Damaged Bug is another side project of Oh Seesfounder John Dwyer. He’s put out a few solo albums (2014’s Hubba Bubba and 2015’s Cold Hot Plumbs) under this moniker by now, and his latest, Bunker Funk, is another solid effort.
The opening din of “Bog Dash” is like an alarm clock waking you up from a great dream in your fourth REM cycle of the night. The guitars sound like someone played them while drunk and stumbling up a stairway, and the drumbeat is crisp as fresh popcorn. The tune, as you can expect from Dwyer, heads straight into psychedelia and “The Cryptologist” follows this path. Dwyer’s lyrics are almost a whispered chant luring us into some dark tomb or hidden city.
“Slay the Priest” is full of throbbing synths mixed with clanging percussion while Dwyer sings about (I think) ritual combat between him and a druid. “Ugly Gamma” reminds me of Flaming Lips tracks with its weird synthesizer sounds and creepy vocals. It’s one of the coolest tracks on the record. I have no idea what a “jummy” is in “Rick’s Jummy.” I don’t even know if “jummy” is a noun or adjective. I do know that the song is a nice, trippy piece of psychedelia. “Our love keeps us alive, everyone else has died,” Dwyer sings. I suppose he’s right, in the grand scheme of things.
“Gimme Tamanthum” is another weird, chant-like track with soaring guitar chords throughout it. “No One Notice the Fly” has a great flute riff throughout it that makes it sound like a 1970’s action TV show theme. The album’s title track is equally funky, especially in the drumbeats and cymbal crashes. “Mood Slime” almost sounds like a warped record as Dwyer sings about a garden spider and a lovely woman who might be leaving him. “Liquid Desert” is appropriately weird for its title and blends rock drums with keyboards that sound like Gary Wilson played them while in a bad mood. “Unmanned Scanner” is the closest Dwyer comes to replicating his work with Thee Oh Sees, as it’s full of loud, jangly, almost chaotic guitars. “The Night Shopper” sends the album out on a mellow note, complete with a long fade out of silence.
This is an intriguing, weird, and trippy record, but you’d expect no less from Mr. Dwyer. I suppose you could funk out to it in a bunker, but I wouldn’t if you were locked in there for a long time. It might freak you out too much.
Keep your mind open.
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British punk legends the Damned have announced winter tour dates for the United Kingdom. They put on a great live show, and catching them in their homeland would be outstanding. Tickets are on sale now for the Evil Spirits tour, so don’t wait to snag some if you’re in the UK or planning a trip there this winter.
The 2017 Desert Daze music festival in Joshua Tree, California is boasting one of the best festival lineups of 2017. This four-day festival of psychedelic and stoner rock is well worth the trip if you don’t live close to the west coast.
OH SEES SHARE “ANIMATED VIOLENCE” OFF UPCOMING ALBUM ORC
CASTLE FACE AUCTIONS OFF HAND-PAINTED TEST PRESSINGS FOR DOWNTOWN WOMEN’S CENTER
ORC OUT AUGUST 25TH ON CASTLE FACE
Today, Oh Sees share one of their heaviest songs yet, the punishing “Animated Violence.” It comes to us off their forthcoming album (their 19th album is 20 years!), Orc, out 8/25 on Castle Face.
Also, Castle Face has listed 14 Dwyer-hand-painted test pressings for auction on eBay, with all the proceeds going to the Downtown Women’s Center in Los Angeles. Castle Face’s co-captain Matt Jones:
We here at Castle Face are committed to making positive change in our community, and the homelessness epidemic in downtown Los Angeles is a tragic and complex issue. Homeless women in particular are an especially vulnerable population and we are happy to help out in any way that we can to assist in permanent solutions for them and our community. This auction features test pressings of the last smattering of John Dwyer’s projects with the label – Coachwhips, Oh Sees, and Damaged Bug are all represented – and feature one of a kind artwork on the jackets by the man himself, rendered in black and glow in the dark ink. BID ON HAND-PAINTED TEST PRESSINGS http://ebay.to/2uOB6Ik
Finally, the band has announced a second show at Warsaw in Brooklyn. Don’t miss to see the greatest live band of the decade as it enters its third decade of existence! LYRICS TO “ANIMATED VIOLENCE”
OLD IS WARRIOR
DRINK THE POISON
I AM WARRIOR
CRUSH YOUR HEAD IN
WHO IS AT THE DOOR
BLASTING LIFE AWAY?
I AM WARRIOR
FEAST ON FAMILY
WHY IS WARRIOR
SWINGING BLUDGEON?
HOW DOES WARRIOR
SWALLOW DYNASTY?
AND WOE IS WARRIOR
CRACKING ARMOR
SWOLLEN BELLY UP
ON DISMAL VISTA
OH SEES TOUR DATES Sat. July 22 – Sun. July 23 – Los Angeles, CA @ FYF Sun. Aug. 6 – Katowice, PL @ OFF Festival Tue. Aug. 8 – Hamburg, DE @ Molotow Thu. Aug. 10 – Oslo, NO @ Oya Festival Fri. Aug. 11 – Gothenburg, DW @ Way Out West Festival Sat. Aug. 12 – Copenhagen, DK @ Pumpehuset Fri. Aug. 18 – Saint Malo, FR @ La Route du Rock Sat. Aug. 19 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival Fri. Sept. 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom Sat. Sept. 2 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar Mon. Sept. 4 – Austin, TX @ Hotel Vegas Outside Tue. Sept. 5 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s Wed. Sept. 6 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse Fri. Sept. 8 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theater Sa. Sept. 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Sun. Sept. 10 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw Wed. Sept. 13 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair Thu. Sept. 14 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe I Le National Fri. Sept. 15 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Theater Sat. Sept. 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom Sun. Sept. 17 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall Tue. Sept. 19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Fri. Sept. 22 – Missoula, MT @ Monk’s Sat. Sept. 23 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s Sun. Sept. 24 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom Mon. Sept. 25 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom Wed. Sept. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall Thur. Sept. 28 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Noisy, subversively catchy and rhythmically sophisticated, Chicago quartet Melkbelly emerge from Chicago’s DIY spaces with their debut album, Nothing Valley, out Oct. 13th on Wax Nine Records, a sister label to Carpark Records headed by Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz.
Melkbelly’s members live and breathe Chicago’s art and music underground where their paths crossed and alliances were forged. Vocalist/guitarist Miranda Winters played solo in folk rock project reddelicious. Brothers Bart and Liam Winters (the tall fellas playing guitar and bass in Melkbelly) ran an influential show space in Chicago. Drawn together by their passion for East Coast noise, particularly the flavor originating from Miranda’s previous homebase of Providence, RI, Miranda and Bart of Coffin Ships recruited James Wetzel, who studied jazz drums in college, from improvisational free-drum/noise duo Ree-Yees. This new group of friends orbiting the loft and art scene, began collaborating on each other’s projects, formalizing in a more guitar-driven quartet Melkbelly in 2014.
Melkbelly’s debut EP Pennsylvania came out that same year. Engineered by Cooper Crain of Cave/Bitchin’ Bajas, the record came easily. The Chicago Reader enthused for single “Doomspringa” with its “noisy guitar freak-outs” and “beautifully melodic verses” and compared Melkbelly, accurately, to a hybrid of the Breeders and Lightning Bolt.
In 2016, the band tested the waters with new material. Inspired by the geography of a West Coast tour, shared band experiences, the van “as a magical place” and failed touristic detours at a meteor crater (it was closed) and Spiral Jetty (not van-friendly), the band gathered material written by Miranda and spawned from recorded jams for its next album. In early 2017, Melkbelly recorded with Dave Vettraino at Chicago’s Public House, writing about half the album in the studio and tracking it to 8-track analog tape. The result is Nothing Valley, organized noise and thoughtful freneticism, a fusion of dreamy vocal lines and cantankerous guitar racket. Today they share the video for “Kid Kreative.” “Kid Kreative is about creating a unique aesthetic in art or music only to have it hijacked and manhandled by someone else who reaps the rewards,” explains Miranda Winters. “It was inspired by existing as a woman in the predominantly male space of loud-music where it’s easy to be both looked over and ‘borrowed’ from.”
Big Audio Dynamite (Dan Donovan – keyboards and vocals, Mick Jones – guitar and vocals, Don Letts – effects and vocals, Greg Roberts – drums and vocals, Leo “E-Zee Kill” Williams – bass and vocals) were a big part of my high school years, and their final album, Megatop Phoenix, was a great way to go out on top. I had it on a mix tape for years, so it was high time I bought a proper copy of it. Recorded not long after Mick Jones nearly died of pneumonia (special thanks are given to his doctors and nurses in the album’s liner notes), the album is a reflection on the band’s history and a look to the future.
“Rewind” is a battle cry to all of us to stay strong in the face of adversity and to never count out the underdog. The kick-in of Williams’ bass after the first verse still gives me chills. It’s a great blend of their raga / post-punk / new wave / electro mix that made them so innovative. “Union, Jack” is Jones, Letts, and Williams’ call to British people to get back up on their feet in the Reagan / Thatcher years that were grinding them down into complacency. It opens with a sample of the British national anthem and then kicks in some of the slickest beats by Roberts. Lyrics like “Now in the classroom I was told about the Empire, how you were bold. A pint of beer, life passes by, your spirit’s squashed just like a fly.” continue to resonate today.
“Contact” is a song about Jones’ inner struggle to express himself to perhaps a lovely lady or even his own band mates. This was B.A.D.’s last album, after all. His guitar has nice heaviness to it when it comes in during the chorus. “Dragon Town” has Jones expressing the band’s wonder at being lost in a Chinatown while looking for an exotic woman.
“Baby, Don’t Apologize” is, on its surface, about Jones telling a lover not to be sorry things didn’t work out because he can’t or won’t change. It’s probably a veiled reference to the end of the band, however. Jones had a life-changing experience with his pneumonia, Don Letts was becoming a producer and DJ, and the other band members were also involved in other projects. Jones was worried about how he might be perceived (“My head is in the stock. It rains refuse, some shout abuse, and others throwing rocks.”), but as he puts it, “What I am is loud and clear for all to see, for all to hear.”
“Around the Girl in 80 Ways” is a straight-up love song from Jones and Letts as they teach how to woo the lady of your choice. They suggest everything from “a bunch of flowers” to playing it cool. “James Brown” was written after the Godfather of Soul was involved in a domestic violence case and a police pursuit that landed him in jail. Jones and Letts tell the story from Brown’s perspective, paying tribute to him and calling him out on his bad behavior at the same time. The beats are wicked, as is the verbal takedown of American celebrity culture (which is just as bad in Britain nowadays).
“Everybody Needs a Holiday” sounds better than ever in this world that has only gotten smaller, busier, and less personal since 1989. “House Arrest” is a tale of partying on Saturday night until six in the morning when the cops show up. It’s a floor-bumper with heavy bass and kick ass drum licks. Letts gets to take lead vocals on it as he sings about “bouncers, bimbos, lager louts” and “cops and dogs in transit vans.”
“The Green Lady” is a clever and slightly bittersweet song (with great guitar work by Jones) about a man who falls in love with a Chinese woman in a mass-produced photograph hanging in his flat. “London Bridge” is about the Americanization of London, but Jones professes his love for his town with catchy hooks. “Stalag 123” is about Jones and crew being stuck in the studio working on a record while the building’s basement is flooded and they have to deal with “no windows, no air, and secondhand gear.”
B.A.D. didn’t sound like anything that came before them, and no one has really matched their mix of genres since. They had a successful reunion tour a few years ago, and we can always hope for another. If not, there’s always their excellent catalog and this fine end to it.
Atlanta, GA trio Omni charged out of the gate in 2016, stunning everyone within earshot with their debut long-player, Deluxe, a dizzyingly refreshing amalgam of wiry post-punk jitters & a dash of zen cool. Multi-task, being released September 22nd via Trouble in Mind, is their latest offering & all signs point to the coveted goal of “next level.” As with Deluxe, Multi-task was recorded with friend & engineer Nathaniel Higgins at his studio as well as a remote cabin in the woods near Vienna, Georgia. “It gave a true peace/piece of mind away from the city” Frobos says, “We could work with no distractions or limitations at our own pace.”
Multi-task is a more musically adventurous step forward for the band, keeping the frantic, fleet-fingered fingerpicking of Broyles’ guitar work & Frobos’ dead-cool delivery while expanding their musical palette & to include whispers of post-Roxy glam & Postcard Records pop. Multi-task balances the band’s trademark off-kilter & unconventional jams with an elegance not found with many of their contemporaries. Their underlying seductive sophistication creates an aura of romance that many post-punk bands dare not tread, and Omni pulls it off with grace & style. Their minimalist funk-fused agit-pop whirrs while simultaneously creating an album that is awash in the excitement of new love, or fleeting attraction. Listen to the first single, “Equestrian,” which the band say is “a song for and about the privileged and self-loathing. It can be unknowingly fun and disgusting at the same time to live in the now. Despicable/Applicable.”
MULTI-TASK TRACKLISTING
1. Southbound Station
2. Equestrian
3. Choke
5. Tuxedo Blues
5. After Dinner
6. Supermoon
8. Date Night
9. Calling Direct
10. Heard My Name
11. Type
OMNI TOUR DATES: Thu. July 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl: Irrelevant Music Fest Wed. July 26 – Nashville, TN @ 5 Spot Thu. July 27 – Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub Fri. July 28 – Madison, WI @ The Terrace: Univ. of Madison Sun. July 29 – Chicago, IL @ The Hideout Thu. Aug. 3 – Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge Fri. Aug. 4 -Birmingham, AL @ Secret Stages Mon. Aug. 7 – Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
Tie. Aug. 8 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop Bar w/ Kevin Krauter / Peter Oren Wed. Aug. 9 – Memphis, TN @ Growler’s Thu. Aug. 31 – Amsterdam, NL @ OT301
Fri. Sep. 1 – Larmar Tree Gardens, UK @ End of the Road Festival Sat. Sep. 2 – Manchester, UK @ Strange Waves Festival Sun. Sep. 3 – Bristol, UK @ Louisiana Mon. Sep. 4 – Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere Tue. Sep. 5 – Toulouse, FR @ Pavilion Sauvage Wed. Sep. 6 – Madrid, ES @ Sirocco Thu. Sep. 7 – Santiago De Compostela, ES @ WOS Fri. Sep. 8 – Barcelona, ES @ Altaveu Sat. Sep. 9 – Marseille, FR @ L’Emeobineuse Mon. Sep. 11 – Basle, CH @ Renee Wed. Sep. 13 – Zurich, CH @ Katakombe @ Sender Thu. Sep. 14 – Bologne, IT @ Freakout Fri. Sep. 15 – Lyon, FR @ Le Sonic Sat. Sep. 16 – Orleans, FR @ Hop Hop Sun. Sep. 17 – Lille, FR @ DIY Mon. Sep. 18 – London, UK @ Moth Club Tue. Sep. 19 – Birmingham, UK @ Hare & Hounds Wed. Sep. 20 – Dublin, IRE @ Whealan’s Thu. Sep. 21– Glasgow, UK @ Hug & Pint Fri. Sep. 22 – Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Psychfest Sat. Sep. 23 – Brighton, UK @ Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar
PRAISE FOR DELUXE
“Atlanta trio Omni is only on their first album, but they’ve already caught that essential combination of steely rigor and fiery energy, ripping out quick gems that exude control without sacrificing guts.” – Pitchfork
“On Atlanta trio Omni’s debut album, Deluxe, nothing was surplus. Every snare, every inquisitive, jagged little guitar line, every melody from Philip Frobos’s throat—it was all essential.” – Noisey
“A modern-day paragon of the infinite possibilities, and rewards, of the post-punk form.” – Aquarium Drunkard
“Channeling the likes of Devo and Pylon, their music is a blissful trip back in time to the arty, danceable rhythms of the new wave movement, but with a rough lo-fi flair.” – Stereogum
Day three of the Pitchfork Music Festivalstarted out a bit chilly as the Windy City was living up to its nickname, but we soon got our sweaty groove on thanks to a great set by Chicago house music legend and pioneer Derrick Carter.
Derrick Carter dropping beats like an Olympic power lifter dropping a barbell.
For those of you who weren’t dancing during his set, please see a doctor because something is wrong with you. He put on a house music clinic. It was a great way to start the day.
We also heard a bit of Colin Stetson‘s set. He plays this wild, droning, hypnotizing saxophone music that is difficult to describe but quite mesmerizing. We had plenty of time before Ride‘s set, so we met up with my college pal and his husband again before heading off to do a little shopping and eating.
Ride put on a good set of shoegaze that was a great switch from all the hip hop, electro, and funk we heard during the festival. Unfortunately, they had a shortened set due to some early technical difficulties, but they played new and old material and blasted all of us with the final song of their set. It was a loud, distorted, fuzzed-out assault. “I needed that,” said one man next to me by the time they were done.
Ride melting faces in a killer finale.
Ride did a signing at the record fair afterwards, and I scored a signed copy of their newest album, Weather Diaries (review coming soon). They were happy to meet everybody, and I’m happy to report they had a long line of fans there.
Mandy caught Jamilla Woods‘ set, which she enjoyed very much, after she’d been moved from the Blue Stage to the Green Stage due to the Avalanchescancelling their performance. According to their Twitter feed, a family member one of the band members had some sort of dire medical emergency. My college pal came to the festival mainly to see them, so he was more than annoyed they weren’t playing. He and his husband learned via a Google search that the Avalanches are about as finicky as Morrissey when it comes to performing.
Thankfully, Nicolas Jaarput on an excellent set of his experimental electro / trance music that was both psychedelic and dance-inspiring at the same time. At about the halfway point of his set, a guy in front of me turned to his friends and said, “This is the best set I’ve seen all weekend.” and then left.
Chilean DJ Nicolas Jaar creating intricate beats on the fly.
We split after that, beating the crowds and stopping to meet artist Jay Ryan so we could get one of his posters. He does really neat and cute art for a lot of bands and other projects. We already had a Bob Mould tour poster of his hanging in our living room, and now Mandy has a “It’s Time to Read” poster that will go in her office featuring bears, cats, and a wooly mammoth reading books.
I walked out with a new pair of sunglasses and CD’s by Screaming Females, Vacation, Waxahatchee, Tycho, Priests, Slowdive, She-Devils, Ride, and Wavves, and even a cassette by a band called Diagonal. I’ll have reviews of all this stuff in the coming months.
All in all, the Pitchfork Music Festival was a good time. We’d go back if the lineup was good and we could stay close to the festival. As it’s been for the last few festivals I’ve attended, VIP tickets don’t look worth the money. It’s not as laid back as a Levitation festival, but still fun. It also could’ve used a little more rock, in my opinion, but it was worth the trip.
Keep your mind open.
That’s my pal, Chris, on the far right and his husband, Darin, on the far left. Chris and I hadn’t seen each other since 1993.
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Alt-rock legends Jane’s Addiction recently announced they’ll release a live version of their classic album Ritual De Lo Habitual on August 25, 2017. This was recorded on their 2016 tour and features all the original members of the band. They play the album in its entirety and include four encore tracks (“Mountain Song,” “Just Because,” “Ted, Just Admit It,” and, of course, “Jane Says”).
The album will be available for download (for a mere nine bucks) and on red or blue vinyl. Get it while it’s hot.
I must admit that the Pitchfork Music Festivalcrams a lot of stuff into a small park. I’m used to larger spaces like Levitation Austin, but Pitchfork gets a lot of bang for its buck at Chicago’s Union Park.
Speaking of cramming, the lines to get in were long, but moved well when my wife and I got to the festival close to 2:00. By the end of the day, we were hearing stories of the line to get in wrapping around the block and going the whole length of the park. One friend posted on Facebook that it was almost as bad as getting into the massive Star Wars Celebration convention.
Once inside, I was surprised to see how close two of the stages are to each other. The Red and Green Stages are almost a stone’s throw apart. Mandy and I wondered how noisy it was going to be with the bands playing on each stage, but the Pitchfork programmers wisely schedule the bands so that none are playing on the Red and Green stages at the same time.
We missed Madame Gandhi‘s set, unfortunately, but arrived in time to see Priests.
Priests
They played a set that proved post-punk is alive and well and had a fun time. I later picked up their first record at a record fair located on the park’s tennis courts. We had plenty of time to wander after their set and that’s when we discovered not only the record fair, but also a print and poster fair, a book fair, a craft fair, and plenty of food vendors. I walked out of the record fair with not only that CD by Priest, but also CD’s by Waxahatchee, Screaming Females, and Vacation. I might go back for a Chicago Cubs World Series Champions poster and a cute one of animals reading books.
We wandered to the Red Stage to catch the Thurston Moore Group, who put down a loud punk / noise rock set with hammering guitar solos and thunderous bass. Moore told a funny story about Henry Rollins’ too during the set, so that was a treat.
Thurston Moore Group
We went straight back to the Green Stage to catch Danny Brown, who came out to Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” He quickly got the crowd jumping with his crazy rhymes and booming beats. Water and water bottles were flying in every direction from a mosh pit that broke out in front of the stage. There was a lot of call and response stuff between Brown and the crowd, who I’m happy to say looked sharp and healthy (check out his lyrics if you’re wondering why I was concerned).
We stayed in our spot for about an hour to wait for LCD Soundsystem, who got a big cheer just from raising the biggest mirror ball I’ve ever seen above their set.
The crowd kept building as their 8:10 start time grew closer. It was so packed at one point that I had difficulty raising my arms to get this photo.
I’m glad I’m not claustrophobic. That’s the Red Stage behind us, and this is just half the crowd for LCD Soundsystem. Mandy’s checking her phone to my left.
LCD Soundsystem started their set ten minutes early, bringing seemingly enough people for an Earth, Wind, and Fire tribute band with them. They burst out of the gate hard and fast, and the crowd seemed to release energy it had been storing all day. Their big hit “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” was the second song of the set, so they didn’t waste time.
How it looks when Daft Punk is playing at your house.
A mosh pit broke out next to us at one point, and this aging punk rocker had to get into it and show these young hipsters how its done. Other highlights included “Trials and Tribulations,” a lovely and loud version of “New York I Love You, but You’re Bringing Me Down,” and “You Wanted a Hit.”
LCD Soundsystem won’t be your babies anymore.
I warned Mandy as they started “Dance Yrself Clean.” “This whole place is going to go ape shit,” I said. She had no idea what I meant and thought the entire crowd was going to break into a mosh pit. She was pleasantly surprised when instead we all pogoed when the song kicks into full gear. It’s as great as you can imagine.
Dancing ourselves clean with LCD Soundsystem.
They closed with a wild rendition of “All My Friends.” It was well worth the waits (the hour before their set, and a few years since they called it quits) to see them. I had been bummed that I missed them when they were first on the scene, so their set at Pitchfork was my main reason for buying weekend passes. They didn’t disappoint, and lead singer James Murphy performed with a bad back and keyboardist Nancy Wong with a bum knee – although neither showed much signs of impairment (Murphy stretched at one point, and Wong would sometimes take his arm to walk from one spot on stage to another).
This is how you end a set. Stay home if you can’t bring this kind of energy.
Getting out of the festival was a big harder than getting in since the main entrance and exit isn’t huge. We plan to look for a VIP exit tonight. On the way out, a young man behind said to his friends, “Mosh pits were fun when I was a sophomore three years ago. Now, I’m not so sure.” The old punk rocker in me wanted to give him a backwards elbow shot to the face and say, “I’m getting into pits at twice your age!”
