Roots, part 1: Hurtu - The Power of Rawk

In late 2002 or early 2003 with the departure of Adrian Ricelli, Xyster dissolved and left Aidan McEneaney, Sam Deutsch, and myself to become Hurtu.  This was a brief period before the addition of Alec Signorino and the name change to the Shears.  In the summer of 2003 Deutsch and the McEneaneys recorded the EPs ¡Swing Pad! and Smokin' in the Girls Room with stand-in drummers Tin Nelson and Jeff Ziga (former Affirmative Action Jackson and Knives Out, later founder of Little Baby's Ice Cream).  While those recordings were mostly tight and professional, this is a noise-lo-fi mess.  Afterwards, with the departure of Signorino for "The New Shears," the core trio became Love Athena, working with drummers Peter Cross and Will Floyd.  Both band's work will be posted later with a more in-depth history.




















It was a tumultuous time and this recorded document crudely captures this unique transitional band, perhaps at its worst, but should be interesting for fans of outsider music, especially that made by teenagers.  It has a rare combination of teenage stupidity and art-damaged pretension, to the point where distributors Barfbag Records features several warnings, such as "Explicit Content," a warning about long gaps of silence, and another about the extremely violent threats dispersed throughout the record (though no one complains when Wu Tang does it).  There was never a track list and some of these songs may have never had titles at all.  Some did and those are recorded and here is the analyisis.

So with that that album begins with "1:  You Wanna Die?," the first of four of the threatening tracks performed by Aidan in his heavy metal singer alter-ego.  They are all some of the of the most explicit and hilarious manifestations about early-teen angst and this first track is the only one with full musical accompaniment, making it one of the album's most listenable "songs."  Batwölf may or may not have played it live.  The character is first introduced and luckily the music hides the other members' laughter.

"2:  Creep Street" is an instrumental that goes back to the earliest days of Xyster originally composed by myself, Tommy Holden, and Adrian Ricelli.  As the Popes, Aidan and I recorded that as well in a professional setting in the Summer of 2002.  IT owes a heavy debt to the Fall's "Mansion" and is one of the best places to hear the use of cheap multi pedals.

"3:  The Power of Rawk III" is another instrumental based on "What Is Love?" with a blistering lead from Sam that used to be my favorite song on the album.  It doesn't really hold up as well, I must admit.

"4:  Parallel Lines" is yet another instrumental, also led by Sam's guitar.  It gained its title later when lyrics were added and was eventually recorded as such on the ¡Swing Pad! EP, to be shared next time.

Track five is another threat from Aidan, this time directed towards me.  The laughs are not a problem and his love of prolonging torture and saying "Shut up, bitch!" is exposed as well as his misunderstanding of the word "arsenal."

Six's drum track is one of the coolest sounds on the whole record and the bass playing on this fuzzed-out reggae track is solid, but otherwise it's a failed experiment, though I have to admit a bold one, mixing such elements together.  It's bad teenage heartbreak, but has to be heard to believed, tough I suppose it may not be too different from nu-metal, especially 311...  That was not the intention.

Next up is "Flavia," a long comedy jam.  It is the only song recorded completely live with guitar, bass, and drums, and even more surprisingly only one of two songs featuring Deutsch on vocals.  IT's an absurd love song to a girl who may not have deserved such treatment.

"Lost on Gilligan's Island" I think had the most potential to be a great song.  It's lyrics are still kind of funny, in a really cute way, I can't remember exactly what I was going for, but I think it just came to me title first.  It's a mess but the idea is there and it has the best home-made feeling to it with my "wait, stop" beginning the song.  The drums are more shambolic than I still think is possible, but there is some tune and a lot of playfulness yet if you stripped it of that it's some top-notch noise rock.  The actual song section concludes with piano credited to Ben Folds and the following "silence" is actually Aidan talking shit on Nirvana.  If you can get through the whole thing you still won't believe it was for real.

The ninth track is maybe the best-realized song, a sludge-metal, on which I think I played everything.  It's simple and I think it would be cool to play again.  Some find it boring and the timing of each instrument sucks, but there is one moment where the solo is absolutely transcendent.

"Crop Circles," on the other hand, is probably the biggest mess on the album with horrible over-driven bass leading the whole thing and deafening clipping drums.  Maybe some potential in there too, but who cares?  If you can hear anything resembling music in there you will know for sure that this is Sonic Youth-aping, but hey apparently that's what everyone wants, so you'll probably like it.  I, however, hate it and I love outsider music like this.  Actually, Aidan's screams are kind of cool, mine too, or Sam's whatever that is...

The unnamed eleventh track is also somewhat well-realized in terms of instruments playing together (though the drums could use some work).  It sounds like it was recorded live, and I vaguely remember that being the case.  I felt pretty good about this one at the time, and structurally, I still do though the lyrics are god-awful weepy teenage boy garbage, but I was trying!  I noticed I had drowned out my vocals, so they cranked up a little high to compensate and all three of us sang on this one and Sam's may be the most pleasant sound on the whole album.  Aidan's have a real unusual rhythm that I still think is pretty cool too.  I was the only person who had any faith in this song, but it's really a pretty decent grunge rocker, theoretically.  With the right pedal it could have even been "Mudhoney-esque"

Twelve is the return of the heavy metal singer and is the best view into the deranged mind of a 12 year old boy with its mix of homophobia and homoeroticism.  If you can get over that it's probably the funniest one, especially when he talks about cutting off your penis and feeding it to his dog.  Then it takes the left turn with "ever since you signed up for the army" and it's self referential qualities which just grow and grow.  What's real and what is just black humor?  Either way it's gonna BURRRRRN YOOUUUU!

"13:  Smokey Bear Plays With Matches" is another old one.  The concept/lyrics came from Jonathan Lee in Mr. Clark's Comm. Arts class in spring 2001 and the music was from Panaphobia members Bo Liu and Doug Chee.  All that time makes this probably the strongest song on the album.  A loud, heavy, noise-blues tune which is the most apparent result of teenagers imitating Captain Beefheart probably ever recorded.  If any track needs to be heard on this album, it's this one.

In conclusion I accept, and grow tired of the heavy metal singer's threats, and he is eaten apart by his insecurities as I turn into him.  It's pretty jail.  Think about it.

I don't know what machine this was recorded on, but it was a cheap digital 12-track.  Production began at the Deutsch's West Orange McMansion and concluded after they relocated to a townhouse in the Cedars, Basking Ridge.  The guitars were a Mostrite Ventures II, a Fender Cyclone II, an Epphone Explorer and possibly an Epiphone Casino.  Basses were an Ibanez Jazz and Precision hybrid and a Fender P.  Drums and amps were a mixed bag and at some point everybody played every instrument, that was important to me.

Ultimately this album is pretty unlistenable, but it did live up to my artistic vision as something of a historical document.  I think it stands up to other teenage outsider music like The Shaggs Philosophy of the World or Todd's With Love... From Me To You or the younger crowd of Eyeball Skeleton, but is a lot more fun and with a far, far greater awareness of the whole expanse of rock music.  Just look at the artists I reference here, this is not in retrospect.  This is a fact, the experimental/noise rock of Can, Sonic Youth, Captain Beefheart, etc was as much an influence as Weezer, Mudhoney, and At The Drive-In as the lo-fi challenges of Sebadoh, Guided by Voices, and Pavement.  I put this out here because it needs to be heard and be out in the universe.  It's just too funny not to.  You have enjoyed worse, I know that for a fact.

YOU WANNA DIE!? 

Next time:  The Shears.

New Jersey

So, I have said a lot about New Jersey in this time and for good reason.  Some of the best music of all time has come out of there.  Music from the future, and the really strange thing is that as much as people talk about Maxwell's, Hoboken, Bruce Springsteen, the Misfits, etc., it was oddly enough the small town of Haledon which has the most significance.  Everyone knows the Feelies and many know that's where they come from, they just played Hoboken a lot.

Additionally, many other great bands came out of that Feelies spectrum.  Bands as great and influential on the right artists.  All you need to do is listen to Ridgewood's Real Estate to know that.  So as I have been absorbing such groups lately, both on record and in person I needed to assemble a little playlist for the uninitiated.  I only have what I have so its far from complete and I tried to make it short enough to fit on one CD.  So Here are some flaws:  Nothing from Wake Ooloo, who I have not even heard yet, and this song by Speed the Plough, which may be the greatest song of all time.  I also left out Crazy Rhythms because if you're reading this we can assume you are already familiar with this.

So, these bands...

It starts with the Feelies led by Glenn Mercer and Bill Million.  After the end of their time with Stiff records they were left unoccupied but with a wonderful home studio where they encountered the Trypes (and Yo La Tengo).  The Trypes were John Baumgartner, Toni Peruta, Marc Francia, and Elbrus Kelemet.  Mercer then joined on production.  Eventually so did Dave Weckermen, Brenda Sauter, and Stanley Demeski.  When the Feelies reunited they took those three with them and the remaining members formed Speed the Plough.  Sauter (and I believe Demeski) came back though.  Sauter also joined Wild Carnation with husband Richard Barnes and drummer Chris O' Donovan - both of whom would be members of Speed the Plough.

Then there is Yung Wu, which was essentially the Feelies plus John Baumgartner, but with Weckerman on vocals/songwriting.  These songs cover about 25 years and all but one is original.  If you ask me this is how music is supposed to sound.  Here is the order I planned if anyone wants it that way...

1.  The Trypes - (From the) Morning Glories

2.  Speed the Plough - River Street

3.  Wild Carnation - The Road to Bielefeld

4.  The Feelies - Waiting

5.  Wild Carnation - The State You're In

6.  Speed the Plough - Love Song

7.  The Feelies - Too Far Gone

8.  Yung Wu - Big Day

9.  Speed the Plough - Cardinal Rules

10.  The Trypes - Belmont Girl Is Mad At Me

11.  The Feelies - On the Roof

12.  Wild Carnation - The Rising Tide

13.  Speed the Plough - The Roof Is Off (The Stars Are There And It's Mighty Cold)

14.  Yung Wu - Aspiration

15.  The Feelies - The Undertow

16.  Wild Carnation - Acid Rain and 'The Big One'

17.  Speed the Plough - Big Bus

18.  The Feelies - Invitation

The Trypes - A Plan, Revised (Demo)

DOWNLOAD

This should increase interest in my dream project which I forgot to mention to John and Toni (nee Peruta) Baumgartner to write the long-overdue story of this music scene tentatively titled We All Live on the Western Side:  The Overlooked Story of New Jersey Indie rock with The Feelies Speed the Plough and Yo La Tengo.  Dreams...

A week or so of live music.

It's been a while, but since completing my already inaccurate album lists I have not been so sure what to do.

I saw a bunch of great shows though, starting with last Saturday which I guess was June 29.  That day it was the 4 Knots music festival.  I did not get there when it began and I did not pay attention to all the artists like the seemingly abrasive Marnie Stern and someone else whose name I cannot recall.  I wanted to sit down at that point.

Parquet Courts, photo by Liam Carroll

I got there just in time for Parquet Courts, who I had been most excited to see since hearing their great track "Stones and Starving."  I was not yet familiar with the entirety of their debut Light Up Gold as I was unable to find a copy until after their set, but the album is both a stoner and New York City classic.  A rare combo, but this was the band destined to make it.  The live set lived up to that.  It started off a bit slow and I was even getting worried they would not live up to that aforementioned song, but in their brief set they quickly turned it around.  They concluded with "Stoned and Starving" which extended to about ten minutes with some awesome noise and some great vocalization from A. Savage.  If you're not hip to this band yet, changed that around, they're something special, both live and on the record and they have a great dynamic.  I was particularly fascinated with their drummer, but they do have one hell of a frontman too, and as you can tell a Thurston Moore type on the other guitar - always a good thing.

Next, the Men played.  That was okay.  I can't say I get the big deal (if there even is one and my favorite aspects of their set were the fact that they described themselves as "pigfuck" on the program and they ended with a cover of  "I Wanna Be your Dog," which was helped by guests on vocals and sax.  As the name implies, it was a bit macho and they had no songs.  At their best I just kept thinking "Parquet Courts did this kind of thing much better."  Afterwards I voiced this and my friends all agreed.

Kurt Vile and the Violators, photo by Tommy Holden

I skipped the next band whose name I still forget, then Kurt Vile began.  He looked great and most of his band looked similar.  I had been wanting to see him since just barely missing him at Big Sur just before he blew up (too early in the morning) and he and his band lived up to just about any expectations you could have.  He rocked out, he droned, made noise, and let his band take a break to play acoustic on his own.  It was all there and of course his band was extremely talented.  I have to admit I am a bit behind on his material, but of what I know he covered a lot of his different sounds from his whole career and it all sounded great to me and the rest of the audience.  It was perfect music for the sun's descent on the New York Harbor, I just wish I had more energy for it because it was pretty powerful.  Vile really knows how to keep a crowd going and his vision and professionalism is unquestionable.  It was a shaking set and I could not have asked for more from the artists.

Then we moved on to Bowery Electric to see Diamond Doves.  Several bands were playing that night, but we only saw two.  First there was No Sky God which was unbelievable (not in a good way.)  The first thing I noticed was that the bass player had 5-strings.  That's one of the worst signs there is.  Also he looked scared.  The frontman looked like Chuckie Finster if All Growed Up was a horror show - so you can imagine the hair... and the glasses... and the mustache...  Their lead guitarist was your typical arrogant lead guitarist that thinks its all about him and he was sort of right as he was the best to listen to, though he had no dynamic... not like that it would have made it better.  The drummer, who apparently was new was wearing a baseball cap that matched his shirt.  He also had a tie and a crash with holes in it.  They had a song called "Homophobia."  If you want to be confused look them up.

Diamond Doves was great though, maybe the best set I saw that day.  They may or not have been missing a member, either way it was one less than usual, but whether or not he is still in the band is unclear.  That gap was filled mostly through heightened integration of electronics coming from both a laptop and their phenomenal drummer's rig.  In fact, if you haven't heard of Nick Kinsey before you should keep your eyes and ears open because he may be the greatest drummer I have ever seen.  This show was also extra special as the long-reclusive Elvis Perkins made his low-profile return with his former bandmates and made this an excellent show that points to some great things int he future for both artists.

The Feelies.  Photo by Alec Signorino.

 Then it was Thursday, July 4.  After a lovely day of swimming in Hoboken and getting on of the best views I could imagine of the Hudson River fireworks we headed to Maxwell's for the first of the three consecutive Feelies shows - their last (supposedly, probably) at the legendary venue.  This, of course, was unbelievable.  There was no opening band, and the quintet opted to do two sets.  They played material from all over their career, including much more from Crazy Rhythms than the first time I saw them.  From that album, you had the title track, "Raisred Eyebrows," "Everybody's Got Something to Hide (Except for Me And My Monkey)," "Moscow Nights," and in one of four encores, "Fa Cé La."  As always, the band looked col and was on fire, especially their rhythm section.  Unfortunately, it was hard to see Dave Weckermen, but he was working as hard as the great Stanley Demeski and as obvious as it is I should mention how amazing "Too Far Gone Was."  They had their guests too with John Baumgartner lending accordion to one track and Glenn Morrow from the Individuals joining them ont eh first encore of cover tunes like "I'm A Believer," and "Real Cool Time" (I think.)  The encores were mostly covers and in addition to the more obvious ones like those mentioned before and"Paint It Black," and they surprised us with "See No Evil" and R.E.M.'s "Shaking Through."  The Feelies continue to be one of the best live bands around and gave their home bas just what it deserved.  They also give us fans what we deserve, materialistically with one of the most impressive merch tables I have ever seen.  You can probably get some lovely items as Feelies coffee mugs and pint glasses somewhere online and should!

The Feelies with the drummer of Gentle Giant.  Photo by Liam Carrol.

Then I went to my final show at Maxwell's just last night, surpassing any live music expectation I had in this life and seeing the Flamin' Groovies.  Unfortunately though, there was an opening band this time.  They were called Daddy Longlegs and they are on Norton records (whose founders were there.) So you can imagine exactly what they are like.  They had good energy but no bass and I had heard it all before.  Their maraca player/drummer was the oldest one and the guitarist looked like Scott Baio as Johnny Thunders.  The singer/harmonica player looked like Ginger Baker.  He could play, I mean they all could, but bands that think that rock died before their parents got pubes aren't really cool.  Show us something new!  It just goes to show that there are two kinds of Groovies fans:  Those who love them because they're from the past and those who love them because they're from the future.  Even when they were brand new in 1967 you could love them because they were like Chuck Berry and Bo Didley or you could love them because they're like Big Star and Television.  Being firmly in the latter I just wanted these clowns off the stage no matter how good they were at playing "good, real" rock and roll and I was ready to get back to my Vampire Weekend and Caravan records.

Flamin' Groovies.  Photo by Liam Carroll

Then the future boys came onstage and all was saved.  While Cyril Jordan may have looked creepy at first in his wig and pedophile glasses he quickly proved himself to still be the koolest guy around and he, Chris Wilson, and a now very Miyagi-looking George Alexander kicked as much ass as possible.  No matter how great of a show they play and even considering that there are only two guitars and no Roy Loney you will always need more Groovies at the end.  So with that said I will admit I really wish they played "Yes It's True" and "Tell Me Again," and a few more covers, especially, "Please Please Me," which had been in my head all day.  They did do some Chuck and "Feel A Whole Lot Better," which was stunning and was the best I could have hoped for with the Byrds sadly gone, and I did not even think this would be possible.  Plus, they did do "Please Please Girl," so what can you demand?  Another early/mid show highlight was "You Tore Me Down" which was a big dream for me along with the maybe even better "I Can't Hide."  Jordan is great onstage and tells all kinds of great stories behind the songs and the other memories around them such as on "First Plane Home" and "Slow Death" and "Shake Some Action" - two of the last, and obviously best songs of their set.  After all the encores the Feelies had done I was hoping for a lot more, but we just got one single-song encore.  It was the best we could have hoped, and then some, especially as Loney-era songs were nowhere to be found (other than Slow Death") when they kicked into "Teenage Head."

Thank God this happened.