Check out Peter & Craig performing "Muckraker" at Drome. Yep, that's Cheetah on the left. |
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Happy 106th Birthday Viola Smith!
Warehouse find: sealed original Walias Band LPs from 1981
Someone just scored a stash of this Ethiopian gem cut by Hailu Mergia, Girma Bèyènè & Mahmoud Ahmed. Mr. Bongo is selling copies right here. |
Townes Van Zandt vs. The Walkabouts
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Midweek Mixdown: Ernesto Chahoud
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Happy Birthday Les Blank!
Elizabeth Shepherd debuts "Suits & Ties" from her Montréal project
"Suits & Ties" is off songwriter/pianist Elizabeth Shepherd's ambitious Montréal recording and book project. |
Writes Elizabeth Shepherd...
"Five years ago, I set out to interview people - complete strangers that I met on the street, at the market, in the subway - you name it. I asked them to tell me something about their story, their Montreal. I collected all kinds of tales - some humorous, some tragic, some outright bizarre. I then sifted through the interviews and narrowed them down to 11, which I then turned into songs. The bulk are in French, and some are in English. Each song tells someone's story, and refers to a specific location in Montreal. From there, the project exploded; I realized that I could place each of these locations that I was singing about on a map, and that they were all within walking distance of each other. I decided to create a 50-minute walk that, in the time it takes to listen to all 11 songs, would also physically take the listener through each of the places the songs were about - so people can actually walk the album, so to speak."
For those who can't be in Montreal, the 4-time JUNO nominee teamed up with filmmaker Stefan Verna to create what Stefan calls a "visual album" which will be projected behind the band as they play.
While Elizabeth's book about the project comes out with the vinyl release on Feb 8, the Montreal album is available digitally right now. The project charts an informal oral history of the city, focusing on stories that have been largely left out of the official narrative, like the history of jazz and the achievements of Montreal's black community, the gay rights movement which was pioneering in Canada, and much more. Watch the "Suits & Ties" video following the list of Elizabeth's upcoming shows.
Tour dates
November 28: Penticton, BC - The Dream Café
November 29: Canmore, AB - Artsplace
November 30: Calgary, AB - Lolita's
December 1: Saskatoon, SK - The Bassment
February 2: Val-David, QC - Église de Val-David
February 8: Toronto, ON - The Music Gallery: CD, LP and BOOK LAUNCH
February 9: Montreal, QC – Le Ministere CD, LP and BOOK LAUNCH
February 20: Quebec City, QC - TBA
March 7: Cranbrook, BC – Auntie Barb’s
March 8: Kaslo, BC – Langham Theatre
March 9: Vernon, BC – The Vernon Jazz Club
Khruangbin @ Danforth Music Hall, Thursday
Monday, November 26, 2018
The Courtneys opening for Cloud Nothings @ The Opera House, Tuesday
The Courtneys are ready for the snow as you'll see in their new video for "Minnesota" off their II album for Flying Nun. |
Third Man reissues A-Square comp of Ann Arbor garage gems
Alex Palao's rippin' A-Square (Of Course) comp featuring MC5's original Looking At You and Half-Life's Get Down has been re-released as a 2LP set. |
A1: Look What You're Doing (To Me Baby) - The Rationals
A2: Get The Picture - The Scot Richard Case
A3: Love To Love - The Thyme
A4: I Need You - The Rationals
A5: Listen My Girl - The Bossmen
A6: Stranded In The Jungle - The Apostles
A7: Someday - The Rationals
B1: I'm A Man - The Prime Movers
B2: Midnight To Six Man - The Scot Richard Case
B3: Leaving Here - The Rationals
B4: Easy Way Out - The Bossmen
B5: Tired Of Waiting For You - The Apostles
B6: Who Is That Girl - The Scot Richard Case
B7: Time Of The Season - The Thyme
C1: Looking At You - The MC5
C2: Can't Find The Key - Stoney & The Jagged Edge
C3: Somehow - The Thyme
C4: I'm So Glad - The Scot Richard Case
C5: I Need You - The Rationals
D1: Rainbows - Stoney & The Jagged Edge
D2: Get Down - Half-Life
D3: Borderline - The MC5
D4: Just Like An Aborigine - The Up
D5: Mystery Man - Dick Wagner & The Frost
Sunday, November 25, 2018
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Deluxe reissue of David Axelrod's Earth Rot out now
Now-Again's 2LP gatefold version of Earth Rot includes a bonus album of instrumentals. Watch the promo clip below. |
1970’s Earth Rot, the final album in David Axelrod’s Capitol Trilogy, and the first of his solo releases to incorporate choral vocals, set the visionary composer/arranger/produer up for his final stage as an architect of jazz fusion and ensured that his productions would help future architects of hip hop.
Gatefold 2LP contains bonus second album with Earth Rot’s instrumentals, never before released.
This is the third Now-Again issue in a series of reissues centered around Axelrod’s Capitol Trilogy in 2018 – Song of Innocence saw release in April, and Songs of Experience was released in July.
Audiophile reissue, lacquered directly from Axelrod’s original master tapes at Capitol Records by Ron McMaster.
Contains oversized, 28 page booklet that delves into Axelrod’s incredible life and music, replete with never before published photos and an interview with Axelrod by Eothen Alapatt and Waxpoetic’s Brian Digenti. Watch the fascinating interview (below) with David's son Michael who bears a striking resemblance to his father.
Get a complete listing of RSD Black Friday releases in PDF form right here.
That time Dance Stand filmed at The Danceteria
Friday, November 23, 2018
UIC reissues their two classic garage albums via Warner Music Canada
UIC's first two corkers, Our Garage ('86) and Live / Like Ninety ('88) are out now on vinyl and digitally on all platforms! |
Warner Music Canada in conjunction with Like 90 Records have just released two Canadian garage-punk classic albums – Our Garage and Live / Like Ninety – from Exeter, Ontario’s UIC. Originally issued in the 1980’s, both albums are now available on all streaming services for the first time as well as being re-issued on CD and vinyl. The band will celebrate the re-release of the records with a show at This Ain’t Hollywood in Hamilton on Saturday (November 24).
Originally formed in 1982 in a basement in Exeter, Ontario, UIC took it’s influences from Detroit radio where The Stooges, MC5 and Alice Cooper dominated the airwaves. The original line-up – Fred “Slack” Robinson, Dave “Smokin” Robinson, Murray Heywood, Ted Triebner and Dan Preszcator – took their name from the Unemployment Insurance Commission (since rebranded Employment Insurance).
After a few years of playing shows in the London area, the band moved to Toronto and became regulars on the bill at the Siboney, the Rivoli, the Horseshoe Tavern and Lee’s Palace, playing alongside the likes of The Gruesomes, Teenage Head and Deja Voodoo.
Our Garage
The band’s debut, Our Garage, was released in 1986 and has been re-mastered for this reissue. To quote Little Steven, “Garage rock/punk is white kids trying to play rhythm & blues and failing wonderfully.” Whether you were from Canada, the UK, Japan, the US or Europe, if you were listening to garage punk, you likely remember UIC. The opening track, “Our Garage,” is an anthem proudly declaring the band’s influences. The band shows their Canadian roots with tracks “Shamrock Bang” and “Crop Dustin” while the fan favourite “I’m Alive” serves up garage rock ‘n’ roll smashed together with rhythm and blues. Buy/download/stream Our Garage right here.
OUR GARAGE tracklisting
Our Garage
Shamrock Sin
Shamrock Bang
Bomb Boys
Blood
Nashville Dreamin'
All Together Now
You Drive Mad
I’m Alive
Cure The War
Crop Dustin
Live / Like Ninety
Recorded live at a sold-out Lee’s Palace show on November 4th 1988, Live / Like Ninety is arguably the best UIC album released to date if only because no studio could ever capture the explosive sound of the band live. The album documents the band’s full-speed-madness where they literally played until the tape ran out – you can actually hear the tape slip through the tape machine for the last time and continue snapping around the reel. Live / Like Ninety was voted by NOW Magazine as one of the most influential Toronto albums of the 80’s. The album has been re-mixed and re-mastered for this reissue. Buy/download/stream Live / Like Ninety right here.
LIVE / LIKE NINETY tracklisting
Ignoramus
Outta Hand
Altogether Now
Lockjaw Bay
Get Red
Green Lady
Livin' In The Past
Mystery Train
New Race
Bomb Boys
Stations Fading
By the time of disbanding in 1995, UIC had released three full length albums (a fourth ,The Wiseman Sessions, was lost for almost 20 years when the tapes were finally recovered, mixed and released). Over the next few years band members pursued various musical paths and in 1999 four of the five band members joined forces as The Chickens. By 2006, they all went their separate ways.
Flash forward to 2016. UIC, joined by guitarist Dave Dysart, reunite to headline an Oshawa benefit in memory of local rock & roll promoter and Star records founder Mike Shulga. Spurred on by Dysart’s enthusiasm, the band marked the 30th anniversary of Our Garage by playing their first Toronto show in 20 years. The success of those shows inspired a new sense of creativity who have since re-entered the studio to record new material to be released on their own Like 90 Records.
Bringing it all full-circle, UIC, (with bassist Andy Hauber), were able to join the Toronto bill of MC50, the 50th anniversary tour of Kick Out The Jams, the MC5 album that was such a huge influence on the band in the first place.
Connect with UIC
https://uiccanada.bandcamp.com
www.uiccanada.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/74952020082/
https://soundcloud.com/uiccanada
https://www.reverbnation.com/uic7
https://www.instagram.com/uic_the_band/
Something Weird this way comes on Black Friday
Modern Harmonic dives deep into Something Weird's vault of cult film soundtrack madness for a boffo 2LP set. |
Something Weird Video was founded in 1990 by Mike Vraney in Seattle, Washington. He was inspired by his teenage job as a theater projectionist. His love for the obscure films that never made it to video prompted him to transfer hundreds of ancient reels of film to VHS and DVD. Although Mike passed away from lung cancer back in 2014, his partner, visual artist Lisa Petrucci now runs Something Weird Video (see clip below) which still specializes in bizarre low-budget exploito films of the '30s through the '70s. Iconic purveyors of the lost and the strange, Something Weird Video have partnered with Modern Harmonic to bring you Something Weird: Greatest Hits – 2LPs of the greatest songs and soundbites from their voluminous catalog of filth and general grindhouse fodder.
After the Art Zone feature clip on Something Weird Video's Lisa Petrucci, check out the Something Weird: Greatest Hits promo trailer featuring Lee Dowell's "Black Belt" from the 1966 classic Teenage Gang Debs followed by Joe Bisko's "Beware Of The 4-D Witch"
Something Weird – Greatest Hits!
A1. The Hell Raisers – The Syd Dale Orchestra A2. Mamma A Go-Go – Perez Prado A3. The Bird Is The Word – Rocky Roberts and the Airedales A4. Hot Blooded Woman – Whit Boyd A5. Don’t Make Me Mad – Lee Dowell A6. The Wild Scene – The Penny Arcade A7. Put The Clock Back On The Wall – The E-Types A8. Is It On - Is It Off – The Bit’ A Sweet A9. The Right Kind – The Jaybirds
B1. Beware Of The 4-D Witch – Joe Bisko / Attila Galamb B2. The Action Scene – Alan Hawkshaw B3. A Sweet Sickness – Raul and the Revelations B4. It’s A Revolution Mother – Mandarin Gate with Chris Martell B5. Soorangi – Jim Hughes B6. Bummer – The Group B7. Musical Mutiny Trailer B8. Different Now – The Love Generation
C1. Swinging City (Mood Three) – John Barry and His Orchestra C2. Johnny’s Dive – Robert Farnon C3. Strip Blues – Bob Freedman and His Orchestra C4. Jane Bond Theme – Johnny Hawksworth C5. Mood One – John Barry and His Orchestra C6. A Taste Of Flesh Opening Credit Theme C7. Hot Blooded Woman Incidental Music – The Tony Harrison Trio C8. My Brother’s Wife Opening Credit Theme C9. Easy Macumba – Armando Sciascia C10. Hot Thrills Warm Chills Opening Credit Theme
D1. Shanty Tramp – Betty Dickson D2. Yipes Stripes – The Huntington Astronauts D3. Speed Lovers – Billy Lee Riley D4. (Be A) Black Belt – Lee Dowell D5. The Ladybirds – At The Blue Bunny D6. I Want A Woman – Tony & et Cetra D7. Love Cool – John Gabriel D8. Love Goddess – Neil Patrick D9. The Female Of The Species – Meg Myles
Happy Birthday Pat Patrick
One For The Weekend: Method Man & DJ Nu-Mark
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Radio Birdman rockumentary screens at Duggan's Basement, Friday
The fab Radio Birdman film Descent Into The Maelstrom makes it's T.O. premiere Friday at 8:30pm with director Jonathan Sequeira present. |
Listen to director Jonathan Sequeira discuss his Radio Birdman doc with Lou Molinario on CFMU after some Deniz Tek tunes right here. |
Before They Were Famous: Brian Ahern
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Cleveland's Boddie Records stars in new Chuck D video
Chuck D's "The Ignorant Celebration" is off MistaChuck: Celebration of Ignorance, a salute to independence. |
Writes Chuck D...
I’m locked in a certain era. So what? It feels good. I over-stand that styles change but the sound remains. Although I support the entire journey of Hip Hop from 1973 up to this very minute, the breath of fresh air I enjoy is the freedom of creating songs with no time constraint.
Get a copy of Chuck's new disc right here |
He continues to spit further into the album where the next song BOT is the current the battle of machines and human beings. Cavemanic totally can talk to the MeToo Movement where testosterone is truly a test. MutterERT speaks on world climate crime, Blacknificent on greatness, freedBLACK on independence. The visuals are soon to be seen alongside added voice and mind of these songs.
Ain't No is a skull to skull defying get down needed with the aggressive defense against these times. Put together by my co-Prophets of Rage partner I call the hardest groove Bassist in Rock, Timmy Commerford, and his Wakrat partners Mathias Wakrat & Laurent Grangeon, I'm honored to have this song on this record. It was a ball watching them overnight on the 2016 Make America Rage Again Tour. They are something to see. sPEak On It! was a redo-extension of the song sPEak! from the PE Album Nothing is Quick In The Desert which is to be released with additions in 2019.
Lastly, I’m locked in the total era of Rap music and Hip Hops 50 years, but I dig my lane: Boom Bap, Boom Style, Boom Voice. You can tell that by the simple fact that our records stand the test of time without deferring to the trends of relevance. Enjoy Celebration of Ignorance and catch me 2019 on the road with Enemy Radio, Public Enemy, and Prophets of Rage, hopefully, maybe, doing these songs.
Chuck D
Public Enemy/Prophets Of Rage
RRHOF 2013
Twitter: @MrChuckD
Midweek Mixdown: Nicola Conte & Cloud Danko
Here's another stellar selection of vintage spiritual jazz from Nicola Conte & Cloud Danko. |
Tracklist:
Intro - The Voyage
Horace Tapscott With The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra - Desert Fairy Princess
Uele Kalabubu Et Sa Tribu - Tara Din Din
The Yoruba Singers - Ojinga's Own
Anthony 'Reebop' Kwaku Bah - 200 To 500 Years Ago
Smahila & The S.B.'s - African Movement
Spirit Konekson - Kini Hewu
Abeti - Bibile
Hedzoleh Soundz - Tsui Sitoo (Patience)
Archie Shepp - Song For Mozambique / Poem: A Sea Of Faces
La Mont Zeno Theatre feat. Masequa Myers - Black Land Of The Nile
Kuumba-Toudie Heath - Kamili
McCoy Tyner - Asante
Intro - The Voyage
Horace Tapscott With The Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra - Desert Fairy Princess
Uele Kalabubu Et Sa Tribu - Tara Din Din
The Yoruba Singers - Ojinga's Own
Anthony 'Reebop' Kwaku Bah - 200 To 500 Years Ago
Smahila & The S.B.'s - African Movement
Spirit Konekson - Kini Hewu
Abeti - Bibile
Hedzoleh Soundz - Tsui Sitoo (Patience)
Archie Shepp - Song For Mozambique / Poem: A Sea Of Faces
La Mont Zeno Theatre feat. Masequa Myers - Black Land Of The Nile
Kuumba-Toudie Heath - Kamili
McCoy Tyner - Asante
Listen via Mixcloud right here.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
R.I.P. Hawaiian slack-key guitarist Cyril Pahinui, 1950-2018
Cyril died Saturday from complications due to exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. He was 68. |
LINKS
NPR Cyril Pahinui, Crown Prince of Hawaiian Slack-Key Guitar Dies at 68
The Maui News Award-Winning Hawaii slack-key virtuoso Cyril Pahinui dies at 68
Selcuk Suna @ Drom Taberna, Wednesday
Monday, November 19, 2018
Nicole Atkins turns "November Rain" into classic country duet with Mark Lanegan
Hairy Who? 1966-1969 @ Art Institute of Chicago to January 6
The Hairy Who's Karl Wirsum, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, Suellen Rocca and Jim Nutt were Chicago's best and brightest of the late 60s. |
Here's the scoop:
Karl Wirsum's Screamin' Jay Hawkins (1968). |
As the Hairy Who, Jim Falconer, Art Green, Gladys Nilsson, Jim Nutt, Suellen Rocca, and Karl Wirsum—all recent graduates of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—began mounting unconventional displays of bright, bold graphic work at the Hyde Park Art Center on the city’s South Side. Over a period of four years, they transformed the art landscape of Chicago, injecting their new and unique voices into the city’s rising national and international profile. The Art Institute is proud to organize this first-ever major survey exhibition dedicated solely to the groundbreaking exhibition group.
Like all Americans of their generation, the young Chicagoans of the Hairy Who came of age during a period of national upheaval that witnessed the escalation of the war in Vietnam, assassinations of political figures, student protests, a rising counterculture, tumultuous racial and gender relations, and the expansion of a capitalist consumer economy.
Their work—vividly unbridled yet also formally refined—embodied irreverence and youthful fearlessness. Between 1966 and 1969, they staged six uninhibited and informal exhibitions—three in Chicago and one each in San Francisco, New York, and Washington, DC.
Although the Hairy Who chose to exhibit together, they were six individuals with their own personal, chiefly figurative vocabularies. They each radically manipulated source material collected from everyday life—including advertisements, comics, posters, and sales catalogs—with technical virtuosity. Their sense of humor embraced idiosyncrasy and spontaneity with wordplay, puns, and inside jokes that often belied the transgressiveness of their subject matter. Ambiguous, provocative, but also strategic, their work transmitted progressive ideas that challenged prevailing notions of gender and sexuality, social mores and standards of beauty, and nostalgia and obsolescence.
This comprehensive exhibition and accompanying publication—presented on the 50th anniversary of the group’s final Chicago show—features approximately 225 works assembled from public and private collections, together with key works drawn from the Art Institute’s collection, and includes large-scale paintings, sculpture, and works on paper as well as archival ephemera that contextualize the artists’ creative processes and working methods.
Hairy Who? 1966-1969 continues at the Art Institute of Chicago (111 South Michigan Ave) through January 6, 2019. Open daily 10:30-5:00 and Thursdays to 8:00pm. Watch the exhibition promo clip below and a panel discussion about The Collected Hairy Who Publications 1966-69 right here.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Whaddya mean you don't know Henri Texier
Mr. Bongo has thoughtfully reissued Henri Texier's classic Varech album on vinyl so you can enjoy "Les Là-bas" |
Official re-issue of the insanely good 'Varech' album by French bass player Henri Texier, which was originally released on the Eurodisc label in 1977. Includes the awesome 'Les Là-bas' (listen below) famously remixed by Bonobo for Ninja Tune.
Henri Texier – Varech
A1. Les "Là-bas" / A2. Quand Le Blues S'en Ira / A3. L'éléphant / A4. Terre-Basse /
B1. Varech / B2. Mr Donald Cerise / B3. Angèle / B4. L'écluse / B5. L'ultime Danse
New British jazz anthology documents Soho Scene '59-'60
Soho Scene '59-'60: Jazz Goes Mod
This 4CD set (w/ 24 page booklet) pits Britain's finest jazz tracks of 1959-1960 up against the very best music coming out of the States at the same time, showing that British modernists could at last stand tall among jazz music's giants. Out November 30 on CD with vinyl version slated for 2019. Check out Wilton "Bogey" Gaynair's "Wilton's Mood," Joe Harriott's version of "Señor Blues" and The Jazz Couriers' swingin' "In Salah" below.
Track listing:
Disc 1: British Jazz 1959
Wilton Gaynair - Wilton's Mood, Eddie Thompson Trio - Mine Still, London Jazz Quartet - London Lament, Jack Parnell & His Orchestra - The Golden Striker, Tommy Watt Quartet - Embargo On Escargot, Joe Harriott Quintet - Señor Blues, Vic Lewis & His All Stars - Beaulieu Blues, The Jazzmakers - The Real Funky Blues, Tommy Whittle Quintet - New Horizons, Dizzy Reece & The Jazz Couriers - Blues In Trinity, Pete Pitterson Quintet - The Willow, Stan Tracey - We'll Call You, Johnny Dankworth Orchestra - Dauphine Blues, Jazz Inc - Jamba, Vic Ash Quintet - Cobwebs, The Jazz Couriers - In Salah, Tubby Hayes Quartet - Blue Hayes, Kenny Baker - Too Cool For The Blues, The M.J.6 - Tracy's Theme…
Disc 2: Jazz USA 1959
Art Blakey & The Afro Cuban Boys - No Hay Problema, Harold Land All Stars - Blowin' The Blues, Barney Kessel - Night Cry, The Mastersounds - Golden Earrings, Charlie Mingus - Boogie Stop Shuffle, Horace Silver - Sister Sadie, Jimmy Smith - The Sermon, Bobby Timmons - This Here, Ray Bryant Combo - Little Susie (Pt. 2 & Pt. 4), Mr. Billy Paul - Go To Hell, Gerry Mulligan - As Catch Can, John Coltrane - Naima, Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Grand Central, Bill Doggett - Backwards, Oscar Brown Jr - Three Squares & A Bunk, Googie Rene - Caesar's Pad, Bo Rhambo - Two For The Blues, Herbie Alpert & His Quartet - Viper's Blues, Harvey Anderson - Monday Night At 8pm, Mr. Lee - Mr. Lee's Plea….
Disc 3: British Jazz 1960
Harry South Big Band - Southern Horizons, Tony Crombie Orchestra - Samba De Janeiro, Ernest Ranglin Trio - One For Picka, Dill Jones Trio - Threesome, The New Jazzmakers - I'm Gonna Go Fishin', John Dankworth Orchestra - Treasure Drive, Vic Lewis & His All Stars - Little Darlin', London Jazz Quartet - Mirage, Joe Harriott Quintet - Tuesday Morning Swing, The Jazz Five - Still Life, Victor Feldman Quintet - All Blue, Wilton Gaynair/Shake Keane Quintet - Kingston by Pass, Dizzy Reece - The Rebound, The Jazz Couriers - Too Close For Comfort, The Jazzmakers - The Moonbather, Tubby Hayes Quartet - St. Vitus Dance, Little John Anthony - Midnite Jump, Big Doll - Swingin Preacher, Ken Jones & His Orchestra - Bluesville…
Disc 4: Jazz USA 1960
Oscar Brown Jr. - But I Was Cool, Lenny McBrowne - Saudi, Helyne Stewart & Teddy Edwards Septet - Why Don't You Do Right, Nat Adderley, Wes Montgomery - Sack of Woe, Quincy Jones - G'wan Train, International All Stars - African Dance, Larry 'Wild' Wrice - Husky, Maxcine Dixon & Dorothy Ashby Trio - Double Talkin', Armando Peraza Trio - Triste, Lee Morgan - Terrible "T", Billy Higgins - Me and My Lover, Sunny Harris & The Three Orbits - Sad Sacks, Lionel Hampton - Wailin', Rune Overman Trio - Funky Festival, Herman Foster - Herman's Blues, Larry Young - Young Blues, Jimmy Smith - Back At The Chicken Shack, Ram Ramirez - Twist This, Ernie Andrews - West Coast Blues, Willis Jackson - Cool Grits
Saturday, November 17, 2018
Bloodshot releases an 8-bit version of the Bottle Rockets' "Bit Logic"
Friday, November 16, 2018
Thursday, November 15, 2018
Chandra, Teenanger, Slurry @ The Baby G, Thursday
Chandra Oppenheim, the pre-teen star New York's 80s post-punk dance scene was about 30 years ahead of her time. |
Born in the NYC underground art scene, Chandra Oppenheim recorded the songs from 1980’s Transportation EP at age 12. This uniquely intoxicating release saw the post-punk pre-teen fronting a band featuring members of cult mutant disco group The Dance. Following an expanded 2008 reissue of the long-lost classic from Aaron Levin's Cantor Records, then a second edition in 2014 from Chandra's own Rain Boots Records, she reunited with a new Toronto-based band featuring members of Bile Sister, Tough Age, New Chance, and Blonde Elvis. In 2016, Chandra’s song “Subways” (listen below) was sampled by internationally beloved Australian crate-diggers The Avalanches on their album Wildflower, who she joined onstage for live performances with her pre-teen daughter Issa. Chandra continues to celebrate and reinterpret the music written in her childhood while gaining new fans around the world. Doors open at 8 pm. Tickets are $12 advance, $15 door.
Check out the unsettling video for Chandra's "Concentration" directed by Steve Alexander & Eugenie Diserio (of The Dance) in 1980 followed by the clip of "Subways" from her Transportation EP which is being reissued in an expanded 2LP version by Telephone Explosion on December 7th.
Chandra – Transportation EPs
At age 12, the post-punk pre-teen took the stage with her band for the first time at New York’s legendary Mudd Club. A whirlwind of press coverage ensued from glossy magazines like Vogue and Paris Match to the influential underground zine Non LP B Side and a Soho News cover story.
The infectious, propulsive “Get It Out Of Your System” opens Chandra’s second EP with one of her most commanding performances. “Stranger” slows the pace with stop-start rhythms, woozy synths, and the harmonized return of the melodica, while its lyrics find her being followed by a mysterious character revealed to be a woman. “Tish Le Dire” sounds like The B-52s in an eerie alternate universe with instructions on speaking up to your parents or authorities to the point of threatening suicide.
Chandra stepped away from the band at age 14 to focus on her education. Sadly, the second EP was shelved and would not see the light of day for decades.
Chandra’s trip continues with this new deluxe reissue from Telephone Explosion Records. Returning her debut EP to its original four- song, single-record release at a dancefloor-ready remastered 45 RPM, the expanded edition also adds to the second EP with a pair of never released songs from her 1983 four-track cassette demos. “Day Without Success” and “They’re All Alike” find Chandra’s dreamlike vocals driven by minimal wave synth zaps and pulsating drum machines.
Chandra's Transportation EPs will be released on gatefold 2xLP / digital on December 7th, 2018. You can pre-order a copy from Telephone Explosion right here.
B-Side Wins Again: Angelo Bond
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Margo Price, Hope Sandoval, Vashti Bunyan & Laetitia Sadier join Mercury Rev for Bobbie Gentry tribute
Margo Price's reading of "Sermon" & Hope Sandoval's "Big Boss Man" are off The Delta Sweete Revisited due Feb 8. |
Mercury Rev's The Delta Sweete Revisited
01 “Okolona River Bottom Band” (Feat. Norah Jones)
02 “Big Boss Man” (Feat. Hope Sandoval)
03 “Reunion” (Feat. Rachel Goswell)
04 “Parchman Farm” (Feat. Carice van Houten)
05 “Mornin’ Glory” (Feat. Laetitia Sadier)
06 “Sermon” (Feat. Margo Price)
07 “Tobacco Road” (Feat. Susanne Sundfør)
08 “Penduli Pendulum” (Feat. Vashti Bunyan w/ Kaela Sinclair)
09 “Jessye’ Lisabeth” (Feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
10 “Refractions” (Feat. Marissa Nadler)
11 “Courtyard” (Feat. Beth Orton)
12 “Ode To Billie Joe” (Feat. Lucinda Williams)