or Filth (period)... Knowledge I've been threatening/promising this one for a while.  I did the Armenian folk thing a while back, Rendevous In Armenia.  Basically this was the shit that got played at this club my mom and her friends went in LA on Temple St. called the Intersection.  Mediteranean type stuff with music, food and dancing.  Must have heard this stuff in utero because I can feel it in my bones, even though I have no idea what they're singing about.  Actually maybe a little bit, it seems somber at least.  I sent a rip of this album to my friend Billy at 7" Crust who lives in Greece.  He was not amused, but he said that his mom or grandma might dig it.  For all I know it could be like listening to country here.  Anyway, everything is in Greek so I have no translations of anything on or about this record.  The style is demotic and in case you enjoy reading something you're not really into check this.  Anyway I played the clarinet for a semester in junior high school and the horn in this reminds me of the clarinet.  Really the lead instrument and if you can appreciate nothing else besides the sadness of the singing at least listen to the horn on track 8, at 23:30 (as a favor to me, ha, ha). [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=semCwN4Vyl8&w=560&h=315]

Rendevous In Armenia

 It's been kind of dead around the site lately, so I'm figuring people have already started their vacations and this post, the first of my second year of doing this, will not get read.  Or maybe the site just sucks and those who hadn't figured it out from the start have finally done so.  :-)  Last week was pretty busy for me, training some of my clients, working at an oil field wharehouse.  Those parts I'm prepping are called "polish rod clamps" and they are actually a pretty important part of sucking oil out of the ground. If you didn't already know, I (and Kim too) work with people with disabilities, where I help out with the employment aspect of their lives.  Kind of have to be a jack of all trades with what I do, or least a quick learner so I can show my clients what the hell is going on.  Had me pretty wiped out last week and glad that this week is a short one.  With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I hope yall have lot's to be thankful for, I know I do, and you take a little bit of time to forget about all the bullshit going on in your lives and the rest of the world.  This one will not interest anyone, or at least I would be surprised if it did, but never the less here it is.  I am one half Armenian, but that's pretty much all I have is some blood.  The rest being Native American, French, German and Czech.  A mutt and a hybrid brother.  No family, no culture, no language, and no history except what I've read.  This record is the sum total of my Armenian heritage and I'm actually content with that.  I had a few Armenian friends in high school and with Burbank being next door to Glendale (the largest population of Armenians outside of Armenia) I've met my fair share.  As a group of people, no better or worse than anyone else, although they share some things in common with Jews and Gypsies (Romany), in that they have been spread by historical circumstances all over the world.  For Jews it's called diaspora, but I don't know if Armenians have a word for it.  I got a hard time from my friends for being Armenian, but no harder than they had it for being whatever the hell they were.  I really have no ties that side anyway and is with many cultures half breeds are frowned upon.  The music on the other hand is some pretty cool stuff.  Folk music in general, for me, is just cool because it is artistic expression that has no ties to the corporate side of music and is therefore fairly uncontaminated.  Emotion.  I think I'll be doing some more folk type stuff, like Greek and Native American on future posts.  There used to be a club in L.A., on Temple St., really close to where I grew up, called the Intersection with traditional dancing that used to play Greek, Armenian, Turkish and others from that general region, back in the 60's and 70's.  May still be there from all I know.  My personal favorite was the Greek music and dance (and food).  Well I've written enough on a post that few if any will listen to.   If I had to pick a favorite tune it would be Dari Me Na. Tamara (Folk Dance) Gneega (To A Woman) Halay (Armenian Soldiers Dance) Voch Me Dzaleeg (No Flower Like You) Sepastia Bar (Dance Of Sepastia) Ka Deh Yes Em (Armenian Ballad) Dari Me Na (It’s Been A Year) Armenian Caucasian Dance Ooska Cookas (Where Do You Come From) Shalako (Caucasian Folk Dance) Hye Dughak (Armenian Boys) Mayr Araxi Aperov (On The Banks Of The Mother Arax River)

Dave Brubeck - Greatest Hits

I got kinda spoiled there and had a few posts where there were 20+ comments.  A little on the slow side right now (not complaining at all though), but maybe that speaks for the quality of my posts.  Sorry about that, but that's why I have all those links for you to check out.  Since it's kinda slow right now I thought I would do something that needs posting somewhere and it may as well be here.

  In my life I have wandered all over the place musically in terms of checking things out, but I always had punk/hardcore as my home base.   You can probably tell that from my posts when you look at the categories and to be honest with you I've seen several live shows of bands that fit each of my categories.  During my time I did the Jazz thing a little bit, but really I was just dabbling.  I think to really appreciate it to it's fullest it helps to be a musician.  There is so mush technicality and complexity to it that there is more to it than saying this sounds good.  I was kind of more into the Fusion Jazz thing though and got to see some live stuff in that genre.  My first Jazz concert was Return To Forever (Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Al DiMeola and Lenny White) at the Universal Amphatheater in about 1985.  It was their first concert together in several years.  I actually saw all kinds of stuff at that venue, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr. Joan Baez, BB King, The Weavers and others.  I bet you all didn't think I had that kind of variety in music in me, did you?  Ha, ha, I wander all over the place to the point that people just can't get into this blog.  I do apologize for that, I wish I could give you all the music you want all the time, but that's just not me.  Oh well.  You need to broaden your horizons a little bit and give this stuff a go.  If you truly are a music lover, you need to at least download this and put it in the part of the hard drive you never look in.  If you're a musician you ought to be able to appreciate the crazy time signature of these tunes.  The drummer, Joe Morello, is insane on this stuff.  As far as Dave Brubeck check out this excellent article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Brubeck .  Okay enough babbling on about a post that no one will listen to, but maybe your parents or grandparents could. EDIT: Sorry, links to tunes deleted for fear of the copyright police...they were damn good too.  Go give your money to itunes or something...

Sparklehorse - It's A Wonderful Life

 Well I'm going to be gone for 4-5 days and I wanted to leave you with something really mellow for the holidays.  I mean really mellow.  A good friend of mine that I met in San Diego, who in that small world world way turned out to be a close friend of Jodie F.'s from Humboldt, turned me onto this band.  I was in my super heavy drinking, starting to be solitary way.  It's about as far from the power violence hardcore stuff you know I dig, as music can be, but it has it's time and place.  Those mellow, dreamy, thoughtful, reflective or even romantic moments when you're in the mood.  These guys are popular, I gather, with the people who listen to this kind of music regularly.  You can go to their website here, http://www.sparklehorse.com/ . I have branched out a bit as I've aged and I hope you guys give it a listen. It’s A Wonderful Life King Of Nails

 

Cowboy Junkies

Well Match sent me this picture but I couldn't download the file full size.  I've been having some computer problems with a virus getting past my virus protection.  Major pain in the ass when you consider my limited computer skills.  Damn I was a geetered out looking mo fo in that picture, good thing I had those two handsome stoned looking individuals next to me.  I saw that Sang had some great comments so I thought I'd do a post for him.  He always had a knack for finding groups and listening to music with the most beautiful singers.  I don't necessarily mean pretty but with voices that were gifts from God.  You know when people find out that I was in bands they ask me what I did and I say sing.  Really I didn't sing I just screamed and I didn't even do that well.  Sang's musical taste has always been varied but it was those beautiful voices that I always remember.  Here's my favorite song by one of the bands he turned me onto, the Cowboy Junkies, doing Misguided Angel.  I know all you guys are misguided angels like myself so please give this song a listen.  Cowboy Junkies - Misguided Angel