PUNK FREAKS

I visited Jack Jensen on Friday seeking his wisdom and while there I noticed that his newest painting summed up events and feelings I was experiencing that week, the very thing I had stopped in to talk to him about.  Needless to say, it was made for me and I had no choice but to buy it.  I think many of his paintings fit a specific mood I am in on the day I visit, almost as though he is psychic and anticipates what's coming.  The ghost pharmacist in his shop must be whispering in his ear.

Arrangements have been made to return my friend to me, after paying for his cremation.  He will soon be back with me and we will need to celebrate our reunion one more time.  I'll have to pick his favorite music for the party that evening.

The take down of Megaupload has had a ripple effect in all other music sharing services: many are taking down music that could be viewed as an infringement of copyright laws, trying to ward off legal action the killed Megaupload.  The consequence is that the shows I like to listen to are now much harder to find, many of the links no longer active.  My fear is that the music will dry up, music that is not presently available for purchase any other place.  So those bootleg recordings that you can't buy in the store or online will become scarce.  The music dies, all for the almighty dollar.

I was in a mood for some Iggy Pop and the Stooges.  I have a copy of the legacy edition of  Raw Power, their third studio album.  The second CD in that special edition is a bootleg recording of their show Georgia Peaches, Live at Richards in Atlanta, Georgia in October 1973.  Great sounding recording.  Iggy was at his best between songs, taunting the audience.  "Hey, you wann get your little fuckin face punched out cracker boy, come up here.  Come up here little Billy boy!  I sick of your shit!  Why don't you come up where a man can be seen!  Daddy's pretty little face.  Suck my ass blue boy."  Then they launch right into Gimme Danger.

Pitchfork said:

Still, even if you've already bought this album twice, the Legacy Edition's second disc offers a compelling reason to shell out again: an immensely entertaining, well-preserved 1973 Atlanta club set that was intended for a radio broadcast but later aborted. Recorded months after Raw Power had been released, ignored, and consigned to cut-out bins, the set sees the Stooges in another transitory state, further asserting Raw Power's 50s-rock roots with the addition of jaunty pianist Scott Thurston, but also patiently stretching out new songs like "Head On" and "Heavy Liquid" into loose, exploratory, Who-style workouts. It also unintentionally redresses Raw Power's initial imbalance by smothering Williamson's leads in the Ashetons' thick low-end. Naturally, the combination of Iggy and a crowd of southerners results in some colorful exchanges ("You wanna get your little fucking face punched out, little cracker boy?"), and it's fun to revisit a moment when the Stooges' audience was sparse enough to make out individual conversations (says one spectator: "I don't think he likes us!"). But more than a document of Iggy in his audience-baiting element, the set serves as a great tribute to the late Ron Asheton, whose bass-playing is finally revealed to be every bit as fierce and inventive as his guitar-playing.

Read it here:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14125-raw-power-legacy-edition-raw-power-deluxe-edition/

Nothing is for free
The more we take from the Earth
The more we must pay

Ashes to ashes
Roads path leads to its return
To where he once came

The headliner for the evening were Echo and the Bunnymen, The Black Sessions (Session no. 108) recorded live at Studio 105 in Paris, France on June 25, 1997.  Excellent quality.  What a was to end the evening.

See: http://www.fileserve.com/file/7W3RKxK
This is a casualty of the file sharing war the record companies are waging, knowing full well they'll never issue this for download themselves.

But find it now here:
https://rapidshare.com/#!download|11|1334541343|EATB_Black_Sessions.rar|147828

I was always wanting to listen to a little Sonic Youth, an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981.  Nirvana looked up to this band, aspired to be good enough to sell similar numbers of records, touring with them for a short while before Nevermind made Nirvana a giant compared to their idol.

"In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the no wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American noise rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American underground that focused more on the DIY ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. As a result, some consider Sonic Youth as pivotal in the rise of the alternative rock and indie rock movements. The band experienced success and critical acclaim throughout their existence, continuing into the new millennium, including signing to major label DGC in 1990, and headlining the 1995 Lollapalooza festival."

Download it here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?hec5013gmsydtqg

Staying in the 1990's, Fugazi played the second act this evening, a live show in Seattle, WA on October 27, 1995.  Excellent recording in my opinion. Ian MacKaye starts off the show: “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we are FugaziFugazi is playing tonight sir. [Cheers} And in Fugazi’s world, we don’t give people the finger to say hello. We go “Hi”. There you go, much nicer.”

Minor Threat was an influential hardcore punk band formed by Ian MacKaye before he formed Fugazi in 1987.

Find it here:
http://www.dischord.com/fugazi_live_series/seattle-wa-usa-102795

SONIC YOUTH AT THE OGDEN

I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I read Kurt St. Thomas' book (with Troy Smith) "Nirvana, The Chosen Rejects". Repeatedly mentioned in that book was Sonic Youth, New York punk band born of the local underground music scene. "In August (1990), Nirvana got the opportunity to open a few West Coast gigs for their longtime idols, Sonic Youth." Following the release of their smash album, Nevermind, in 1991, Nirvana's bass player Krist said "We wanted to be as good as Sonic Youth. We totally respect those people and what they've done. We thought we'd sell a couple hundred thousand records at most, and that would be fine. Next thing you know, we go to Top Ten. I wish I couild have a time machine and go back to two months ago. I'd tell people to get lost."

After hearing the respect given to the band by Nirvana, and learning that Sonic Youth were scheduled to play the Ogden Theater on October 4th, I commited to seeing them when I purchased a pair of tickets. I wanted to hear the music that commanded such respect from a great band.


Monday night and I drop by the Dutchboy's house where we load into a single vehicle and have dinner on Colfax a few blocks from the theater. We go in and I make for the rest room where the recording device and microphones come out, along with the small amout of tequila I brought in. Time to set up the rig in anticipation for the show.

The warm up act, Caldera Lakes, consisted of a parir of women kneeling on a carpert playing gongs, bells, bowls and small cymbols all to the accompaniment of distorted electronic sounds, with one woman singing along. Too much for me. I could'nt wait for the main act.

Wikipedia describes Sonic Youth as such:

Sonic Youth is an Americanm rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore (vocals and guitar), Kim Gordon (vocals, bass, guitar), Lee Ranaldo (vocals and guitar), Steve Shelly (drums), Mark Ibold (bass, guitar).

In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City. Part of the first wave of American Noise rock groups, the band carried out their interpretation of the hardcore punk ethos throughout the evolving American undergorind that focused more on the DIY ethic of the genre rather than its specific sound. As a result, the band are often considered as pivotal in the rise of the alternative rock and indie rock movements. The band has experienced success and critical acclaim throughout the last three decades, continuing into the new millennium, including signing to major label DGC in 1990, and headlining the 1995 Lollapalooza festival.

Sonic Youth have expressed a wide variety of influences, ranging from the influential protopunk musician Patti Smith to composer John Cage. The band has been praised for having "redefined what rock guitar could do", using a wide variety of unorthodox guitar tuninings, and preparing guitars with objects likedrumsticks and screwdrivers to alter the instruments' timber.

Great show, keeping me engaged for the whole time they commanded the stage. You listen to the music and judge for yourself.

Download the bootleg recording here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RPM1HDC5