Like a modern-day Hawkwind, Mondo Drag fall from the cosmos with the spaced-out 60's psychedelia of the title track. It's the sound of UFO's visiting an outdoor rock concert with an audience of stoned bikers and damaged post-Pink Floyd space travelers. That is to say, it's great! Moving on from there, "Love Me (Like A Stranger)" dares to meld Black Sabbath with early Syd-era Floyd, to wondrously lysergic sludge-rock effect. "Come Through" is on a similar flight path as the Brian Jonestown Massacre, with it's laid-back blissed-out vibe. "Serpent Shake" revs it up with a driving riff mantra. These are the true children of the bong, and "New Rituals" is a powerhouse stoner-rock album that reaches back to the past and brings it back to the future, bleary-eyed and on a whole different kinda trip. (Alive Natural Sound)
The debut album of Italy's Overmaster examines the absurdity and ramifications of armed conflicts across the world, using a musical template rivaling the classic German metal outfits of the 80's. Most striking are Gus Gabarro's power metal vocals, which remind me slightly of a heavier (but less operatic) Bruce Dickinson (not a bad thing). Precision riffage, a tight rhythm section, and perfect production make the stunning "Marble King" an early highlight. "Spartan Warriors" is even more intense, showing elements of thrash alongside the band's ultimately melodic metal attack. As veterans of power metal bands like White Skull, these guys aren't new to the scene, and that professionalism shows brightly here. With few concessions to modern metal trends, Overmaster's powerful and dramatic sound harkens back to the days of yore, where leather-clad warriors ruled (but forgive the guys' cheesy promo pix). Superb old-school metal to pump fists and nod heads to. (Cruz Del Sur Music)
Frank Zappa's comprehensive knowledge of musics both scholarly and street-level was rather impressive (to say the least), as this unauthorized look at the man's influences covers basically what amounts to a history of 20th century musics. So, in effect, this DVD is, in itself, a good history lesson.
From the early modern classical and avante-classical inspirations of Edgard Varese and Stravinsky to doo-wop, early blues, r&b, and along the path to free jazz and fusion, Zappa always had his fingers on the heart of sound itself. The man was literally one of the century's greatest artistic minds, and when he left this mortal coil in 1993, he left a legacy of always-smart, often silly, and sometimes outright weird recordings, many of which attest to the genre-bending capabilities of Zappa himself. He brought in a number of since-became-legendary musicians (George Duke, Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio, and others) to realize his projects. Some of these players, peers, writers, and Zappa fans are allowed their say here, and it comes together rather well. "The Freak-Out List" isn't only for avowed Zappa fans...it will make non-fans curious to hear more of this man's seminal works. Now I need to track down "Weasels Ripped My Flesh"... (Sexy Intellectual via MVD Visual)
Ah, two subjects dear to me team up for this curious little short film...(good) music and (good) beer. Director Ryan Collerd presents this curious and humorous short film for famous Delaware-based craft brewery Dogfish Head. Louisville's own Will Oldham (of Bonnie "Prince" Billy fame) stars with Dogfish owner Sam Calagione in this tongue-in-cheek look at the future of corporate beer...check it out.
If you don't know who Henry Rollins is, I probably don't want to speak with you at all. Sorry, but that's the truth. Usually, I'd feel obliged to do a brief synopsis of Henry's career, but not here. I'm here for a different reason -- to promote his radio program on KCRW, a listener-funded public radio station based out of Santa Monica College in Los Angeles, CA.
Henry's 2-hour weekly radio show (titled "Harmony In My Head") is where he and trusty Engineer X spin tales and tunes from the wildest out-jazz (Coltrane is especially well-represented) to classic punk rock to the finest Sublime Frequencies international sounds to Parliament and James Brown funk to the greatest pre- and post-punk like Wire, SWANS, Cramps, Suicide, Stooges, and tons more. It's a breathtaking mix of styles, genres, and vibes, and essential listening to anyone with an open mind and ear. Actual podcasts of this show aren't really available from the source, but luckily there is a fan-based site to archive and make these broadcasts available for download for those of us not able to listen live.
Rollins' radio shows run 2 hours apiece, and can be downloaded for free from this site:
Wow. I have been a huge fan of Henenlotter's 1982 exploitation/horror gem "Basket Case", and to a lesser degree his fairly sicko "Brain Damage" of 1988. But his return after a 16-year absence, modestly titled "Bad Biology", takes his low-budget trash cinema aesthetic a couple of steps further. Not sure exactly how to describe this one, so here goes.
We meet Jennifer, played by Charlee Danielson, who is a young art photographer with a terribly tragic past. See, she was born with a proliferation of clitorises, and her need for sexual fulfillment is well beyond that of normal women. She is a walking orgasm machine, without a solid relationship to call her own. If this reminds slightly of the legendary "Deep Throat", it's not too far a stretch. Anyway, Jennifer is a sort of sexual predator herself, with some other dark secrets that I won't get into.
Through a series of predicaments, she comes across (uhh...) a fellow named Batz (Anthony Sneed) who has a problem of his own. His penis is an enlarged, deformed beast with a will (and mind) of it's own (with an inhuman drug problem), and he cannot find meaningful relations with anyone due to this deformity. So go figure - the two meet, but just as Jennifer is dreaming of fulfillment, and ready to pounce, Batz' cock decides to leave. Yes, it inchworms itself around, terrorizing young ladies (also known as porn stars, if you must know) until the drugs wear off. It's really quite raunchy, but good, tasteless fun overall. I won't spoil anything else, but suffice to say it's quite a climax. Hah!
The acting here is sometimes crappy (as is the script), but hey, this one titillates (and there are plenty of tits). The soundtrack, consisting of quality forward-thinking hip-hop tunes from Prince Paul (and others) is superb. Recommended for the trashiest film fans only (like me). Prudes and purists need not apply for this one!
Filmed back in 1978 during the heyday of New York's lower East side art scene, this film starred a young Richard Hell as Billy, a struggling musician who becomes entangled with a beautiful (but slightly crazy) French journalist named Nada, (played by a rather wooden Carole Bouquet). Their relationship is volatile and rather obtuse, with several side-stories attached to both characters that don't make sense or contribute to the overall "plot". Nonetheless, as a time capsule of an amazingly creative time and place, this well-filmed document is a must for fans lamenting the loss of the influential 70's-80's NY arts scene and CBGB's (which is featured prominently in "Blank Generation"). As well, several performances by Richard Hell and the Voidoids are quite worthwhile, although the same couple of songs are repeated throughout ad nauseam. A neat cameo by Andy Warhol himself also adds a certain name value here, though he doesnt play an essential role. And if the dialogue isn't quite ideal (or emotive), the movie is still enjoyable enough. Hell himself provides a 45-minute interview looking back at his (self-professed) embarrassing screen debut. Sure, it's a flawed film for certain, but I"ve seen a whole lot worse. (MVD Visual)
Like a modern-day Hawkwind, Mondo Drag fall from the cosmos with the spaced-out 60's psychedelia of the title track. It's the sound of UFO's visiting an outdoor rock concert with an audience of stoned bikers and damaged post-Pink Floyd space travelers. That is to say, it's great! Moving on from there, "Love Me (Like A Stranger)" dares to meld Black Sabbath with early Syd-era Floyd, to wondrously lysergic sludge-rock effect. "Come Through" is on a similar flight path as the Brian Jonestown Massacre, with it's laid-back blissed-out vibe. "Serpent Shake" revs it up with a driving riff mantra. These are the true children of the bong, and "New Rituals" is a powerhouse stoner-rock album that reaches back to the past and brings it back to the future, bleary-eyed and on a whole different kinda trip. (Alive Natural Sound)
