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]

Johatsu - Demolition cassette

Had to hook up my tape deck to give this one a listen, another killer release from Freddy over at Wardance Records.  I don't even know where to start with Johatsu.  I got the lowdown from Freddy, "...that tape rules, for now it's a 2 man project by ex-Hell No dudes. They're working on new material & hopefully a full band soon. I'm biased, but I think that the songs in the tape are great, u can tell they grew up on HC/Punk/90's dissonant stuff & mesh it all together really well. I took it off the Wardance page as I only have a couple of copies left, but the band should have some." Over at United By Rocket Science they'll tell you "think New York Hardcore meets Amphetamine Reptile Records and gets stuck in the mud on the way to a Metal show.  The sound is heavy, ferocious and relentless." I don't know if I could describe these guys any better than that.  Not sure if it's because it's on cassette or the mix, but it has that demo sound, which makes it feel a lot older, but this is fresh and relevant.  Often times you can describe a band by saying that they sound like this or that band, which I'm terrible at, because my mind has trouble assigning a particular sound to a name, but who the fuck do these guys sound like...no one as far as I'm concerned.  With one guy doing vocals and the other doing all the instruments, it reminds me of some good times I had recording stuff with one of my buddies who could play all the instruments in your typical band.  Don't think these guys are just fucking around though, this is a band that will make people stand up and recognize.  Like a lot of bands these days Johatsu has a Bandcamp where you can give all the tunes a listen and for dirt cheap buy a download of the tunes and maybe pick up an actual copy.  There's two more tunes available for download on Bandcamp, that aren't on the cassette.  They also have a Myspace in case you want to do a little more exploring.  If you're of the European persuasion and location, you can also pick this thing up from Per Koro Records, a label/mailorder outta Germany.  I prefer side 1 over side 2, I guess because side 2 feels more like a jam, but really the cassette grabs you by the balls from beginning to end.  Hands down my favorite is the first tune (and a lot of times the band puts their best track first, so maybe the band is in agreement with me), I really like how the singer almost talks or narrates over some furious riffing.  If you can find this thing, go get your tape deck out of the garage or go get one at the thrift store (may as well, I think tapes are making a small underground comeback), and trip the hell out on Johatsu.  That first tune for ya... [bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2918916784 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

1984

Nineteen Eighty Four was a good year...9th grade, Luther Burbank Junior High.  Miss Harley swore that we looked stoned in this picture.  Bob, the drummer for Lack Of Interest, also the guy behind Deep Six Records is in there too.  In case you don't know me I'm the hesher 4th from the right.  Jack Purvis, another hesher, is 2nd from the right, that's the only other name my burnt out brain can remember from this pic.  Being a library assistant was a sweet job, you put away books for a couple of minutes and chill the rest of the period.  9th grade, the top of the heap at our junior high, not knowing that I would instantly and insufferably be flung to the bottom of the heap the following year at Burbank High.  King shit.  I was voted "friendliest" that year, because you know despite all the wrong I have done in my life, I'm a pretty nice guy.  Gilbert Bautista was my best friend and partner in crime.  We grew apart in high school, he ended up with the stoner gangsters, while I ended up punk rock.  Rode my skateboard back and forth, the 20 or so blocks to school.  Got my first job, with a paycheck, that year cleaning out bird cages at a pet shop.  The aviaries were the worst because you had to get inside with the birds and while you were cleaning up shit, they would shit on you.  Before I got the job I would get stoned at the park with the other stoners on the way home.  Saw Venom, Slayer and Exodus that year with my elementary school chum Roy Miyake (last I heard was at a Buddhist Monastery in San Fransisco).  One of my greatest shows ever, but I've told that story. I was going to lots of concerts around this time, my Mom's effort to educate me.  The Universal Amphatheater was a great venue for bigger concerts, not a bad seat in the house.  Saw Return to Forever, Bo Didley, Hank Williams Jr., Willie Nelson, Kansas, Joan Baez, Pete Seger (and what was left of the Weavers...a group that had been blacklisted by McCarthy).  My two favorite bands at the time were Venom (or maybe Slayer) and Crass, go figure, I've never made sense.  There were two record stores that were a short bus ride away, one in North Hollywood and another in Glendale  Didn't have a girlfriend that year, I don't think I was even digging on anyone in particular, but two of my best friends were girls, Bonnie and Mindi (they ended up going to the other high school in Burbank so we lost touch).  Outside of school I played AYSO soccer as I had done since I was 5.  My knee blew up playing soccer in high school on my 16th birthday...that was the end of my soccer career (I wasn't that good anyway, too slow...short legs).  My life at home was cool, being raised by a single Mom who didn't really care what I did, as long as my grades were decent and I wasn't getting in trouble for anything.  Life was pretty good.  I was old enough to know the world was crazy place and stupid enough to think I knew everything.  Little did I know, life would turn out the way it did.  Anyway, here's some tunes that could sorta be my soundtrack to 1984 and wherever possible I've tried to include demo or live versions...what were you doing in 1984? Crass - What a Shame Slayer - Chemical Warfare MDC - John Wayne Was a Nazi Venom - Angel Dust Saint Vitus - Saint Vitus Dead Kennedys - Bleed For Me G.I.S.M. - ABC Weapons 45 Grave - Black Cross The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression BLACK SABBATH - Electric Funeral