::: Sonic Death ::: Sonic Youth :::

As I sit here now, I'm wearing a Waylon Jennings zip-up hoodie and listening to the Dead C's Trapdoor Fucking Exit- namesake of this blog. Misspelled, I know. Earlier I started the day listening to Wolf Eyes' newly reissued Dread cassette. "Burn Your House Down" was a milestone of my childhood which is actually kinda funny if you think about it. Picked that one up @ Bric a Brac Records in Logan Square about two weeks ago. After that, I listened to the Beatles' first three albums on Spotify- Please Please Me, With the Beatles, and A Hard Day's Night. Really the vocals of the Beatles are pure magic. No other band will ever achieve the ragged professionalism of Paul, John, and George. I spent the entire afternoon guessing at who's voice was whose [sic] as I drove Uber around Chicago. It was slow. I remember a pretentious old couple who actually didn't believe it was the Beatles for some reason. Would I lie to you? Come on, people!

Eventually I made it to Rubber Soul which, blah blah yeah, everyone knows is the greatest album ever and there has been SOFUCKINGMUCH written about it already. But picture this, I just listened to it for the FIRST time today. It was INSANE!

Then I spent some time researching Keith Jarrett who I've actually still not ever listened to. There was a fabulous story about him that I heard... He played a concert in France, or Germany maybe in the 70's. He shows up and has a meltdown because the piano he's supposed to use apparently is unplayable- out of tune everywhere, keys are sticking, worn out felt etc. And on top of all that, its too small and not even loud enough to really be heard clearly at the back of the sold out 4,500 capacity auditorium where the performance was to be held. So naturally, he refuses to play...

It just so happens that the person putting this show on was possibly the most determined and precocious 17 year-old girl in the world. She spent the entire afternoon tuning the dissonant piano herself and oiling keys that were sticking and somehow got the piano into (barely) playable shape. Jarrett still refused to play until she begged him not to disappoint the 4,500 strong crowd and to save her reputation. He agreed, stating, "Only for you. Remember that."

What followed, and keep in mind that I personally have not listened to this recording or any of Jarrett's other material yet, was a seminal performance in which Jarrett was forever captured in the purest moment of improvisation. It was recorded and became the highest selling solo-piano performance CD of all time. Pretty inspirational tale... I'm not really sure why I'm telling you this except to say that I listen to all kinds of music and I think you have to if you ever hope to be able to understand sound as an art form. And after 32 years on this planet I've heard a lot, learned a lot, and for the most part cast aside my listenings as I moved onward to more obscure recordings and broadened my musical knowledge.

But there's a few bands I will always be grateful to come back to...

Sonic Youth is one of them. I've spent years now listening to this band with a near-thirty year career arc and who almost never flinched from their anti-commercial roots. Even as they crossed into the mainstream, their music and imagery remained tongue in cheek. It's as if they were poking fun at the record executives by intentionally turning people off. Look at the leer and pomp of Goo, an album which can be best described as a feather boa or maybe a blowjob- as was the original title idea from the band.

You guys probably also know a bit about this band already. Or, if you don't, might this be a step down a long and fruitful sonic tributary. So much can be said about this recording. It's physical appearance dates back to a fan club mailing in 1984- the year I was BORN. It arrived as a cassette only. I have not been able to find any photos of the actual tape itself but the artwork is pretty straight forward, cheap photocopy collage. Very typical of punk and DIY bands even still today. There's a philosophy at play here. Just let it be what it is. It's a piece of what they hoped and knew was going to be a very long and comprehensive oeuvre. I first heard it while trawling through some online database of live SY. It was a big site. Anyone remember the name? Sonic Tooth?

The music really does not sound at all dated, apart from the shoddy recording quality. I like that though. It adds to the ideology. In Chicago, there are no-wave bands today that don't sound a whole lot different.

Early Sonic Youth is heavy and abrasive, almost terrifying. Picture them, as twenty-something's on tour  in the mid-80's and playing "Death Valley '69" in the Mojave Desert. What did people think of them back then? Absolute monoliths.

There is a lot of tape manipulation happening in this recording. One song is dubbed faster than the Chipmunks. There is some interesting panning on a few other tracks. There's really so much fucking more I could say about this recording but I just got home from the gym after working all day and that's about all I can muster for now. Let me know if you want a copy and maybe I can dub you one or something.

Man.. I wish I was a member of the Sonic Youth fan club in the 80's.

Chicago Punk in 2015: Here's Some Bands That I Really Like

It’s been three years since my last post… I've met so many people and I have so much to say about them. Here's a start and I'm barely scratching the surface. Apologies to anyone I'm leaving out this round, I'll get to you eventually.

FLESH PANTHERS

… Or “Los Pantheros de Flesh” as I lovingly refer to them. The Flesh Panthers are the ultimate party band. It does not matter how much beer they smoke or how much weed they drink, they will always crush every single performance. Remember when everyone used to complain that no one danced at shows in this city? Not anymore!! FP’s bassist, Lucas, is the reason that people now mosh at shows in Chicago. And drummer, Michael, is an absolute powerhouse supercharging the band’s impeccable melodies into nonstop crush-your-beer-can-in-your-hand anthems. You think you’re being drenched in reverb but it’s actually just alcohol and you’re happy to sop it up.

https://fleshpanthers.bandcamp.com/

MAC BLACKOUT

Mickey live @ The Flowershop

photo by: Kevin Elens

Mac Blackout Band are “the kings of the old wave of Chicago punk,” I overheard at Coles Bar one drunken night in January. Mac Blackout is an icon in punk music today and his massive breadth of work speaks for itself. He’s been regularly churning out art for bands all across the country, effectively stamping the scene with his godly approval. Whether it's Functional Blackouts, Daily Void, or Mickey (pictured above), Mac's imprint is left like a sizzling brand on everything he touches. With a sound that might have been more at home in an earlier decade, the Mac Blackout Band is the prototype for the future.

https://macblackout.bandcamp.com/

ABSOLUTELY NOT

The typical Absolutely Not song consists of about a two-and-a-half minute plunge down the rabbit hole of what can only be described as the very essence of pure unfiltered energy. This band begins at a level of intensity that very few bands ever achieve throughout their entire recording careers and ends somewhere completely un-fucking-fathomable, until you see them live and you finally understand. Donnie Moore has a rapid fire intellect and it reflects in his music. You get it. You already know them. They are the best.

https://absolutelynotmusic.bandcamp.com/

VELOCICOPTER

Me 'n Meg:)

When I saw Brett, V-Cop’s bassist, on stage dressed as Carl Sagan for their Halloween 2014 show I knew I had truly fallen for this band. Velocicopter rips! And their frontWOMAN Meg might be one of the most talented people in all of Chicago. Their last full length, Pals, was a tour de force that struck me like a ton of bricks. The closing track for the album, “Major Arcana,” sends shivers down my spine as it reaches it’s climax with Meg’s vocals reaching a critical roar. The intensity will shake you. And with the layered feedback ala Smashing Pumpkins Gish it’s absolutely fucking BEAUTIFUL!

https://velocicopter.bandcamp.com/

MAMA

The raw enthusiasm of this band grips me. I cannot stress enough how much it means to see people who honestly believe in what they are doing and are so genuinely into MUSIC. It’s fucking infectious! And it’s exactly what the music world needs MORE, MORE, MORE of. I really didn’t think that this band could do much better than “Don’t Get Rocked Unless You Wanna’ Get Rolled,” from their debut cassette Big In Chicago because let’s face it, music doesn’t really get a lot better than that. Period. But in the last few months and with their outrageous Speed Trap ep, we’ve seen MAMA put out some of the most insane singles I have EVER heard!!! ROCK 'N ROLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!

https://mamamamamama.bandcamp.com/

SUEVES

I’d say that Joe Schorgl is the reincarnated Dan Kroha (Gories) but that dude is thankfully still alive and making some of the best music of his career. The Sueves are pure excellence and with the current lineup they’re going to boil over into a larger consciousness faster than you can say, “House Rockin!” They’ve got about a million songs and basically are a compact pissed off volcano of shred. Did I mention Joe's artwork is mind blowing? I heard these guys are big Trux fans too. Figures.

https://thesueves666.bandcamp.com/

SLUSHY

Always been a damn good group. Chris Kramer is a true songwriting force and one of the only people I know who seems to actually make a living from touring. Respect! With the new lineup featuring guys from Today’s Hits (or shits?) and Magic Milk, Slushy is becoming something bigger sounding than I think Kramer ever anticipated. Shout out to Brent Zmrhl who let me do sound at Crown Tap way back when I was actually updating this blog regularly! This band is far fucking out. 

https://slushy.bandcamp.com/

BLAZE MAN

**Not a band but... still a presence nonetheless. Who is the real Blaze Man??? Legend has it, if you turn all the lights down, spark one up and say his name three times, his Blazeness will reveal himself to you!!

Snoop - Smoke Weed Everyday

Pink Reason - Cleaning the Mirror

Found this one in the Shake Shop. Just some cool midwestern lo-fi, guess they've gone punk since. Glimmers of doomy solo Thurston Moore works. Also hints of Folk Implosion (before Lou Barlow stopped making good music in 1995)... "Gotta' get more o' that wet stuff," if ya' know what I mean. Another excellent and unique creative offering from the Siltbreeze catalogue.

Pink Reason - Cleaning the Mirror

I recently asked Neil Hagerty what his feelings on file sharing were. Here is what he had to say.

-Me 'n the Big Dawg

"I am ok with it, it is like the olde argument about cassettes to me but hyperspaced. It is stealing, I guess, but music is meant to be heard. So I'm not a 'copyfighter' or whatever, if the RIAA wants to try and clamp down, good luck to them. Drag City try to do what they can to protect their files, requesting take downs etc. Sometimes it is easier to just get on iTunes etc and quickly pay 99 cents, sometimes it is not. Sometimes you can afford it, sometimes not. I'd rather that the person hear what they're looking for.

The greatest thing about this to me is the death of the fucking ALBUM. I'll be glad to see that finally replaced by playlists and mix tapes. A world of Greatest Hits!" -NH http://www.howlinghex.com/diary/1552/#1574

There you have it. Piracy is good for artists. Albums are bad for artists and listeners alike. Anyone telling you otherwise is either brainwashed or has a wad of $$ bundled up in some shit publishing company. Viva free universal access! -DC

:::Tyvek "Mutant Love - Live in Hamtramck":::

“Tyvek is rejects! Tyvek is rejects! Tyvek is rejects,” chants Timmy Vulgar, artist, taco chef, and front man of Human Eye and Timmy’s Organism, into the spittle-soaked microphone. Moments later Tyvek rips into “Outer Limits” and closes this marathon set at the Painted Lady in Hamtramck, MI.

Tyvek’s live sound is rife with self-effacement, sabotage, chaos and the attitude indicative of a band that has nothing to lose. They live in a wasteland. They have no prospects. In their world, the apocalypse has already happened but that doesn’t bother them. Actually, they’re glad that everyone is gone so they can do what they want. Here, the reject is celebrated. In Detroit, the world of burnt out buildings, urban deserts, and nothing but sprawl to stretch your legs in, the reject is Adonis and creativity is Zeus. 

I picked this tape up in Ann Arbor, MI, from Shelley, formerly of Tyvek and currently of Swimsuit and Saturday Looks Good To Me. I didn’t know anything about it and I had been under the impression that Tyvek had broken up. I didn’t know it was live and I’m not sure she did either. As she told me, “They [Tyvek] like to release lots of different versions of the same songs…”

Mutant Love contains feedback, off-key singing, drinking, banter, slobbering, and whacked out keyboard runs. Despite the description, this set is actually not technically sloppy in the least bit. Tyvek’s music is composed with the intention of sounding this way. That’s why we writers call them “art punks.” In that regard the performance is really an exemplary relic of the band in their prime and they sound great. Mutant Love is just as good as Fast Metabolism.

Tyvek - Mutant Love: Live in Hamtramck Cassette

Matthew Friedberger - Cut It Out

:::::::::Matthew Friedberger – Acoustic and Electronic Percussion / Vocals:::::::::

Cut It Out is the fourth offering this year from Matthew Friedberger. Comprised solely of drums and vocals, it’s a fairly straightforward continuation of his previous efforts in his epic 2011 masterpiece eight-album collection, Solos: similar songs, different instruments.  If you heard the first three you should pretty well know what you’re in for by now. 

Matthew is exploring composition in a way that not many, if any, other popular musicians have the talent and discipline for.  He is far more concerned with the development of themes and of motifs than he is with crafting songs.  Interestingly, during interviews he rarely, if ever, describes these Solos works as composition but rather always refers to them as “songs.”  He also rarely, if ever, makes any sense at all.  I, personally, hesitate to use the word song in reference to any of his solo material. 

Although this music is extremely formulaic, and I use that word in the most unconventional sense, Friedberger keeps the listener engaged in his almost comedic approach to the the drums.  The tones of the programmed percussion and funky robotic nature of the beats are reminiscent of Beck’s Midnite Vultures.   Remember driving to school and listening to “We like to sit around and get real paid,” laughing at, then, Puff Daddy’s and friends’ all too real enthusiasm for str8 benjamin$$$?  

This would really be a great album to have sex to if not for the extremely off-putting lyrical content and deranged vocal styling that have become Matthew's modus operandi in his Solos collection.  Actually, I would rather have sex to this than Midnite Vultures, which, according to Beck, is an album he wrote specifically so he could have something to have sex to.  You probably would too so, you know... just sayin'. 

Anyway, yes, I'm using sex to sell a Matthew Friedberger album. 

No, that is not really normal in the context of Matthew Friedberger but, well, yeah.  Use protection. 

Right now, it's 3:43 AM and I'm at work in Northbrook, Illinois.   I am extremely fortunate that my job requires little to no actual work.  I am left here in my swivel chair, ostensibly getting paid to contemplate the true nature of the Friedbergers.  

I always compare them to Frank Zappa, the only other popular musician I can think of with such obvious compositional leanings.  Are they smarter than Zappa? Again (see the Old Regimes post), the answer is no, but they are pretty damned smart and funny, enough so to create satyre of even themselves... which is really refreshing and, in today's music scene, brimming over with overblown dramatic facades and almost insultingly simplistic pop idiocy, something to be cherished.

Matthew Friedberger - Cut It Out

The Runnies: Interview with Mary McKane: New Year's Tribute/Better Recognize

For my year-end editorial extravaganza I will try to do the unthinkable-- impart you readers with valuable and worthwhile information untainted by corporate greed:). Fuck the year-end list, this one’s for you, Chicago.

The Runnies’, Mary McKane, is also keyboardist/vocalist of Chicago’s soon to be mega-successful 60’s revivalists, Outer Minds. I mean it, if these guys don’t do something soon to claim their rightful throne as the undisputed champions of Chicago rock then I will quit writing and playing music. Shit, I will probably stop listening to music altogether. That is how convinced I am of Outer Minds’ supremacy. I’m just the messenger, people, and you can quote me on this.

I spoke to Mary by phone yesterday. In congruence with DedChicago tradition, this interview will not be transcribed for reasons entirely within my control (I made a stupid mistake trying to record it). I also nearly botched the whole thing by forgetting I was in a different time zone but I eventually got a hold of her while she was on the way to Runnies rehearsal in Chicago’s East Garfield Park…

The Runnies recently released an entire album for free on the Internet. It’s soulful, bluesy and danceable. It’s got all the characteristics of any of the best Rolling Stones albums and Mary’s vocals sound gritty and intense. Very professional, I would not have any other voice singing these songs. The Runnies fill in every space available with provocative solos. Never sounding awkward or meandering, every note has a purpose even if its reason is simply being there. In short, this album is another one of a chain of excellent releases from Chicago artists in 2011.

You Can’t Win was recorded from August 2010 through November 2010. The mixing was completed in March 2011. Recorded by John Crawford, drummer for Paul Carrie and the Small Scaries, on reel-to-reel tape, the album comes off with a natural and unforced fullness and dynamic texture (not a whole lot of obnoxious computer reverb, thank god). On the decision to release the album as a free download, McKane says that it was more based on a need for immediacy than anything else. They had the final product ready to go and saw no reason to hold it back from the public any longer. Having grown up in the age of P2P file sharing, I’ve got to say, they made the right choice. I am proud of them for being so forward thinking and progressive in the ever so rapidly changing music industry. This is a band that’s in the game for all the right reasons. They have gobs of talent, drive, experience and a selflessness that only a band who truly cares and believes in themselves and what they are doing could display so authentically. Right on, Runnies. I believe in you too.

Mary has been performing in Chicago bands for years now and besides fronting the Runnies and co-fronting Outer Minds, she also plays with Lover!. I first saw her play about three years ago at the Hideout opening for Thee Hardy Mums. Her growth as a musician has been tremendous and she seems, still, to have a lot more left in her. Looking at her now and how far she’s come, I get a feeling that things in Chicago are growing so quickly. There are big things out there on the horizon and Mary and others like her are the ones showing us all the way. Better pay attention.

With 2011 drawing to a close, I am officially voting Mary McKane “most likely to succeed” in our imaginary Chicago basement-scenester yearbook. Here’s to a girl with a bright future. It’s only fitting that, with her salute to us in the free release of the gem, You Can’t Win, we salute her back by listening to it. Go see The Runnies tonight and Outer Minds tomorrow at the Empty Bottle for a guaranteed-to-blow-your-head-space NYE experience. Cheers and a Happy New Year!



Click HERE to download The Runnies You Can't Win