choke action rocanrol zine 9 by Elmar Gimpl

HEY YOU MAGGOT! IT’S THE BUDGET ROCK ISSUE! 1.50 EURO

HECHO EN MEXICO!!!

Choke

THE BOBBYTEENS

RADIO X

ACTION

ROCANROLL

MAGAZINE

THE

PHANTOM SURFERS

THE MUMMMIES THE OKMONIKS

A WITTY, WISE AND

SOMETIMES CONTROVERSIAL

THE RIP OFFS

THEE FLYINK

DUTCHMEN PLANET PIMP RECORDS ESTRUS RECORDS SUPERCHARGER

PROMOTIONAL COPY - NOT FER SALE!

Plus nakkid women! Arf! Arf!

WELCOME TO THE

BUDGET ROCK ISSUE

At choke media empire, we abide by the principle which dictates that we will always position ourselves systematically harvest anything of value for the sake of money, power and / or ego fulfillment. REVIEW POLICY Basicly, we receive it, we review it. We deserve the right to ignore anything that plainly sucks rocks, we adore vinyl, and all cassettes will be smashed into tiny pieces, unless they bear the obvious markings of a demo tape. If we cover something of yours, we will send you a copy [or more likely a tearsheet] in which the review appears. AD DEADLINES Don't even think about it, we don't do, too. For ad rates and availibility, please get in contact via email first. Those are the risks, are you the gambling type? CONTRIBUTIONS We print whatever we like. If you want to send us something, or plan to do something, always send some examples of your “work” first. We reserve the right to edit the shit. However, please do not expect us to edit out stupidity, we leave that up to you. BLAH BLAH BLAH If you still did not get it… this is not a real magazine. Its just a little letter for some “friends”, the money that floods our bank accounts is used solely to cover a part of the costs. Now stop reading this shit you fucker. Your favourite band still sucks! DISCLAIMER BUDGET ROCK is a registered trademark of BUDGET ROCK GLOBAL INDUSTRIES, John Daly City, USA. BACKISSUES AND SHITE Please visit our website for availibility. Beside of print issues, we’ve got stuff like T-Shirts, Stickers, Buttons,..

MUY IMPORTANTE NEW ADDRESS choke media empire 5421 adnet 186 austria

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THE EDITOR SPEAKS! Dear buyer a.k.a. gourmandizer of essential rock and roll literature! In my position as chief editor of this magazine, I'd like to welcome you to this issue! It's number nine! It took us more than one year to put this all together, but I'm quite sure that you' ll recognize at first sight that we've created something wonderful and unique. The especially gratifying response accorded to our issue number 8 has convinced our marketing department that that the keep-it-simplestupid angle of rock and roll music is holding a unbelievably high potential as a cash cow. With this in mind, and after more than a dozen meetings of our board members, we came to the conclusion to concentrate on a very special blend of rock music, and so we started to work on this BUDGET ROCK THEME ISSUE. Although we still are in knowledge of the extraordinary possibilities of making a shitload of money out of this project, we kept the cover price at 1 point 50 euros [or bucks, fer you stupid white trash americans!] because we know that you creepy boys and gurls are not equipped with a thick purse. Always remember: a penny saved is a penny earned!

CONTENTS 04 07 08 10 15 20 26 31 32 34 38 44 48 51 62

COVER GURLS: THE MUMMIES [Photo: Joe Donahoe 1992]

We hope that you can get something out of this issue - even if it's only toilet paper or confetti, we consider our job as well done. Don't be shy, write us, email us. Well, that's it, I'm letting you off. Hope we'll meet somewhere, somewhen. And don't forget to buy us a drink! the gimp

CHOKE MEDIA EMPIRE EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH When you step into our offices, there’s a big chance to catch a situation very similar to the one shown on this photograph on the right side. These fine ladies are our secretarys. Beside of mixing cocktails and making coffee, they try to read our handwritings in order to transfer the scripts into computerized word processing units. Everytime they make a mistake, they are forced to show us their bare breasts - which is quite often. I tend to think that they are exibitionists, but I’m very tolerant.

............................. THE MUMMIES ........ A THING ON BUDGET ROCK ....................... FANZINE REVIEWS ........................... THE OKMONIKS ..................... JOHNNY BARTLETT ........... THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN ............................... DAVE CRIDER .................... SVEN-ERIK GEDDES ............................. GREG LOWERY ............................ TINA LUCCHESI ........................ DARIN RAFFAELLI ..................... JON VON ZELOWITZ ................ SEVEN INCH REVIEWS .............................. OTHER SWELL .......................... SOME PICTURES

JOURNALISTS The Gimp Chris Reeky Melvin Dundinkle

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WE SUGGEST TO DRINK A HEAVY RED WINE WHILE READING. OR AT LEAST SOME OTHER DRINK CONTAINING ALCOHOL AND / OR OTHER MINDBLOWING SUBSTANCES. THE STORYS AND STATEMENTS IN THIS MAGAZINE DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY REPRESENT THE OPINION OF CHOKE MEDIA EMPIRE AS SUCH. THAT WOULD BE STRANGE, DON’T YOU THINK?

A STORY ABOUT... THE TRENT LARRY MAZ RUSSEL as...

S E I M M U M

Remember your mother bitching about doing your homework? Well, before you start to read all about bands from way back when, plus some more about the latest budget rock sensations, let me tell you a little story about a small group of people who were responsible for the garage rock re-vitalization in the late 80ties / early 90ties. Close your eyes, get yourself a tiny cup of tea, sit back and relax, think of all the TALES OF A CITY books of Armistead Maupin… this is how life was all about, in San Francisco… until a little group of people gathered to form a NEW kind of ROCK and ROLL band: Larry Winther on guitar, Maz Kattuah on bass, Russell Quan on drums and Trent Ruane on organ and vocals. From the very beginnings on, this band was something special, even alongside like-minded bands, such as the PHANTOM SURFERS, who got together few months before the MUMMIES began to work out their “concept”, or THE UNTAMED YOUTH, who were worshippers of traditional 60ties surf and hot rod music. The Mummies took originals like “Justine” and “Shot Down”, stripped them down to the frame and gave them a raw pointing-themiddlefinger-in-the-air face, adding a ridiculous live show with mummy suits, looking like if they were wrapped in bandages from head to toe. Let's go back to the start… Maz Kattuah and Trent Ruane knew each other from Hillsdale High School. [Sven-Erik Geddes and Johnn y Bartlett also went to the same school, they even grew up on the same street…], Larry Winther went to a rival school across town. Maz and Tren first recognized Russel Quan as a weirdo who would scream on top of his lungs to sell some garage fanzine on concerts. Maz and Larry had a band, Russel Quan and Trent Ruane also played in a band, but things didn't work out that good in both camps, so after things tumbl ed down, Trent had the idea to do a band with all dressed up as mummies. So he and Maz asked Larry, who could play surf guitar, if he wanted to join, and finally they had Russell to play drums and THE MUMMIES were born! The first show happened to be at a club called “Chi Chi Club” in San Francisco, on February 23rd, 1989, CHOKE 4

For a year or so, they played at the worst imaginable placed, like the Pony Express Pizza Parlor [there's a 7” of their 5th show ever, called “Larry Winther and his Mummies”], or at open mike nights, and even a County Fair in S.F. At that time, Michael Lucas [from the Phantom Surfers], who went to San Mateo High School with Dan Seelig [also Phantom Surfers] was already putting out records. Lucas was working in some furniture warehouse [Lime Warehouse], Maz and Trent thought it would be great to record there, just because of the great reverb he thought the recordings

would get. So it happened that THE MUMMIES recorded the first couple of singles there like the first ever MUMMIES single “That Girl”, out on Rusty Quan's own PRE B.S. label in April 1990, later re-released on Estrus Records in 1996. It was still hard to find places to play, no one really got a clue what these guys were up to, the costumes were already pretty smelly, but the live show got better and better, and early 1990 THE MUMMIES left town for a show in Seattle. Well, actually the trip included two shows, one at a club called Squid Row in Seattle, and one at the Satyricon in Portland. This means 1600 miles round trip, just for two shows… They did really good in Seattle, playing with GIRL TROUBLE, and sold out all of the T-Shirts they brought with them on the sidewalk after the show. Seattle was big at that time, the kids were mad for good music and live shows, and although THE MUMMIES did not really play the music this town got famous for in the early 90s, they appreciated them, unlike the folks in S.F. After that experience, THE MUMMIES often were trippin' in Oregon and Washington, and all of the sudden, after this “success”, the SF bookers and clubs were interested to have the MUMMIES playing… So 1990 was a VERY busy year, underpinned by five 7” releases on various labels. In 1991 they recorded an album for the hottest garage label around, CRYPT Records, but somehow the results sounded a bit to clean, so the band turned down to release it in a proper way. Somehow, years later, the recordings came out as a bootleg, entitled “Fuck The Mummies”, plus an extra of a 12 live cuts from a New Years Eve Show at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ, and a WFMU Radio version of “Mariconda is a friend of mine”.

which came out on Telstar Records in 1992. Most of the songs of this album also came out on Billy Childish's Hangman Records, entitled “Fuck C.D.'s” [also available as bootleg named “Tales from the Crypt”], I haven't been able to track this one down, but I guess it contains the same recordings. Another LP came out later that year, called “Play Their Own Records”, containing the first five 7” inches and the MUMMIES song on the MUMMIES / PHANTOM SURFERS tour split from 1990, plus two more “songs” originally written for a film by Michael Lucas, called “Go baby go! Or go to hell!”. This is the cheaper way to get all the earlier recordings, you don't really have a chance to find these 7”es now at reasonable prices. Ebay is so ridiculous. Oh, this one's out on Estrus Records and hast great liner notes by Shane White! 1992 also brought a short tour with THE PHANTOM SURFERS and later one with THEE HEADCOATS. In December the band flew to New Jersey, to play at a Loft Party in Manhattan, NY, the WFMU radio nto the

Late 1991 they recorded the one and only proper studio album “Never Been Caught”, CHOKE 5

WHAT??? MUMMIES FACT BOX! broadcast and to play at the New Years Eve Party I mentioned before. On the way back to San Francisco, in the plane, the band broke up. The reason for this split has not been revealed officially, but I guess the guys broke up for good. Trent Ruane once said in an interview: “The band had to end on a high note. Who would give a shit about THE MUMMIES today, if we had to run the band into the ground.”. Damn right. However… only one year and three months later, the MUMMIES were asked by SUPERCHARGER to go to Europe with them, for a 3 week tour, and the MUMMIES agreed, an so, good ole Europe saw a great package together, for the first time on the old continent. Not even the garage music fans went nuts, Europe made a predominant impression to THE MUMMIES, too, never before they've been treated like this… like most US bands, they were not used to get a hotel and dinner and stuff like that. These experiences caused another trip to Europe in Spring 1994, this time without SUPERCHARGER, who broke up shortly after the 1993 tour… That's it. I guess we'll never see them again. Another reunion is very unlikely to happen and that's good, because Trent Ruane is an asshole. It's true. If you want to find out more about this band, buy the new CAVEMAN zine, there’s an interview with Trent Ruane included. Melvin Dundikle says so. Maybe it’s true.

www.themummies.com

1. Trent Ruane is married to the daughter of Doug Yule, a member of VELVET UNDERGROUND. 2. The MUMMIES mobile, a Pontiac Bonneville Ambulance, 1963, belonged to the MONO MEN, Russel Quan an Trent Ruane bought it for 750 bucks. After the split, they sold it to Long Gone John, cheffe of Sympathy For The Record Industry Records. 3. They had 2 different costumes, one for the cold, and one for the hot season, ladder one had short pants and sleeves. Both of them were thrown into a box after a gig, wet and dirty. To put them on again, THE MUMMIES had to use Lysol to disinfect the costumes. Yummy. 4. For a short period of time, the who-is-who of Budget Rock used to live in a “beach” house near the Daly City dump, including members of SUPERCHARGER, PHANTOM SURFERS and MUMMIES. 5. 10 years after the release of “Never Been Caught”, THE MUMMIES got their first ever official CD release, on Telstar records. Instead of “Fuck CDs!” they say “Fuck vinyl, cause this CD shit is soundee so good!”. 6. Three out of four MUMMIES also played in THE PHANTOM SURFERS. 7. Larry Winther is now playing in some lame Indie Rock band named THE ORANGE PEELS. He and Maz Kattuah had a garage band before THE MUMMIES, together with a guy named Allen Clapp. They split up, Maz and Larry formed THE MUMMIES, Allen Clapp started a solo project, with poppier and “lighter” songs, Maz released one single of Allen Clapp on his own Four Letter Words label. In 1995, Maz and Winther rejoined their high school buddy and his wife to gig around as Allen Clapp and his Orchestra. Maz quit the band after a bunch of unreleased sessions, and later on with a new drummer, the band was renamed: THE ORANGE PEELS. 8. Trent Ruane made some bucks with computers. He also played with THE UNTAMED YOUTH. 9. Russel Quan also played in [sic!]THE COUNT BACKWURDS, DUKES OF HAMBURG, and still plays with THE BOBBYTEENS, THE FLAKES, THE EASYS and THE MAYBELLINES. 10. Maz Kattuah also played in THE MAYBELLINES with his girlfriend. 11. Most MUMMIES stuff was recorded live in various Warehouses and storage rooms where members of the band worked. 12. Russel Quans spouse is Tina Lucchesi, the singer of The Bobbyteens. 13. RIP OFF Records head honcho GREG LOWERY formed his label as a "rip off" of Trent Ruanes Pre-BS-Teens Label and copied the style and the double a-side! 14. You can see the "The Mummies play their own hits" record in the record shack that's part of the "High Fidelity" movie with John Cusack. 15. The belief that MUMMIES records were pressed in limited editions of 300 or 500 pieces each is a fake. They were all pressed in editions of 1000 or more. The band itself spread the word that the records were limited to sell 'em better.

STOP IT! CHOKE 6

I TOUGHT ABOUT SENDING AROUND A FEW EMAILS TO PEOPLE WHO HAD / HAVE SOMETHING TO TO WITH SO-CALLED BUDGET ROCK MUSIC. HERE ARE THE ANSWERS... ONLY 3 GUYS WROTE BACK SOME ANSWERS... THE OTHER ONES EITHER IGNORED ME [ARROGANT ASSHOLES] OR WROTE SOMETHING LIKE “I’m too busy right now... But I’ answer them soon!” ANYWAY, I DON’T WANT TO HIDE STEFANS, THOMAS’ AND ROBBYS ANSWERS SO HERE THEY ARE: www.ken-rock.com Stefan KENROCK 1. What is your definition of Budget Rock Music? Great music, with out big fancy studios recordings, But its hard to say what do a record to a budget rock music, Are Go Nuts budget rock?? And there is lots of punkbands that recorded the muisc themself and that is budget. But are they budget rock? Are the garage bands that do the same budget rock? Dead Moon do it in Mono and all bye themselves they are budget rock. 2. Which Budget Rock Band is totally overrated? MUMMIES ha ha they are BUDGET garage not ROCK.. haha 3. Which Budget Rock Band would have deserved a lot more attention and stardom? They are many, but I say, SILVERKINGS only 2 7" but I hope the rest of the tracks will see the daylight. 4. Which band is on ruling right now? Who are the current KINGS OF BUDGET ROCK? The best right now??? When I get the LP from ROCK N ROLL ADVENTURE KIDS I was like a child at christmas, so great I haven´t been so happy for years! I think that record is a masterpiece.... The LIDS are great... any new great bands... like always... 5. Who invented this whole thing? Mummies, Supercharger or who??? I have to say GIZMOS, they was first with the hole idea, great songs, great music and really budget.... 6. TOP 5 Budget Rock 45s??? HOLY shit....thats a hard question.... I say Captain 9´s and the knickerbocker trio all 7" Jumpin´beans and the mustaches all 7"

Gizmos all 7" Evolutions all 7" Lightning beatman all 7" 7. TOP 5 Budget Rock LPs??? ROCK N ROLL ADVENTURE KIDS super album Superchargers - first two Lp´s Swindlers - first issue Super fly tnt´s - No talants no hits Steve Mcqueens - Got a mission 8. Best Cover Artwork???? I like the bootleg cover on the first Supercharger LP, the “Fuck Greg Lowery” edition... funny as hell... And 99% of the MUMMIES sleeves they are the best band! First I was thinking to write Mummies in every question, but i think they will be there from the rest of the replayers so i did not do that.... www.savagemagazine.com Thomas SAVAGE 1. What is your definition of Budget Rock Music? SIMPLE, CATCHY, LO-FI PUNKROCK THAT'S JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT. BUT IT WAS HARDER THAN I THOUGHT TO PIN IT DOWN TO WHAT BANDS REALLY ARE BUDGET ROCK.. ARE THE OBLIVIANS BUDGET ROCK FOR EXAMPLE? I DECIDED THEY WEREN'T.. 2. Which Budget Rock Band is totally overrated? HMM, DON'T REALLY KNOW ONE PARTICULAR. THERE'S A BUNCH THAT DIDN'T ADD ANYTHING TO THE STYLE AND DID IT WITH A PRETTY LACKLUSTER ATTITUDE.. 3. Which Budget Rock Band would have deserved a lot more attention and stardom? PERSUADERS!!! 4. Which band is on ruling right now? Who are the current KINGS OF BUDGET ROCK? THE LIDS 5. Who invented this whole thing? Mummies, Supercharger or who??? SUPERCHARGER I GUESS… AT LEAST THE RECENT TREND. THE PACK DID SOME KIND OF BUDGET ROCK BACK IN THE 70'S IN GERMANY... BUT THE REAL BUDGETROCK INVENTOR MUST HAVE BEEN THE MEAN RED SPIDERS BACK IN 1978! 6. TOP 5 Budget Rock 45s??? PERSUADERS - ROCK BOTTOM | THE LIDS - NO FOOL FOR YOU | HOOKERS - KISS MY FUCKIN' ASS | MEAN RED SPIDERS - LAST OF THE TEEN ICONS 7. TOP 5 Budget Rock LPs??? (no particular order) RIP OFFS - GOT A RECORD | MUMMIES - NEVER BEEN CAUGHT PERSUADERS - S/T | SUPERCHARGER 8. Best Cover Artwork???? RIP OFFS - GOT A RECORD Robert [Stipjes / Hot Pockets / Kiss n Run Booking] 1. What is your definition of Budget Rock Music? Hmm. I dunno Elmar. I'm pretty stupid and not a connaisseur really I guess... Bad music played badly recorded even worse. Inept, stupid and no pretentions. 4. Which band is on ruling right now? Who are the current KINGS OF BUDGET ROCK? It ain't no mo'. 5. Who invented this whole thing? Mummies, Supercharger or who??? Shane White. Read his magazine: Pure Filth. He documented the whole thing from the start. Going to shows, interviewing them... 6. TOP 5 Budget Rock 45s??? 7. TOP 5 Budget Rock LPs??? Well for bands and records I would have to check my records. I have no memory for things like that. The Beavers from Groningen were great. Only one amazing 7" on Kogar and a split with Gaunt on Dem Derby...

CHOKE 7

Ah, summer my kinda season. While everyone bitches about the temperatures, vacation plans and burnt skin, all of this gives me ample excuse to torpidly bask in the shadow and read some books and fanzines. A pretty good read is the DRACHENMAEDCHEN zine from Germany. I admit that it fills me with envy with I flip through the pages of the current issue #6, all of the articles are dressed in a clean but never boring layout, and the editors' have got a talent for creating witty articles out of nothing. The latest issue has got a nice MUFF POTTER vs. DURANGO 95 interview, one on the BRIEFS which is surprisingly funny [who thought we would need another BRIEFS interview? But this one is different and … funny!], two more chitchats with bands I don't like [TOMTE] or know [THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION] and tataaaa… great writings on football, drinking, and blahblah written with tongue in cheek. Send them you money now! And don't forget to order some back issues too! On the other side of the humor spectrum are two new zines from Austria. I may not like 99% of the music they cover most of which is Streetpunk, Oi and Ska but they surely know their shit, as evidenced in the numerous interviews. VOICE OF THE STREET #4 is rather thin, and the interviews with bands like FREIBOITER, JESUS SKINS, VINDICATOR, GENERATION69, SCRAPY and more are not very original, but it's a nice read on the loo, and a way to check out the current [scarily] healthy Oi Punk HC community. Let's see what happens to them in future. PRESSURE DROP #1 is also based in Innsbruck, and covers quite the same, there is also a SCRAPY interview, and one with YA BASTA, tons of show reports and some political stuff. Plus there is an extra zine-in-zine, all about a right wing organisation named BLOOD AND HONOUR. This makes this issue pretty thick for a #1. Music-oriented zines make up the bulk of the indie press slipping through our mail slot, and it's pretty obvious that there are a heap of them that deserve your attention. But we don't have one track minds goddammnit! Which brings me to HORIZONTAL ACTION #10, a magazine “for mature audience”, covering the world of sex and rock'n'roll. Beside their brilliant taste in music, I also dig all the ads in this zine! Okay, I really don't need all these porn flick reviews, so I stick to the q and a's with americas up and coming rock and roll outfits, like the A-FRAMES, FM KNIVES and the great great great great [ok, cut one, I'm exaggerating!] BLACK LIPS! They've got EVERY-FUKKEN-THING! They are fresh and young, three of the 4 guys are still in their teens but they crank out fine and raw, old styled rocknroll. BUY THEIR ALBUM ON BOMP NOW YOU MAGGOT! Uhm… what else, yeah, here are some more interviews with DEVON, ZOLAR X and HOTWIRES, all of them are unknown to me. One of the highlights is as always the live lust section CHOKE 8

with great photos and writings on shows. Take off your panties and enjoy. This #2 of the LITTLE GIGANTOR fanzine may be a bit outdated but they didn't send me a newer issue, so just for the records: clean layout, a bunch of comics, interviews with ZSK, CAVE 4 and that girl of THE PLASMATICS, which is stolen I guess. A short but entertaining reading, especially the typos and mis-spelled words had me giggling within ear ehrr… eyeshot. Ugly cut and paste design but extraordinary writing that's the ENPUNKT zine, my favourite ego-zine of the moment. ENPUNKT #39 is one of these zines that earn coffee-table honours, and it often makes me smack my forehead and ask “He is damn right!”. It's done by Klaus N. Frick, Head Honcho over the translations and settings of the german editions of PERRY RHODAN books, how peerless crazy is that? The issues always consist of show reports and writings about everyday life, some reviews and stories about his journeys into countries I would never ever add to my considerations when it comes to planning a vacation. Like Antigua, Trinidad / Tobago and Barbados. If you know german, order this and you'll soon get to know what I mean. Oh, and right when I finished this review, the number 40 arrived at my mailbox. The song ahh.. zine remains the same… great writings, same style, everyone should have a subscription, I suggest! A little bit beer-soaked is the next zine that was sent in: STUPID OVER YOU #13! Very thick, very punk layout and interviews with bands I don't like [AGNOSTIC FRONT, BOYDOTCOM, V-PUNK] and of course tons of stories about drinking: on tour with O.B., at the recording sessions of UP TO VEGAS, at shows. A perfect example of a zine that stays at your toilet room, you always find something interesting to read, but the thing is that soon your eyes will get sore due to the fact that most of this is printed so small that you're soon starting to shiver. Oh, comes with a free CD from Nasty Vinyl Records. They know spaghetti, they know grappa and they know how to play soccer, but they just don't know the the english language. DAMMNIT! I mean BAM fanzine is just perfect, nice layout, colored cover and the whole thing comes in a pretty cool size, like comic books. BUT EVERYTHING IS WRITTEN IN ITALIAN! Pfew. So I don't know what I can tell you more, beside the contents: X, HANSONS BROTHERS, A RADIO WITH GUTS, ALIEN SNATCH RECORDS, SKELETT, DANNY VAPID, THE VINDICTIVES, DEMONICS and much more… plus a CD with four bands, three songs each, and two by Gene Crazed!!!! Egozines are boring most of the time, don't you think? Most of them are just packed with emo swell, blah blah about that girl

that ran away, parents and shit, DER GROSSMASTURBATOR is kinda different, it's very funny, but very disturbing at the same time. Although I liked this guy's first zine better [ROHRVERSTOPFUNG], DER GROSSMASTURBATOR has also his moments. Tons of stories about drinking, concerts, masturbation and more… Another german zine is ANTI EVERYTHING from Berlin. The new issue number 4 is again printed and thick, and I guess its right between punkrock, politics and shitload of sarcasm. Plus hate! It's like the name of the zine suggests very anti… anti-american, anti-establishment, antiwell.. everything! The good thing about this is that it's not written in a bitter or dry language, its fun! Especially the article on the SHOCKS trip to the USA. Ha ha ha… well guys, not very clever. A nice one from Belgium is the HIGH HEELS SLUT fanzine, done by Wim Retard, who also works at the world famous rat hole The Pit's. This issue #6 is rather old, so I guess Wim will crank out a new issue pretty soon, but he surely has got some copies left. Read all about the BRIEFS, SMOGTOWN, the great RADIO REELERS, In the Red recording artists THE HUNCHES, german garage boys KIDNAPPERS, italian stallions PEAWEES and more, plus the usual fanzine standards, can't wait for issue number seven. If you wanna be up to date on the latest hypes and / or releases, the german OX fanzine is inevitable. The print run of this issue number 53 is at 12.500, so it's clear that they have to feature some bad bands as well, just to please the buyer's tastes. Like THRICE. I mean, are there any other people than 13 year old wanna be rockers who listen to those pimples? Or MOTHER TONGUE. Hello? Anyone? Nope. Nevertheless, there are tons of interesting articles and interviews in it as well, like SONS OF CYRUS, THE LOCUST, THE FUCKING CHAMPS DAMAGED GOODS RECORDS, BOONARAAAS, JOE STRUMMER,… plus they have all the new releases reviewed and hundreds of interesting ads, and a “free” CD. So why not? Even older than OX fanzine is the bimonthly TRUST zine, here with issue number 102. Business as usual, they don't really care about the latest trends, they always featured the not-so-melodicand/or-popular stuff, this time TODAY IS THE DAY, one of my favourite bands from the time when Amphetamine Reptile was THE label. The SHE-MALE TROUBLE interview was okay, again a story on SKATROCK [although you might have already read it in Skaterock Zine, Boardstein Magazine or Blurr], plus there is a cool Greg Ginn interview, Dean Dirge, and one with Katarina del Mar. Oh, and here is fresh and new issue

number 2 of the innsbruckian PRESSURE DROP zine, all about ska, punk and reggae! 84 pages this time! Envy fills me… beside of pages and pages of show and record reviews, there are many articles and interviews: NO RESPECT, RUDE BOYS, STEADY UPS, TROJAN RECORDS, RASH BOGOTA, etc… everything a bootboy needs. The number 13 of the “one and only drinking class fanzine” [as it is stated on the cover] OI THE PRINT is nice and clean, like most of the issues before, and have to say that I think it's way better that it appears as a stand-alone again. Some numbers came as a supplement to MOLOKO PLUS fanzine, but I guess it didn't get as much attention there as it deserves, maybe it's because the style and contents of both zines are pretty much the same. So here we've got lucky number 13, with some a bit superficial interviews with mainly Oi and Street punk bands, some ska, some tour stories and reviews. Be sure to check it out when your taste in music allows above mentioned genres! Oh, the number 14 just came out, with more skin stuff. He's busy… Germany has so many zines done in a professional way, but one of my faves is the ROCKASS zine from Münster. Okay, maybe this one is not THAT professional, but anyway… the #4 is lying in front of me, and like every time, I fukken like what I see. Although (or just because?) it looks pretty tame, the zine bears a top notch rawk n roll attitude, and these boys surely know what's good and what's sucking rocks. Carefully prepared for you to reveal are BILLY CHILDISH [+ Discography!!!], AVENGERS, the friendliest band on earth GROOVIE G H O U L I E S, M i l wa u ke e ' s b e s t T H E MISTREATERS, Crypt Records Boss Tim Warren, THE MARKED MEN, COUNTRY TEASERS and some more. Order this one now. Soccer addict Sean from Double Crown Records is sending me the 10th Issue of his own Surf Zine THE CONTINENTAL. I must admit that I've been a bit surprised because somehow the Continental lost quite some pages since the last issue. In the Intro Sean tries to explain why… and yes, it's the scarcity of advertisers. But still, this zine is a

must-have for everyone who's into surf / instro sounds just because it's so packed with interesting (and exotic) bands. The zine features interviews with the APEMEN and 50 FOOT COMBO, an article on the history of surf instrumentals, and while reading the tons of record reviews, you can listen to the 26 track CD with bands from all over the world except USA! UGLY THINGS is the bible. At least for all Beat, Garage and Psychedelic fans. With this issue [number 21] publisher Mike Stax is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the zine. And I think its right to say that this zine is more vital than ever. On more than 200 pages (!!!) you can find out EVERYTHING about bands you really really never ever heard of. Deeply researched articles and i n t e r v i e w s w i t h T H E Q U E S T, T H E MISUNDERSTOOD [Pt. 2 of their story] and ROLLING STONES are just the very peak of the iceberg. As always, the review section is HUGE and can also be abused as a buyers guide… This zine sells out fast, so be quick and get yourself a copy. When I started doing fanzine reviews for this issue it was winter. Pfew. It's May and here's a brand new zine from Vienna, “DIE ARSCHBOMBE #1”, a typical punk zine with a bunch of nice interviews, cut and paste layout and some columns, an NO reviews. Not bad for a number 1, it even has a coloured cover. Let's hope that it will entertain us at least for 10 issues! Sometimes we even get books for review. Like this one called “Folta für John Travolta” written by an Austrian Punk who has been into that punk thing since… uhm… well I guess he's been part of the first wave that swept over from England, although Austria hasn't really ever been flooded by that punk virus. He also played [and is still playing] in a band named FRONTAL. The whole book is written in a very loose and relaxed style, sometimes it's even like reading in someone's diary. The most interesting thing is that all this really happened, it's not again a fictional book on a scene that gets glorified years after everything happened. It's an honest book on how the daily life of a punkband was back in the days, how difficult it was to get gigs

and a record deal and things like that. There is even a 7” enclosed with the book. If you wanna get a copy it's best to order it via www.freya.at RATZFATZ is a true punk zine from Vienna, looks like it's from the 80s, all kinds of spikey hairdos, studs and eyesore layout, with a bunch of interviews [VIBRATORS, MALATSCHICKS MOLODOI, KAFKAS, MUFF POTTER, TURBOSTAAT,…] and show reviews, szene report and the usual gaga. And hey, they've got taste, 'cause CHOKE is not listed in their Zine Top 3! SLUG MAGAZINE #185 is hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, and boy, I like it! Although it looks like one of these zines like Scratch or similar publications who more or less function as promo gazettes, this one actually has some content! That old bluesman T-MODEL FORD is on the cover! There's a lot of local stuff in here, and [Yes!] skateboard stuff, plus reviews. Its free! And its good! Be sure to check out their “Death by Salt” comp as well! To end it all, I grab mee fave magazine of this issue, the latest issue of the official FANG CLUB DIGEST Numb-er XXV, done by the people who take care of the FLYING DUTCHMEN management. See their interview for more background info. This zine is it, honestly. Crappy but fun layout and a lot of things to discover, like an article on how to annoy a sound technician, interview with the latest BOOM BOOM OF RENTON Records sensation by the name of THE FE FI FO FUMS. Don't order this zine, better be part of it, and become a FANG CLUB MEMBER. They've got 14 members right now I guess [still counting…]. Like 2 months after the deadline I got sent the latest issue of HORIZONTAL ACTION, its number 12, with THE PONYS, REAL LOSERS, TAXI from Italy, THE DIRTY SWEETS and loads of nakkid women inside. If you don't already have a subscription, you are a cuckoo bird. And hey, don't forget to pick up SLAM ZINE from time to time, it's Austrians only “alternative” magazine, it's got plenty of punkrock inside, and tons of reviews!

Dear reader, please correct me if I'm wrong, but Tucson, Arizona, never had a blip on the garage punk radar, but I guess with THE OKMONIKS, this dirty and Please reveal the whole story about THE OKMONIKS… and ugly desert town gained a bit of importance. Three the connection to ALF! guys and one gal who call themselves “Tucson's The origin of the Okmoniks name is a secret and we party band No.1” [which may be as easy to achieve like the title “Namibia's best downhill ski racer”] don't want it exposed because it's well, some people are trying to rip up the budget rock scene, but do think it's dumb, but we don't take things as seriously as said people! But since you already seem to know where these kids have sth to say too?

INTRO-DUC-SHUN

its from (exactly half the people interviewing us don't) I can say that when you watch ALF they talk about the Okmoniks all the time and its just funny to listen to if you think of a band being called that--like, ALF will say "Weird? How weird, little weird, big weird, or okmonik weird!" and stuff like that. We had such bad names before our ex-roomate bestowed upon us "Okmoniks". If I wanted to start another band I would call it "MISS TERRY AND THE QUESTION MARKS"and it would be all girls. You`re friends with a lot of budget rock veterans… how did you get to know them? We met Russel Quan when our ex-drummer was playing bass in SCARED OF CHAKA, we loved the MUMMIES and were visiting San Francisco a couple of years ago, we couldn't get into the club to see SCARED OF CHAKA because Helene and I were under age, so Russel introduced himself, we told him about our band over All Star Donuts and discussed records. Then he helped us get a show and since then we've been really good

CHOKE 10

friends. At our second show in San Francisco we played with the SEEDS and we met Darin Rafaelli and I gave him a seven inch but he was kinda hard to talk to, and I was very nervous. Suddenly though, we were at his house all the time and going to dinner with him and Danielle and Tina and Russel all the time, I dunno what happened, but if we lived in San Francisco we would be like a gang. Anyway, we were SUPPOSED to record with Darin and Russel in January 2004 but our drummer cancelled the tour at the last minute, it was the worst!!!!! But there's sure to be time in the future for that, Trent, our bass player is in Darin's AM Radio backing band! You`re from Tuscon, AZ, how come that you don`t play desert rock music like GIANT SAND etc.? Hahahahaaaaa you know all these bands always declare a "desert sound" if they live here --

like there's a new "sonoran surf band" in town, but I think its all just bongos and rain sticks. Truth be told, the desert is as barren as the music that comes out of it, usually--but there's sure a lot of bands in Tucson!!! Oh, and there's this "other" Tucson sound that's this crappy muddied up noisy punk stuff that sounds like it'd be good but it totally sucks cause its essentially sloppy speed metal. Desert Rock! How many show did you play `til now? Oh I'd say about 250! We've been at it for three years but only started touring recently, we've been to about 10 states from Seattle to Texas. We play about 3 times a month in town right now cause there's a lot of cool local bands springing up, finally. Picture title: AMAZING LIVE “SHOW”, huh?

You`re all living together in one house. Why? Does that make sense? Doesn`t everyone need some space for his / her own to develop both musically and personally? Or is it a hippie commune? Yeah, it's totally dumb. You are completely right. We all have large record collections that we have to keep the others from. The house is pretty big--its an old motorcycle garage and there's this sign some hippies put out front a long time ago that's still up that says "Project 722" its really big and everyone in town knows the house! We also have arcade machines like Pac Man and Lady Bug so come over and we'll have a party! Who released your first Seven Inches? And what about a full length, I heard you already recorded some stuff. When and where is it supposed to come out?

HEY DEARIES! AN EMBARRASSING STORY ABOOT THE OKMONIKS, BECAUSE WE LIKE THAT... One time, we were in San Francisco, I think our 3rd or 4th time up there. Darin Rafaelli (Supercharger, Donnas, Brentwoods) and Russel Quan (aMummies) and Tina Luchessi and Danielle Pym (Bobbyteens, Trashwomen) were all raving about this pie place down the street which had the best apple pie in town. Now, these people are our buddies now, but then we didnt know them so well and we sure looked up to them. So after the show (with the Flakes and the Bobbyteens) we went to get pie. I was very excited to socialize with these garage rock greats, but when the pie came everything went haywire! Gwen, one of our previous drummers, got her pie and started complaining that it was cold. She was calling these pie experts bluff. Then, she sent it back, incurring a bit of a tiff with the waitress, and uncomfortableness ALL around. I was very embarassed, AND I thought pie was generally not steaming hot. So anyway, this incident is immortal now because Darin sent me a couple Brentwoods records when we got back with PERSONALIZED covers. One had Gwen grimacing over drums with a thought bubble with a pie slice that said "the infamous cold pie."

Well, we have our own label called "IN-FI RECORDS" (someone is trying to steal the name now, which has happened with the band name before too but we have seniority in the end) and we did two CHEAPO TO THE MAX seven inches on that, we saved money by doing one-sided records with xeroxed covers and hand made labels. Our recording has gotten us about seven good tracks but we've recorded about 15 in the past couple months. We keep getting offers from great labels, but we need a full 12 or so tracks. We wanted to do a 9 song EP but no one would do it. It may be back to DIY. We have a problem with "me," because I write all the songs and then after we play them for a while I discard them, so BELOW: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? IT’S THE MUMMIES MOB ILE!!! we have all this material I refuse to release. Yikes. Believe me though, I want to make the best LP of the century. I love releasing records DIY, it's the best. As the 1st Okmoniks seven inch"declares in homage to the Desperate Bicycles : IT WAS DIFFICULT, IT WAS MILDY EXPENSIVE GO AND DO IT!!! How long have you been together? Have you been in other bands before [worth mentioning...]? We've been together for about 3 years, but we didn't do too much initially, and still we've done a seven inch"a year so its time to kick it into gear. None of us have been in other bands worth mentioning, but Justin and CHOKE 11

Trent have both been in numerous bands. What has been your most memorable show? Was it the best show also? I think my most memorable show experience went like this: we played with THE SEEDS in San Francisco, then went down to Los Angeles and the show there was at this Sushi Bar which totally fuckin' blew, and the lineup was two riot grrl bands and us, the kicker you ask? They wanted us on FIRST at 8 PM! And we were the only touring band and there was no one there, compared to the previous night's show it was just horrible. So you know what we did? We called up Rick from the Seeds who were playing ACROSS town, and he said "COME ON DOWN!" Well, we got lost in Compton on the way over, went to 76th Ave. instead of Street or some such navigational nonsense, but ended up showing up much later where we were shuffled on stage and introduced by the Seeds and cranked out 6 songs, it was fucking AWESOME! That was very memorable, and we met people in LA worth knowing FINALLY. Are you wearing costumes sometimes? Not really, sometimes we do goofy stuff, and Justin wears wigs to look like a girl, or just gets naked. RIGHT: OKAY, THAT SHOW ! LOOKS WAY BETTER LEFTISM: LOOK MOM! I MADE IT TO THE EUROPEAN PRESS!!!

It may be possible that not all of our readers [sic.] are familiar with your recordings and / or style, so please tell name us three bands who people might think THE OKMONIKS sound a teeny weeny bit like? That's tough! THE BRENTWOODS, THE SONICS and THE MUMMIES are the cliche ones we get in interviews! What was the the print run of your two releases, and do you plan to release other bands than OKMONIKS on In-Fi Records in future? Do you have some copies left of the tour seven inchâ&#x20AC;?? 100 400 100 400 500

tour eds. on Take a Spin WHAT??? regular tour eds. on Rustle Up Some Action regular (all on colored trash runoff vinyl) Okmoniks "Compact 33 LP" released in May. Those are In-Fi 001, 002, and 003

What is your stand in the hi-fi / lo-fi debate? Do you think there are some bands around who try to copy the "sound" of the MUMMIES, just to get compared with them? Ever heard of the FLYING DUTCHMEN?

BEER BELLY?

Yeah the Dutchmen are sooooo lo-fi it's crazy, I would like a bit more fidelity there but I think it's still cool to do that, aesthetically. We'll put some time into our recordings but no more than the big Budget bands of the 90s, who claim trash but do record noticeably better than that Dutchmen LP. Our DIY / lo-fi sound really germs from actual 60s recordings and 70s DIY punk stuff which is often over looked by garage folk, mainly the Killed by Death comped nonsense. I heard you sent some recordings to ALIEN SNATCH, and he denied to release it. Why? Are you searching for other labels now or are you going to re-mix or even re-record the songs?

CHOKE 12

THATS NOT THE SAME PICTURE LIKE THE ONE ON PAGE 1 OF THIS INTERVIEW! I SWEAR!!!

Nah, we did that stuff ourselves, and hope fully new stuff will be there to take over--al so we'll probably to a comp LP of all the stuff and more, so to speak ASAP after this record. Dani el said he really doesn't wanna do 60s Garage on his label, which is A-OK, and I still like his label a lot. Other labels we like and that like us are Get Hip, Rip Off and Dionysus, but who know s? What`s special about THE OKMONIKS? [this is your chance for some self representation... ] I've been self representing the whole time , so here's some big headed stuff that is fun to write... I think the Okmoniks are the only female fronted budget rock band in the world, that does it for me-- go ahead, name one. I'm sick of "dudes in music," and of girls playing keyboards in all guy bands. But the most important thing about the Okmoniks is that we don't front as â&#x20AC;&#x153;girl rock," Helene 33 sings with that young, angry soul that is found in only the best teen 60s groups, who were all boysshe's the new Suzi Quattro. Also we don't take anything serio usly! OH KAY, THANKS A LOT FOR THIS INFORMATION! And of course for the interview, although I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get any promotional material... Hey, THE OKMONIKS just released one nice piece of vinyl that does 33 1/3 rounds per minute, an on top of that : there are even 7 songs on it! What a deal?! Get it! Now!

[END] CHOKE 13

CHOKE 14

ALL SECRETS ABOUT SURF MUSIC REVEALED BY

oohnny hn ny artlett a rtlett

Mr. Bartlett, are the PHANTOM SURFERS de-funct?

I think they still play, but not very often. You'll have to ask them for sure, but I think they played in South America in '02 or '03. As far as I am in formed, the PHANTOM SURFERS were formed just because David Nudelman and the Wild Breed cancelled a show [with approximately no practice???] Can you confirm this?

scene in ormed in 1988, at a time when the nny "Big San Francisco was pretty dead, Joh Bergman, Hand" Bartlett, Mel "Frostbite" ed a band, Michael Lucas and Danny Seelig form f Music and maybe as a homage to Los Angeles Sur On stage they the Garage Music of the North West. d up comedy always acted like complete idiots, stan standards go and trashy cover versions of surf they recorded hand in hand. Over all these years I don't even seven full length albums so far, and d. Maybe Mr. know if they still exist as a ban , although he Bartlett can throw some light on this

left the band in 1996. PHANTOM SURFERS are: THE STATESIDERS, THT SATURN V featuring ORBIT, THE RUSTY NAILS, THE SUGAR KING BOYS, THE BARBARY COASTERS, and the SCUBAMEN.

I saw the PHANTOM SURFERS in …uhm… I guess it was 1996 at the LOOKOUT FREAKOUT at the Well, not exactly. Michael Lucas and I were talking about Bimbo's club in San Francisco, opening for the starting a surf band with “Rollin'” Danny Seelig. I was DONNAS. Have you already been out of the band at living in Santa Cruz at that time and Michael Lucas and Danny Seelig were living in San Francisco. I came up to SF that time? to rehearse and it turned out pretty good. Then someone called us and asked if we wanted to gig that night because Yes, I guess that was after I quit because I don't Dave Nudelman couldn't do it. So we went back to Santa remember that show. And I love playing at Bimbo's Cruz and played that night on the UCSC campus at a place and would have remembered. called Sluggo's Pizza. I think that was January or February of 1988. I think Mel joined the group later that year, but I Why did you leave the band, did you just have can't remember what month. enough of the people, the music, or just the concept at all?

Have you been in other bands before? Well, I had been in that band for 8 1/2 years and we Oh yeah, my first band was called the DANGLING had just finished recording “The Great Surf Crash…” GENITALS, then we changed the name to WIG TURTURE. and I simply wasn't having fun playing it that band That was in 1981. We were just a suburban punk rock band anymore. At that time I had just started playing with in San Mateo. I was also in a band with Michael Lucas the Saturn V ('60s frat rock) and The Sugar King Boys while I was in high school called MAL. It wasn't quite punk (rockabilly) and was really having a ball. And the rock and it wasn't quite garage, but had elements of '60s Phantom Surfers wasn't fun by comparison. I don't garage. Other bands I was in after the formation of the want to sound like a downer, but it was becoming

This is one of the first PHANTOM SURFERS photo shoots, out at Lands End in San Francisco, probably 1998. Look, it’s Dan Selig, Michael Lucas, Johnny Bartlett and Mel Bergman, from left to right. Please notice that Michael Lucas is wearing glasses over his mask.

CHOKE 15

Late ‘89 or early ‘90, this is Danny Selig and Johnny Bartlett. On the right side, having a bad hair day and soaking up the sound: David Nudelman.

more of a joke and shtick band, which is fine, but I think you've got to have the music to back it up. You've got to have both shtick and chops. And I guess I felt like I was always complaining and the lone voice of dissent. So, I decided to quit and let the other guys take the band in the direction that it eventually went. Don't get me wrong, I really loved being in the Phantom Surfers and wouldn't trade any of my experiences for anything. Great band. And I'll tell you, the records don't do that band justice, because we sounded so BIG live. Lots and lots of energy. Good times, good times. Was it difficult to get together with all this difficult characters in the band? I mean you travelled quite a lot, 4 times in Japan, Europe, some national tours… Well, Mel lived in L.A. (400 miles away from San Francisco) and I think that made doing stuff like practicing difficult, but he would travel up to SF for gigs quite a bit. All the trips were a blast. We only did one national tour while I was in the band and that was with Trent Ruane playing second guitar. Mel couldn't make the trip. The overseas trips took some planning and coordination, but the folks on the other end took care of us. The Japanese people are the best. We were treated like kings.

Did you practise a lot alone or with the band? I mean the sense of humor and fun on stage are one thing, but OF COURSE there is a lot of work behind your sound and show concept. So tell the truth, what have you done to leave the pain and suffering behind when you went on stage? I don't really understand the question, but I have always practiced guitar alone. And like I said before, we didn't practice that much because for most of the band's existence Mel lived 400 miles away. But we'd practice when he flew up for gigs. Maybe the lack of practice made for a lot of energy on stage. Maybe that was a plus. One PHANTOM SURFERS LP is entitled “The Phantom Surfers and Dick Dale” which looks like a collaboration but is basically a tribute. Why didn't you team up with him? Well, that album is basically an in-joke. It's more a tribute to Crown Records, which was a budget record label in the '50s and '60s that would license one or two songs from a famous singer or band and then fill the rest of the album with music from some second rate band. And most of those albums had cover art by a painter named Fazzio. So, we got Russell Quan (an

In 1991, on cross-country tour, four men posing by Johnny’s 1970 Ford Econoline van. Somewhere between Los Angeles and New York. Mel didn't make the road trip. “Absolutely the most uncomfortable vehicle ever manufactued. There were only 2 seats in this van. Bad for touring.”

CHOKE 16

King King club in Hollywood in 1991: That's Dannielle Pimm of the TRASHWOMEN go-go dancing. She used to gogo dance for the PHANTOM SURFERS all the time. Note Trent Ruane playing by now for a 3 guitar assault. Johnny: “This is when we sounded our best live.”

accomplished painter) to mimic Fazzio's style and we decided to use those two non-surf Dick Dale tracks and make Dick Dale look like the second rate band (with our name in big type and his in smaller). Those songs by Dick Dale appear on about a dozen exploitation albums back in the early '60s. So that's part of the joke. It's a very long story, to tell you the truth, and I think very few people understand it. But, the few people that do understand the joke really, really think it's great. And I have to admit, I think it's a brilliant piece of work. We also had the record pressing plant leave out the inner sleeve (just like Crown Records used to do to save money). When Mel picked up the records he opened one and it had an inner sleeve. He made them open them all and remove the inner sleeves. The attention to detail on that project is amazing. That was a lot of fun.

of mine. I got him to autograph my Sudells 45. Also I wrote a piece on 'Guitar Sounds' in Gearhead Magazine and I was quite complimentary to Davie. Then when I met him a few months later he told me how crazy he was for what I wrote about him. That was a treat.

Have you seen a Dick Dale show recently? What do you think of his live shows now? I saw him like a week ago, and it was “OK” but nothing more. He even did a “Smoke on the water” cover…

Beside of the PHANTOM SURFERS, which band is your favourite masked Garage / Punk / Surf / whatever band?

I first saw him in 1986 and he had like a 12 piece band. It was okay. Then I saw his first “comeback” show at Slim's in SF in around '92 or '93 (I can't remember the exact year) and he was fucking amazing. Then I saw him around 6 months after that and he sucked. Go figure. How did you hook up with guitar legend Davie Allen? That's after my time. Though I've met the man and he is an idol

With Mel Bergman he also has formed the RAMONETURES, a band that covers Ramones tunes in a Ventures style, what do you think about this band? It's a brilliant concept and fun to listen to. I'm all for it. They execute the whole thing very well.

Well, of course the MUMMIES were amazing. Even the few gigs they did out of uniform in their street clothes. I also like the You Know Who Group. When did you form HILLSDALE records? And why? I started Hillsdale Records in 1992 because ever since I was 10 years old I've had a fixation on l

Another picture of the SURFERS van, this time at the parking lot of a Tee-Pee Motel. Due to the fact that there are no other cars around, the motel is probably out of business... Another great concept people were not ready for...

CHOKE 17

records. I used to fantasize about working for Capital Records. I love records. Starting a label just seemed like it would be fun and I could have control over the product being put out. Maz Kattuah convinced me that I should start a label and he really gave me encouragement in that regard. What does a band have to be like to be released on HILLSDALE? The only criterion to be on Hillsdale is that I have to love the recordings. The genre isn't as important as how much I like it. The great thing about doing a label like mine is that I don't have any schedule or quota to meet, so I'm not tempted to put out records just for the sake of putting out records. I only put out stuff I love, and therefore I have no regrets about any release. You are now playing in SATURN V, how much time was between PHANTOM SURFERS and your new band? Like I said earlier, I was in the Phantom Surfers, the Saturn V and the Sugar King Boys all at the same time. I think the Saturn V is kind of winding down now (Orbit moved to Oklahoma) and I've started a new band called the Barbary Coasters with most of the guys in the Saturn V. But we added a female lead singer (Miss Jessica) and another guitarist (Rick Kvoriak). Where do you see the biggest difference between these two bands? Leadership and originality. With the Saturn V, Orbit was the definitive leader and really took care of all the details and grind of keeping a band together. I had a great deal of creative input, which was nice, but Orbit was, without doubt, the leader. The Phantom Surfers was much more of a democracy with everybody playing a leadership role. As you can imagine there are pluses and minuses to that form of organization. Also,

Obviously playing with THE MUMMIES [and Russell Quans drunkit], 1991 or 1992 at the DNA Lounge? Or in some other club in San Francisco?

CHOKE 18

the Phantom Surfers made a lot of original material and I think we were real trailblazers doing something when there was nobody else doing that stuff (except maybe the UNTAMED YOUTH). So, that was definitely a special time and place. Why is it that so many people from bands start a label? Do you have any idea or explanation therefore? I think those people that are in bands that start labels are just music lovers, pure and simple. Plus, you just get to meet so many people Is â&#x20AC;&#x153;David Nudelmanâ&#x20AC;? a real name? Yes, in fact, his brother, Aaron Nudelman, was the drummer in Wig Torture for a time. Then when I left Wig Torture, he became the guitarist. Do you care about what is happening in the music scene nowadays? Do you pursue the careers of your former PHANTOM SURFERS band mates? Yeah, I still keep in touch with the Phantom Surfers. And I still go to shows to see bands, but I'll admit that I'm very selective. I no longer go out for the sake of going out. But if someone tells me about a great band, I'll go check them out. Have you ever been at a PHANTOM SURFERS show after you quit, and if yes, how did you feel like? Yes, I went to one Phantom Surfers show shortly after I quit. I have to tell you that it's a very, very weird feeling. I didn't like the feeling it was like having an out of body experience. It was just very strange. You mentioned that you also play[ed] in several other bands now, do they all fit in the genres surf // frat rock or is one of the bands something completely different?

Well, since my first band (which was basically just punk rock) every band I've been in has been based on fifties or sixties rock and roll so, essentially, the era between 1954 and 1966. I listen to a lot of music made before 1954, but I don't listen to much made after 1966. You played at the WILD WEEKEND in Benidorm, Spain, last November. What was it like to share the bill with one of the icons of surf music, THE ATLANTICS? And which bands did you like most? The Wild Weekend was a BLAST!!! A real good time. I thought the best band was LES TERRIBLES from Paris. I think they blew everyone away. It was also a treat to see the BRISTOLS from England. I'm a big fan of theirs. There were other great bands, but I thought those two were the stand-outs. Please describe a typical work day and a typical weekend in the life of Johnny Bartlett. Oh jeez, my work day is not very exciting. I get up and go to

something you learned by yourself, autodidact, or did you attend some lessons in art school or something similar? No, I studied psychology in college. I didn't realize till later how much I loved the graphic arts. I wish I could go back and study art in school. So, I taught myself and studied books and other peoples works. You've quite a lot experience in the wacky world of rock n roll, do you have any advice for the upstart, for the younger generation of bands? My only advice is to be a do-er. Does that make sense? So, if you're in a band, don't wait too long to put out records. Put out as many records as you can. Publish as many 'zines as you can. Go on as many tours as possible. Just do as much as you can so that you don't have regrets later in life.

A pretty casual gig - the ’t PHANTOM SURFERS don l wear a uniform. It’s Michae Lucas, Maz Katthua and 2. Johnny Bartlett, circa 199

work in San Francisco at an advertising agency. I usually get home at 6:30 or 7:00 pm and then I either do some freelance graphic design (I do a lot of album covers for other bands and other labels) or I go to a basebal l game. Or, Tuesday nights is band practice with the Barbary Coaster s. Promptly after band practice we all go to La Pinata for Mexica n food and margaritas. The weekends will find me barbequing and mowing the lawn, changing the oil in my car. Stuff like that. My wife and I bought a house in Oakland in 1999 and it needs lots of work, so there's always someth ing to do on the house. I'll also go to guitar stores and record shops on the weekend. Hit garage sales and flea markets. I play baseball every Sunday in a pick-up game. Funny thing is that about 90% of the guys that play baseball are in bands. I'm really not a sports fan, but I love baseball (it's my secret shame) . Where can I get HILLSDALE RECORDS releases over here in Europe?

Well, that’s basicly it... for now. Be sure to stop by at the HILLSDALE RECORDS website next time you are travelling on the info-super highway. He released fine records by bands like THE TRASHWOMEN, UNTAMED YOUTH, DEKE DICKERSON, BOSS MARTIANS and many more. For me it’s time to say goodbye, and I want to say “THANKS Johnny!!!” for taking time to do this here, especially for giving me all these great photos! All of them are from his photo archive. Sven-Erik Geddes took some of them [e.g. The group shot in front of the Golden Gate Bridge], the other photographers... are unknown.

I don't know what record stores in particular, but I do have a distribu tor (Clear Spot in the Netherlands). Bertus Kor is my contact there, and he's one of the greatest guys. You also do some work as designer of logos and cover art, is this

www.hillsdalerecords.com CHOKE 19

ey feel.”pt”] tly how th Hey kids, do you remember the feeling , I know exac 's “Contem rd da Go uc -L “I like godspr oducer from Jean lm fi n ca ri [Ame you had when you first heard the SONICS?

And how about that retarded bunch of… First… to get a little bit of an overview… who is in THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN, who is doing BOOM BOOM RECORDS, and who is Daniel Ferducci? THEE DUTCHMEN IS: STINKY plays BASE ICKY plays GUITAR GENE plays DRUMS TRIXIE plays ORGAN

err…. retards, wrapped up in band aid, spilling

drinks

and

kicking

bums,

named THE MUMMIES? If you want to get that

very

feeling

again,

then

get

yourself a copy of THEE FLYING DUTCH MEN

and

listen

their

raw

and

primitive “recordings”. Let me mention that the experience of listening to this songs may end in a trauma, emo crybabies,

Vocal duties are shared by all band members, I sings

please hide at your sisters pyjama party,

mostly if I can remember the words (and I usually

you punks are dumb and don't get it

CAN'T!!) except all the girl parts sung by TRIXIE,

anyway, and the rockers are also allowed

natcherly cause she's a GURL!!! DANNY FERDUCCI is the dumbfuck who bankrolls the

to listen to this, but be sure to stay on the safe side with some herbal doping.

BOOM BOOM of RENTON EMPIRE!! He is pretty much

For those who remain, welcome to another

a renaissance man, editing his nudie Rock & Roll

episode

magazine CAVE MAN, putting together his first motion

car-crash-music, THE FLYING DUTCHMEN

picture “THE RIP OFF or DO YOU MIND IF I BORROW

tell all about sex, violence and more

I-lost-my-identity-in-a-

YOUR ARMS” and perfecting his jet fuel formula. Since

meaningless, exploitative sleaze PLUS

he pays for the records, he figures it's his right to write

tons of free valuable advices for your

long winded liner notes. There is a FANTASTIC candid

wasted thing called life!

photo of him in the first issue of the FANG CLUB DIGEST where his ding dong hangs down to the floor. He runs BOOM BOOM and if you don't like DUH FLYINK DUTCHMEN's records, take it up with him, cause we don't like 'em either. Have you played in other bands before? Nope, this is our very first band EVER, can't you tell? We saw other bands play and had heard records before, and it sounded pretty easy, so we all put our money together and bought instruments. Stinky borrowed his stuff from the SPIDER MEN though, and GENE NATAI swiped some of the ZOMBIE IV's shit, but other than that we own all our guitars and amplifiers outright. Except the DUTCHESS, who stole FRANKIE RODRIGUEZ JR's hands. Oh yeah and we ripped off all our songs too.

CHOKE 20

This is Gene, he plays with the Olsen twins and likes drums, or the other way round.

Who is responsible for the visual concept? And who takes care of your FANG CLUB? DOT BLACKWELL is responsible for the aesthetic for the label, applying her twelve years in graphic arts school to provide the perfect uneven, sloppy amateur look for the BOOM BOOM recording artists and hangerson. What we skimp on music production we more than make up for paying Dot's salary. She is also easy on the eyes (38-24-38!! YOW!!). MELVIN DUNDINKLE is the FANG CLUB BIG BOSS. His duties are many, since he has to keep track of the thirteen FANG CLUB members at all times, making sure they are wearing their FANG CLUB tee shirts and FANG CLUB membership badges. He pretty much bosses the BOOM Right above you can see the label print of the “CAVEMAN SESSIONS” LP. I just wanted to put it here because of that nudie girl. Below: On the cover of their FANG CLUB Magazine.

BOOM staff around too when FERDUCCI's out playing hanky panky with his secretary. What gear did you use to record your debut album? Did you track down all the old stuff the MUMMIES threw away or… We recorded the old CAVEMAN SESSIONS LP on a hand held tape recorder like a WALKMAN hanging on the wall at band practice. Then to achieve the proper fidelity our practice tapes bounced around in my car for a while, building up the perfect amount of nicotine and alcohol as we listened to them on my car stereo to make sure they was “ just right”. Then we took the best versions of each song and on the eleventh hour mixing session a month before touring, we mixed it on a karaoke machine as it was the only tape deck around with output jacks and no fuckin clue how to mix so everything was maxed out. Funny how some people spend thousands of clams inna studio to get the same effect. And who is these MUMMIES I keep hearing about? They must be pretty shitty to be compared to the DUTCHMEN.

A very exciting collage of live pictures. Please notice Trixies Tshirt which says: “Don’t fuck with the dutchess”. Nasty nasty.

CHOKE 21

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT What is the aim of the [soon world famous] SOUTH

many bands, too many hip fucks standing round

KING COUNTY DEVILS CLUB?

at shows lookin cool and too many pro attitude shmoes that think they're fuckin rock gods. It

The aim of the SOUTH KING COUNTY DEVIL's CLUB is to

must be like this everywhere?! There are a

serve cheap booze off the heaving bosoms of shapely topless

couple bands I'm excited about though, namely

dancers. It's also to sell more BOOM BOOM records, cause

the FE FI FO FUMS, soon to have a 45 on BOOM

who would buy this shit if they knew it was recorded in my

BOOM of RENTON. The VIDEO VAULT in West

basement?

Seattle is good to rent movies at (they even have an “adult section” so I'm told ). DICK's BURGERS

THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN releases [the 7” and the LP]

is good, as well as ALADDIN's FALAFEL in the U-

are the first releases on BOOM BOOM RECORDS since

district. Pretty much the food is good but the

uhm… three years I guess. How did you convince the

bands stink. If you come here, bring a book.

CEO's of before mentioned record company to resume their activities?

Did you already play a lot away from Seattle?

No, actually BOOM BOOM has put out several releases in the

Yeah, we did... our last trip outta town landed us

past three years. You just never heard of em cause they're

with a blown head gasket on the FLYING DUTCH

surf records. Basically, the DUTCHMEN went to old man

VAN, stupendous rental car fees, a hair cut for

FERDUCCI as a last resort cause no other reputable “

GENE, and a strangle order to never return to

GARAGE” “ PUNK” label would even LOOK at us slobs!!

the PARKSIDE in S.F. Mostly people dig us more

HAR! HAR!!

at out of town shows, cause none of them know

How many copies were pressed of these releases?

we can't afford to go anywhere else.

Evidently every BOOM BOOM record has a run of 500.

When exactly did you start with THEE

Actually 501, cause you don't hafta pay yet another set up fee

FLYING DUTCHMEN?

if you get over 500. The BOOM BOOM PARTY PLATTER and

important: what was the runner-up name?

us. We try and go down to California once a year,

And maybe more

the ZOMBIE IV seven inchers are SOLD OUT. And by SOLD OUT, I mean ALL GONE! NO REPRESSES!!!! I think he's just

We had a hard time coming up with names, but

glad to get rid of records and move onto the next one.

the close calls were TATER TOT & the MASHED POTATOS, MASHED POTATO &

Does Seattle rock? And if yes, please tell us why! Seattle does rock and that's it's problem. WAAAAYYYY too

CHOKE 22

the TATER TOTS, THE OOGAH BOOGAHS, STINKY & the SNEAKY SNEAKER

THE

LEFT: Another live shot / collage. Altough this one is quite well done, I’m sure it will never be possible to capture the live energy (and smell)] of these newcomers. BELOW: Climbing a tree - posing like real rock stars.

SNIFFERS, THE LOUSY LAYS, BOO BOO & THE BARF BAGS, and GOOFUS & the GALLANTS. You can plainly see why we chose the least stupid name THE FLYING DUTCHMEN. We started right before our first record came out as an excuse to go down to California and get drunk. Isn't that why all bands start? Which bands have played a predominant role as musical and/or visual influence for you? HMMMMMMMMM......would hafta say RUBBER BANDS, wrapped tightly around the testicles. If you could pick a band / artist throughout history to make a split single with, who would that be? This one's tough....probly the FE FI FO FUMS, cause they're so fuckin GREAT!! Plus then the kids working the record mart wouldn't hafta figure out which bin to put it in, especially cause nobody looks in the split section anyways. Considering the fact that you keep on nagging on how big and professional you are, why have you chosen “lo-fi” aka budget rock™ as your genre? We don't need to NAG about our world famous “professionalism” (averaging nearly $35 a show plus two drink tickets a piece) or our “bigness” ( mebbe you are referring to our tits?) because anybody who has listened to our records can tell we are just a bunch of goofs. This shit is all we know how to play. We didn't set out to be a “LO FI” “GARAGE PUNK” band.....we just wanna have fun and you can't CHOKE 23

really have fun when you're worried about complicated chord

LP, our LIVE AT THE DEVIL'S CLUB 7”, a

progressions or stepping on the wrong effects pedal. We put out

FANG CLUB tee shirt, the new issue of the

ROCK & ROLL records that WE would like to listen to and if other

FANG CLUB DIGEST, a membership badge

kids dig what we are doing then fine. So is lo fi budget rock a genre

to pin onto your tit, a membership card to

now? HO HUM......

wear in your pocket, A MYSTERY 45(???????) and lotsa bugs!!! Just make

Who's got the bands's worst musical taste? NAW....We ALL got excellent taste, we eat only the finest records. For the few people who never had the chance to listen to you're music, decribe the sound and attidute of THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN.

money payable to J.D. Lortz, FANG CLUB treasurer. We take FANG MAIL at BOOM BOOM of Renton FANG CLUB 9014 13th AVE S.W. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98106 USA

THE SOUND OF THE FLYING DUTCHMEN is four kids in a

But if you just wanna buy our records try

basement having fun playing ROCK & ROLL. We do records for the

Soundflat distribution in Germany or you

hell of it. More of you kids should try it instead of sitting on

can check out our BRAND NEW internet

garagepunk.com arguing over lyrics to “Surfin bird” or what A-

site at www.boom-boom.net and see whut

FRAMES album is the best. As far as our attitude, ask me when I'm

kind of trouble you can get into with mom's

drunk.

pocketbook!

Does your live appearance differ a lot from your studio recordings?

Still

here?

Well,

then

you

Yeah, at our live appearances you can actually SEE us in person

might be interested to see these

instead of having to just settle for longing gazes at our pictures in

kids live, they are taking a

your FANG CLUB DIGEST while you listen to our records. And less

break from elementary school

tape hiss.

and come over this november. For

Got any ideas for a video? A good idea for a video would be LILLY CHRISTINE and LILY ST. CYR undressing each other slowly and then kissing each others voluptuous curves all over. But THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN are

tour

dates

look

www.kissnrun.com,

better

come to Innsbruck, Austria on November 26th 2004, where they play their best show EVER...

featured in the BOOM BOOM of RENTON compilation video BOOM BOOM STAG PARTY VOLUME 1. We appear for at least twenty minutes before we are booed offstage in a hail of rotten tomatos and cups of lukewarm piss. So what's in future for THEE FLYING DUTCHMEN? Well, gimp, we WAS gonna put out another LP, but it turned out screwy, so we mebbe gonna do another 45. We plan on getting bigger and more professional as time passes, perhaps making $45 dollars a show and receiving THREE measly drink tickets apiece! How can a simple boy like me become a member of this elitist association named FANG CLUB? Is it all just a matter of money or what? Why, Gimp!! I'm glad you asked!! It IS JUST A MATTER OF MONEY!! To join this gallant gang of giggling goofs, simply mail us $20 US dollars if you live in the states, or $35 overseas cause postage is so fucked!! You get all sortsa great shit like our CAVEMAN SESSIONS

CHOKE 24

Below: This is me, knocked out, while wearing th official Fang Club shirt for the first time. No coincidence...

CHOKE 25

dave CRIDER When my filthy hands first held some garage punk records, they had a very significant logo on it. I though, “Estrus”, what the hell does that mean? Nevertheless I wrote them in order to get to know more about them, and their releases. At this time I didn't even have an internet connection. Some time later I thought it'll be cool to do a fanzine, Estrus was already one of my favourite labels, so I wrote them again, and wow, they supported me with records, and for the ad in issue 2 or 3, Dave sent me a cheque with 25 bucks. I was so stunned, I didn't even want to cash it, I wanted to frame it and put it on the wall. Of course I cashed it. When Chris Reeky came up with the idea of doing a special choke budget rock issue, it was obvious that I have to ask Mr.Crider a bunch of dull questions… Which bands introduced you into rock'n'roll and to get the Mono Men stuff released or did punkrock and when? Pretty tough question as since my folks were heavy

you already have a masterplan for “THE GARAGE PUNK LABEL” in your drawer?

into music I always had that available to me. They

No masterplan at all… really just sorta

we into the usual culprits Stones, Beatles,

steamrolled on it's own actually. As you suggest

Zeppelin, CCR and had a pretty extensive collection

label came about to release first the Roofdogs

of wax. Link Wray singles, etc… I think the first

and than the Mono Men swag and grew from

“punk” band that had an impact on me was most

there. Just realized that there were other bands

likely X. The “Los Angeles” LP totally caught me off

that I dug and since had already got things

guard… bought that the same time/day as

rolling with a couple of releases figured, why the

Motorhead “Ace of Spades” both slabs remain two

fuck not?

of my faves to this day…. Before you started ESTRUS, you played in THE ROOFDOGS, an instrumental band. Did you play in bands before them? Oh yeah… I have been in bands on and off since junior high school. Diana (singer for the Dt's) and I were in my first “real” band back in high school. The first release on ESTRUS was the MONO MEN “Burning Bush” 7”. Did you start the label just

CHOKE 26

Give one reason why the world is in need of ESTRUS records! Because everyone needs more quality in their lives and Estrus has “Quality…Out The Ass!”

Looking at releases like CHERRY VALENCE,

Why did you decide to the last Mono Men 7"

DIPLOMATS OF SOLID SOUND, FATAL

release there?

FLYING GUILLOTEENS, do you think the “sound” of your label changed over the

Just sorta worked out that way. Really do like the way that single came out though!

years? How did all the budget rock bands from S.F. Perhaps BUT actually I think that all bands on

come across Estrus records?

the Label do share a common thread both musically and philosophically. My only criteria -

I really can't remember exactly but I do remember

as to whether I work with a band and release

that I snagged the first Mummies single and was

their music - is that I like them both as a band

pretty blown away… the whole “budget rock” scene

and as people. The Varity has always been there

was pretty much centred around Pre-BS Records/

but folks tend to focus on the “sub-genres”

The Mummies. Close knit group and they all knew

within the label that they most enjoy…. The

and hung out with each other. So I guess we all

Mortals are pretty different from Impala who

sorta just met each other along the line at some

are different from The Drags who are different

point.

from Man or Astro-Man? Who are different

How did you hook up with the Mummies and

from the Quadrajets who are different from the

what was your weirdest experience with

Crown Royals… wouldn't you agree?

them?

How came the connection between the

I met the Mummies at a show at Squid Row in

Mono Men / Estrus and the tiny austrian

Seattle. Talked to Trent after the show a bit and we

label PURE VINYL?

kept in touch pretty regular after that. Too many

The cat who runs the label was a fan of the

weird experiences… what do expect when your

band and wanted to do the single…we dug what

dealing with a bunch of cretins wrapped gauze!?!

he was doing with the label…really as simple as

What are your all time favourite "budget

that.

rock" bands? Who are the unseen/forgotten

CHOKE 27

heroes?

ESSENTIAL OR IMPORTANT ESTRUS RECORDS

The Mummies. Yup. I'd say that sums up both questions pretty well. Now, you just released a “lost tracks” MUMMIES CD. What would you say if these boys came up with the idea of a reunion? I would say “bring it the fuck on!”…I doubt that would ever happen but I have learned to never say never. Why did they disband? I'm not exactly sure you'd have to ask the band…I think they anwser this question on their website thou. Www.themummies.com. And why did you stop /w the MONOMEN?

THE MUMMIES - The Fabulous Mummies 7" The third MUMMIES 7” ever, first pressing of 200 copies on red vinyl. Later on there are three other MUMMIES 7”es on Estrus Records, “High Heel Sneakers” as a promo [an re-released as ES 94017R], and the 2 first 7”es, originally released on Russell Quan's PRE B.S. Records, “s/t” and “Food, Sickles, Girls”. THE PHANTOM SURFERS - Orbitron 7" First pressing: 350 red vinyl, second pressing: 1150 black vinyl, five songs including the classic “Surf Rider”, a songs you might know from the Pulp Fiction flick. TEENGENERATE - Sex Cow 7" The second ever TEENGENERATE 7”, maybe the one that made them famous all over the world. Simple b/w cover. THE BRENTWOODS - You Broke My Heart 7" The last release of this all-girl-plus-Darin-Raffaelli-group, recorded “live” from their SRO shows at the South City Glee Club Jamboree and Cake Walk, if you play this one loud, you are a very brave women/man. Includes a funny dialog between the owner of a club and the Brentwoods.

After 10 years and close to 60 releases we all figured that we had pretty much done all that we wanted to do with the band. Our only real goal when we started the band was to have an excuse to get together and play music and drink beer, so….. What's your all-time favourite record label, and

THE VON ZIPPERS - Monkey On You 7" This one is listed here because the title song “Monkey On You” is definitely their best song ever! Roaring guitar and great singalong chorus plus weird monkey growls at the beginning! SUPERCHARGER - Don't Mess Me Up 7" (promo) Originally released in 1993, 400 copies, re-released as ESP6R, with Dick Jaws on the “Mighty Wurlitzer Piano”.

why? Estrus…no big surprise there. AND IF YOU KEEP YOUR LABEL ASIDE…??? Maybe STAX…but I really don't think in terms of labels...it's the music that counts wouldn't you agree? Back to ESTRUS, how many folks are working at Estrus Records, the ILKCII said that it's just you and your wife, right? Actually it's three of us. Myself, Bekki and Carl. Bekki handles Mail-Order and Carl is in charge of the website for the most part. How many copies of each release are kept in the secret vaults of Estrus, so that you can sell them 10 years later via ebay? I usually stash a couple copies of things away for myself but not enough copies to think about reselling. What about you, do you have some record collector mentality? How important is it for you to get the first pressings of a record, or the

CHOKE 28

SUPERCHARGER - Goes Way Out! LP Second album by this phenomenon from South City, CA., once more defining the term “Budget Rock” THE FALL OUTS - Here I Come & Other Hits LP Although their discograopy says its “see-through clear vinyl”, I got it in black, plain black. This is a early compilation, containing songs from 1986-1989, when they still where wild and noisy. Worth buying just for the UberHit “Made my bed, gonna lie in it”. TEENGENERATE - Smash Hits! LP A collection of singles from this Japanese high speed garage punk powerhouse, essentially because its just not possible to get all the old 7”es except you are a zillionaire. Comes with extensive liner notes of Hiroshi Sekigushi / Screaming Fist Magazine, printed on the INSIDE of the cover… no, it's not a gatefold. Contains a bunch of cool cover versions, e.g. Wild Weekend [The Zeros], Just Head [Nervous Eaters], Midnight To Six Man [Pretty Things], Burn My Eye [Radio Birdman] SUPERCHARGER - s/t LP For many people this is the ignition for Budget Rock, in my eyes this debut album by Supercharger is not as good as the second one, although it contains classics like “Zodiac” [later covered by THE RIP OFFS], “San Bruno”, “The ghost of Steve McQueen” and “Sooprize Package for Mr.Mineo” [later covered by THE MUMMIES]. Originally released on RADIO X Records [RX01] with a print run 500. You're a lucky guy if you track down one copy of this… all the others should definitely own at least one copy of the Estrus edition! TRASHWOMEN - Spend The Night With... LP Not as noise as the “Live at the Purple Onion” LP, this is a classic release by the all-girl-surf-threesome!

colored vinyl edition of something??? I guess that depends on the release…I do appreciate cool packaging for sure. I heard that a bunch of the MUMMIES 7”es have got a print run of 1000 or 1500, even though it's stated that the print run is only 500. Can you confirm that? And what's with the re-pressings, you did some of the MUMMIES 7”es, how many did you re-press, and what is the average print run of ESTRUS 7” releases? I can't really comment on any of the non estrus releases. The mummies Pre-BS reissues we released are not limited editions but they may be going out of print now since the cd compilation is out. Unfortunateely 7” singles aren't really selling that weel, at least for us. Lucky to sell 500 copies of a given single, more likely quite a but less. Too bad. One of my favourite Estrus 7”s is the BRENTWOODS “You broke my heart”. Do you know what happened to them? I know that Danielle is in the BOBBYTEENS now, but what happened to Karen and what is Darin Raffaelli doing? RADIO X seems to be de-funct, too right? Well, they broke up but beyond that I can't really tell you much else. As far as I know neither Karen or Darin are in bands at the moment. Don't know for sure that Darin is not doing Radio X anymore but it has been a long time since he has released anything. A lot of artwork of ESTRUS releases has been done by ART CHANTRY, you worked together for I guess more than a dozen years now, when did you get to know him? Is he also into the music you are releasing and playing? Do you think the cover designs transferred some kind of image into your label? And finally do you consider the artwork as very important part of a release? One of my best friends. He moved down to St Louis a few years back so I don't see him often at all any more but we stay in very regular contact. His

CHOKE 29

design work has played a big past in the whole feel

known each other since high school and she is

of the label for sure. Art is into the music we work

the voice of Madame X. Diana and I had been

on for sure. I do think that artwork is important…you

talking about getting a band together that for

can have a great record without great artwork but

quite a while but seemed we were both too busy

why go halfass?

with other project to actually get that happening

After the MONO MEN, you played in a band namend WATTS, now you've got a new band, THE DT's. Until now I haven't heard a single song, so please tell me what the DT's sound like, is it like the ROOFDOGS.

and with her in Seattle and me in Bellingham that didn't help either. But when she moved up here to finish school the Dt's became a reality. We both really dig raw soul and loud hard rock and so that's where we headed with the Dt's….Hard Soul! Our Full length cd, Hard Fixed,

The DT's are nothing like The Roofdogs, who were all

iscoming out in early April…am pretty stoked

intro. The Roofdogs connection is our keyboard

about that! You can get more info on the band at

player, Patti, who was also in The Roofdogs. Our

our website: www.estrus.com/bands/dts

singer, Diana, is one of my oldest friends…we have

CHOKE 30

A NICE CHIT CHAT WITH PLANET PIMP LABEL BOSS AND “MUSICIAN” AND “PHOTOGRAPHER”

TG: Okay, let's get it on, here are a bunch of questions… First of all, please tell us your birthday, zodiac sign, an what's in your stomach right now? SE: December 15. You're not a very good reporter if you can't figure out my zodiac sign. Frankly, I expected more from choke media empire. Nothing is in my stomach, whatever was there is now shit. TG: Well, I think shit is more than nothing. And the zodiac question has just been a test. Your name sounds a bit… Danish or so… do you have ancestors from good ole Europe? SE: None that I know of. What's so good about it? TG: I'm just asking, trying to slip into a conversation, bro! 1. Why did you start with PLANET PIMP Records? SE: This is your third question, yet it is labeled number one. Does not compute. TG: Aha, you are trying to evade my question… very suspicious… Did you also play in some bands before? The Pussyhounds, the Highlander II's and now Hiroshi Hasegawas' Poontang Wranglers (featuring the Commodore). TG: What part did David Nudelman play in this whole music thing? SE: It's a bit of a stretch to call David Nudelmans' output music. To answer your question, he played the guitar and sang. TG: Is the label still “active” as we say? SE: "No," as we say. TG: Are any Planet Pimp Records releases still available? SE: Anything that hasn't sold out is still available through my distributor, Revolver. TG: Why didn't you bring out pt.2 of the “Sounds of American…” seven inch… SE: I've found that you get a better return on your money by loaning it to gambling addict speed freak friends, ex-girlfriends or by just burning it. TG: [in fact, he released a sequel to “Sounds of American Fast Food Restaurants”, called “Sounds of American Adult Bookstores”, hm… why does he conceal this record? Again, VERY suspicious…] You also released the soundtrack of “Blood Orgy of the Leather Girls”, with a lot of strange bands and sound bits. Is it right that Mike Lucas' wife directed this movie? SE: Mike and his partner have never married and even if they could he is more the woman in that relationship. Anyway his sister directed the film. TG: Elka Zolot / TRASHWOMEN is also appearing on that album, do you know what she's doing now? I heard she's in some Rap / Hip Hop group… SE: I have heard the same thing, except that they were more NuMetal like Limp Bisquit. They were also called "Kike Attack" at one point. TG: It spells with “b-i-z-k-i-t”, just for the records. Who was in the CAR THIEVES? SE: They were a queer band from DC. Eventually they moved to San Francisco.

TG: Who is that girl on the “Larry Winther and his Mummies” single, with the diving goggles on? SE: I don't know. I bought the picture in a second hand store. TG: Well, the backcover says “Back Cover Photos by S-E Geddes” so it's a violation of applicable laws… You did a lot of photographs from that “golden era” (ha ha) of budget rock, like the MUMMIES posing in front of their Pontiac ambulance, or a lot of PHANTOM SURFERS photographs. Did you learn to photograph somewhere, or are you auto-didact? SE: I suppose that I am auto-didact, whatever the fuck that means. They say that if you follow your passion, your dreams will come true. I don't believe that. Let's say that your passion is child molesting or early to mid 90's garage rock. Following these passions could not possibly be in either your or the publics interest. Furthermore, I would like to add that this is one of the worst interviews that I have ever done. On the other hand it is still in the top ten of all interviews that I've done (I have done very few). G's, Sveno TG: Thanks to, it was a pleasure!

CHOKE 31

GREG

LOWERY

Hey Kids. I've got the opportunity to interview one of the all-time great garage punk record moguls: Greg Lowery. For those not in the know, Greg fronted his own band SUPERCHARGER, after they disbanded after an extensive tour through Europe with the fabulous MUMMIES, he started THE RIP OFFS with Shane and Jason White [of THE FINGERS fame] and of course RIP OFF Records. He discovered some of the greatest talents the left field of Rock & Roll has known including LOLI & THE CHONES, THE PROBLEMATICS, THE MOTARDS, and many more [see RIP OFF RECORDS DISCOGRAPHY, birdbrain!]. He was the only man brave enough to release a full length LP by a band called “Captain 9's And The Knickerbocker Trio” [Note: I don’t really have a plan what they sound like, but a band with that name must be totally ga-ga].

Why did you start a record label? It is just a lot of work, and if you try to put out good music, you won't even get rich. I never started the label to get rich, just to have fun. And I still am. I put out the first single by a band of then kids in 1993 called the Statics. Most small labels come to life like this: There's a band, they recorded some songs and they send them around, but no label wants to put it out so they start their own label. The first release on RIP OFF RECORDS was THE STATICS seven inch, so why? I put out the first single by a band of then kids in 1993 called the Statics, originally they wanted to be on the Supercharger label Radio X, but Darin didn't want them on the label. So Rip Off Records was born. Who came up with the term “BUDGET ROCK? How would you define this term and what record do you see as the ignition for this “genre”? The term budget rock was from Trent Ruane I believe. You see the Mummies were before Supercharger, Supercharger came along towards the last year of the Mummies existence only getting together for a European tour. This was because of his low frills record covers, one sided singles, ideas I kept and incorporated in the early days of Rip Off Records. I would say Trent started a whole trend but just didn't realize it. You said that the whole “concept” of Rip Off Records was benchmarked a.k.a. stolen from Russell Quan's PRE B.S. label. What did he think about it? CHOKE 32

See the above answer, and Russell Quan was not Pre BS, it was Trent Ruane. Trent only put out a few releases of bands that he liked and could care less if others did or not. This is the way it should be, and Rip Off carries on this fine tradition to this day. Are there any bands that you always wanted to have on your label, but it wasn't possible due to “contract problems” or just because the band called it a day? [e.g. THE MUMMIES] Of course there are many bands I wish I put out, but never got the chance. To be honest I was never a huge Mummies fan on record, but live they were one of the greatest live bands I have ever seen, and that's saying a lot. Is there any release that you regret putting out? Only the Swindlers 7 inch”because it had a horrible sound the band had sent me a great sounding record, but the pressing plant could not duplicate this awesome sound. Do you think that the lo-fi recordings are absolutely necessary for capturing the energy of bands like TEENGENERATE, RIP OFFS, PROBLEMATICS etc. I mean, if you would have had the possibility to record it in a better way, don't you think that the things would have developed in another direction? No I don't. Obviously I still play, and the Infections (my previous band) and my current band the Zodiac Killers does not try to go for that lo-fi sound. What happened then was like a snowball effect, sort of the way every band is new wave and has a keyboard now…one band does something others follow. Mummies did their own thing. Supercharger did their own thing. We didn't even know the Mummies before we

recorded our first LP. Others knowingly tried copying the attitude but failed, for example a horrible band that tried ripping off the Mummies, the INVISIBLE MEN.

RECORD COLLECTOR ASSHOLES! DO YOU HAVE EVERY SINGLE RELEASE MR GREG LOWERY, OR “G-Lo.” LIKE HIS FRIENDS CALL HIM. “PLAYED” ON?

What is your favourite record label? [leaving out Rip Off Records of course…]

SUPERCHARGER Icepick! 7" Don't Mess Me up 7" Rev It Up! EP Sooprize Package For Mr. Mineo 7" split 7" with Gas Huffer split flexi 7" with Mummies, "Tour '93" split 7" with Mummies, "Live At The Pit's '93" 7" split 7" with Car Thieves Supercharger LP (various editions) Goes Way Out! Singles Party 1992-1993 LP SIngles compilation Shut The Gate, Suzy, And Don't Let Me In" LP (Nitro Comp) Flaming Burnout, Estrus Benefit Compilation CD Runnin' On Fumes: The Gearhead Magazine Singles CD

Current labels do not seem to have the consistency that I feel I have. Not being conceited, but why do it if you don't feel you're the best? I like older labels, CHISWICK, RAW, SIRE RECORDS had the best run of great bands during the birth of punk rock, true classics. How old have you been when you started with SUPERCHARGER? Did you have any…uhm… experiences with instruments, writing songs etc before or did you just start a band? I was older then most when they start a band, late 20's for me. No I never played anything before, never thought I could. I credit Darin Raffaelli for buying a drum kit, and said we are starting a band. I got my then girlfriend involved, Karen Singletary, and SUPERCHARGER started recording the first LP. We never played live before we recorded that LP, and could not sing and play at the same time. That's how raw, untalented and silly we were. We were totally ignorant. Why did you call the first and only SUPERCHARGER euro tour a “kamikaze trip”, and why did you split up anyway? It was a kamikaze ride I should have not gone on. Darin and myself were not getting along, and it had a lot to do with trying to impress the MUMMIES, instead of doing what we did best. Darin kept saying how horrible we were and wanted to quit, So we had a big blowout onstage in Holland, and that was it. I told him not to talk to me on the rest of the tour, and he didn't. Its all funny now, Darin and myself are on good terms again. What is Karen Singletary doing right now? After the split she [and Darrin] were in the BRENTWOODS, but later Darrin got obsessed with the lo fi // girl group thing and found the DONNAS, but what's with Karen? Karen retired, she didn't really want to do it anymore. She is a normal person with a normal job and trying to get along like all of us. She was the original drummer of the BOBBYTEENS, but didn't have the heart to continue with it. How long was the period between the end of SUPERCHARGER and the beginnings of the RIP OFFS? Did THE FINGERS exist at that time? The timeline: SUPERCHARGER 1991 - March 1993, RIP OFF RECORDS - starts March 1993, RIP OFFS first practice April 1993. Does that help? About a month. The RIP OFFS covered the LURKERS hit *Shadow*”, a punk rock classic, why didn't you cover something of THE PACK or PVC? You are mixing up time lines I think. Most people back then never heard of PVC, the Pack maybe, but I did a Pack song in THE INFECTIONS, a song off their single called Com' On. Will the RIP OFFS or SUPERCHARGER ever be back together, or let me put it differently, how much money should at least be involved? A lot. Are you rich? I still play and am doing exactly what I want, why would play with people I really don't hang out with that much unless it was for a lot of money. $100,000 sounds about right.

THE RIP OFFS Now I Know (It's You) 7" Make Up Your Mind 7" Go Away 7" split 7" with Teengenerate Got A Record LP 1st Annual Texas Speed Trials LP (No lie rec. comp) The Early Ones LP (Comp) The Singles, Second Strike LP (Comp) WITH METAL MIKE london boys/american way 7" INFECTIONS Kill For You 7" Kill ... LP ZODIAC KILLERS The Most Thrilling Experience LP Have A Blast LP The Las Vegas Shakedown! CD (masked superstar rec. comp) Society's Offender LP THATS IT. NOW GO TO EBAY AND SPEND SOME FUKKEN CASH!

You've also been in THE INFECTIONS who you mentioned before, with the Shane brothers, what do you thing about the band of Shane White that came afterwards, the LOOSE LIPS? The Loose Lips broke up a few years ago. They were horrible. I hated them. Did I make myself clear enough there? They recorded songs I rejected in The Infections, songs that sucked, and they thought were good. What is the favourite band you've played in? Probably the latest incarnation of the Zodiac Killers. I have never had more fun in my life playing then I am right now, seriously. Now, is he a nice guy, not yet spo ilt by the mechanisms of Thanks-Greg Lowery superstardom? See... At least, he is a inspiration, in particular for all of you normal, kinda chubby kids out there! Now stop reading and buy the new SUPERCHARGER Live at the Covered Wagon LP!

Thanks The Gimp

CHOKE 33

i s e h c c Lu --------------TINA

-------------

best band around, They may not be the ir practice room, but not even around the The BOBBYTEENS they are charming. gies for it. They are don't make any apolo g as much fun as just there for havin They are the evil possible on stage. early DONNAS, stepmothers of the rner, not asking for standing on the co y're asking you for a money, more likely the of them are girls: chewing gum. Three ls], Lisa Schenberg Tina Lucchesi [voca m [bass]. And that [guitar], Danielle Pim ssell Quan. He has one guy is old: Ru er stupid bands played in some oth mentioning… his before, all not worth s also been in one or trouble and strife ha 's see if that girl can another “band”. So let about both things: teach us something Rock and Roll...

I'm not even thinking about asking you on your whole music career, but could you just give us a brief histor y of the things you did in the past, how many bands did you play with, et cetera…

Hmmm, well THE TRASHWOMEN, played drum s in THE NEANDERDOLLS for a second or so, sang in TINA AND THE TOTAL BABES, I play drums in the GLAMOUR PUSS IES, play in the BOBBYTEENS and I'm singing for my new punk rock band called the DEADLY WEAPONS, and there's new projects in the works. So the first band was the TRASHWOMEN right? How did they get together? Mike Lucas from the PHANTOM SURFERS wante d an all girl band called THE TRASHWOMEN to open for the PHANTOM SURFERS on New Years Eve 1991 I think. So Elka was already in EIGHT BALL SCRATCH and she was of course the talented one, me and Danielle were nominated to play bass and drums we were all pals! It was supposed to be a one shot deal, but we had so much fun we continued for 5 years. And why did they break up?

Nice girls huh? THE GLAMOUR PUSSIES. CHOKE 34

------------------------------------------------------egos going koo koo !! It had to Sooo much lame bullshit with big other!!! It's a shame it was a fun end or we would've killed each for me!! band! The most fun ever I think l releases out on the German labe There's three TRASHWOMEN as' Luc e Mik with se elea is a co-r PIN UP Records [in fact one LP know who ran this label? I'm you do l], labe s ord Rec ENT REP of legendary 7"es came out on just asking because a bunch / SUPERCHARGER tour split that imprint, like the MUMMIES 7"… out o !!! He was awesome and did Ya this German guy named Thil European tour for us!! e COUNT BACKWURDS, you wer After an intermezzo with the y the t tha ed stat is sheet in the BOBBYTEENS. In the bio li, with the help of Darrin Raffael ago rs yea r fou ut abo ted star the with been compared right? So how often have you ? DONNAS ted in 1995, I was still in the Actually the BOBBYTEENS star ther, we always get compared toge TRASHWOMEN when we got e good and we cannot!! But thos to the DONNAS but they can play s!!!! ther girls rule we are there grandmo

Why did he [Darrin] get sick of the BOBBYTEENS?

ging ey sin Off-k

As I told you when I asked you if you want to do this interview, this upcoming issue of choke fanzine is dedicated to Budget Rock [or whatever is the term that describes that kinda music], so what would be your definition?

era l Prodisdai duc n fo tio r nv alu e Slopp y gui tar p laying

He's doing a lot of cooking and working on the new DONNY DENIM LP !! Hopefully it'll happen!!! I think it will!!

gen

Do you know what he is doing now? He isn't in any band and with the exception of the DONNY DENIM 7" there's nothing coming out since uummp years.

THIS IS BY DONNY DENIM!

Holding a bass guitar

Darrin got sick of the BOBBYTEENS because we are sooo retarded! He couldn't achieve his vision with us because we are so lame! That's why Lisa and I started writing out own songs, but he did write some on the new LP "Crusin' for a brusin" out in March 2004 on Estrus / Screaming Apple.

Budget Rock is totally DIY!! Crappy thrift store and cheap used equipment, crappy home recordings that rule, book your own shows party's etc .... oh and must have some sort of schtick like costumes… and must not give a shit ever… Do you consider the TRASHWOMEN as a Budget Rock band then? Hmm yes we were pretty crappy at times but we always had fun and some dorky dude would always come on stage and pull his pants down and dance for us in his underwear!!!! We ruled!!!!!!!! Do you know if PIN UP records is still doing something? This guy Thilo, did he also play in some band? He's not doing PIN UP records anymore!! And he played in the ASTRONAUTS and the DUKES OF HAMBURG! Do you think the new BOBBYTEENS record sounds a bit different then the previous records? I bear the opinion that it's way rougher and hoopin' and hollerin', and not as bubblegum as the “Fast livin`rock n roll” LP or the “Not so sweet” album. Maybe it's more Rock'n'Roll, Less punk rock, what do you think? It's definitely rough!!!!! And very bubblegum / Girl group to me, and yes!!! Less punk rock, I'm not 100% happy with PIC BY MICHELLE WILSON CHOKE 35

TRASHWOMEN setlist Okie... Now you found out a little bit about THE BOBBYTEENS and Tina Lucchesi. If you are one of these kids who don’t own any record she was involved in, I advise to set these releases on the wish list for your next birthday: THE BOBBYTEENS “...young & dumb” [A compilation containing the roughest songs, mainly taken from out-of-print singles.] And... If you’re lucky you can track down THE TRASHWOMEN “Live at the Purple Onion” LP [Check out what they were all about...] Plus buy the new DEADLY WEAPONS debut called “Get right in here” on Johnny Cat Records. Justin Mo Cheeks of CLOROX GIRLS fame is in it too! Also nice is the TINA AND THE TOTAL BABES album, with Travis Ramen / THE FEVERS!!!

THE BOBBYTEENS hanging out...

the sound of this new LP!! Oh well I like the songs a lot though!! We tried to do a budget recording in a fancy schmanshee studio but I like it!! Who the heck are the beautiful cover girls n boys for this album? Oh just pals of ours!!! Good pals to do it!!! With your new band the DEADLY WEAPONS you just released another 7” on your own Lipstick Records imprint. How would you describe their music, is it similar to something you've done before or is it completely different? THE DEADLY WEAPONS are totally punk rock n roll, like the ANGRY SAMOANS, GG and the JABBERS, THE RAMONES. It's loud and angry, it's like nothing I've ever done but I love it!! I'm ready for a loud rockin' band it's fun!!

pretty good, and what about Jon Von's new band LES DRAGUERS, did you like them? I was sooooo fucked up the first two nites but had a blast!! The GO-NUTS were very tame than usual, and Jon Von's band was pretty good also!! I really liked LES TERRIBLES and the BRISTOLS the best!!! Is there any European tour plan in support of the new BOBBYTEENS record? Hmmmm we'll seee maybe just Italy where all the hot dudes are!!! Yummy !!!!

www.bobbyteens.com

What are the plans for Lipstick records? Beside of the first BOBBYTEENS LP you only released 7”es, should it remain a 7” label? What's so charming about a label who only does 7”es [I love such kinda labels!]. I love 7" sooo much if I had more $$$ I'd release a NIKKI AND THE CORVETTES tribute LP, I was supposed to so but I cannot afford it now!! I also would release loads of all girl Japanese bands !! There are soo many new great ones!! NYLON, DAZES, PRAMBATH, and more!!! Do you have some copies left of the FEVERS and the BITCHSCHOOL singles??? ALL SOLD OUT!!! I pressed up 1000 of each!! You played Europe only once last year, at the WILD WEEKEND in Benidorm, right? Did you enjoy that trip & the show? I heard the GO-NUTS were CHOKE 36

Tina’s latest punk outfit: THE DEADLY WEAPONS

Varmint Records HQ, 13th August 2008 Hey Kids! I have to apologize but we did not have enough time to â&#x20AC;&#x153;designâ&#x20AC;? a new advertisment for this issue of choke fanzine. To be honest, we never thought that another issue would ever see the light of day. Well, before we go back to our desks and make big decisions like many other record label managers, we want to inform you about our new releases. You can make yourself a picture of it by looking on the illustriation on the left. Rodriguez are a amazing garage punkrock band from Austria, and Kepi is the singer of the Groovie Ghoulies. For ordering details, please send us a email. And now, continue reading this mag! Your Varmint Records Team! PS: Our email address is info@varmintrecords.de

CHOKE 37

DARIN

RAFFAELLI PREPARE FOR INVASION! C: Why did you start RADIO X? D: We just did it cause we wanted to put out our first record. SUPERCHARGER was the idea first. It wasn't like, yeah, I'm gonna have a record label and put out a bunch of records. I mean, as far as we knew, that was it. Greg and I had known each other since like late 1984, so I must've been like 19 at the time. He was like 22 and we never played any instruments or anything, we had just hung out. We met through work and hung out a bit and had always talked records and would go record shopping and stuff like that. So he was like, you know, we should do this band and I know this guy who plays guitar and we should see if he has any instruments and could teach us how to play. It wasn't like we were in bands and like found each other and wanted to start a new band. I mean, it really was the first thing we had ever done. It was like kinda weird I guess in that respect. You been in tons of bands, right? C: I guess, but that's how it always starts out. It's just like hey I wanna play music and it sounds pretty easy and you just start playing in the basement or whatever. D: It was like I was about 22, I think Greg was about 25. We met up with this guy and he was like, yeah I've got a guitar and a bass and he was playing guitar. I had a pretty good job at he time, so I bought a drum set and learned that way but it was like.....I dunno. The guy was a really good guy, but I could tell Greg really didn't like the way the guy played. Eventually, I moved onto guitar and Greg was going out with Karen at the time, who was his ex-wife's cousin. And so he says, let's teach Karen to play on your old set, not like I could actually teach her anything cause I couldn't play anyways. C: It took you guys that long to start up SUPERCHARGER? D: Well, it was kind of a long process. We played with this guy for about a year and a half but it wasn't til Karen came into the picture. Just like screwing around, it wasn't like we were trying to do anything. Just like recording stuff on the four track. We hadn't even intended on playing live or anything. No, I guess it was later, like 1990 or so. Greg's always been the kind of guy who's very accomplishment oriented. He was like, I know we can put out a record, so let's just do it ourselves. We know it'll never sell or anything, but let's just put it out. C: Just to have it. D: Yeah, just to have it. But to me it was kinda weird. It was like, yeah, he's right, but I was the one who actually had most of the money at the time, so I actually financed it. That's why I held onto the label after we broke up. It was just, let's see if we can put out a record. I remember when they were delivered to my parents house. They arrived on my birthday and I called Greg and Karen and they came over. We were just looking at all these boxes and 500 records aren't a lot, but it seemed like a shitload! Like eleven cases, right? We were like what are we gonna do with all this shit? Greg and I were thinking we were gonna give some to family and then we're gonna have like 400 of these things, toting them around for the CHOKE 38

BY: Melvin Dundinkle You may have perhaps heard of modern bands hailed as sounding like SUPERCHARGER or the BRENTWOODS. You may have even heard of the new craze sweeping the nation, “ lo-fi”, “garage-punk”. You, however, are NOT fooled by these comparisons. You are WISE, YOU know that none of these other bands mean NUTHIN!! On a rainy day a coupla years ago, my van broke down at the Burien Goodwill, where I was buying a speaker phone. I made it home just in time to call up DARIN RAFFAELLI and ask him these penetrating questions for you, the gentle CAVEMAN reader, to peruse on the can during your morning constitutional, pre-tending to do your homework, or whilst wat-ching your least favorite television program. rest of our lives! We went to a few used record stores and pawned them off. We didn't think anybody was gonna buy them. We were thinking, mebbe if we're lucky, we'll get reviewed. All the songs we just learned and recorded. It wasn't until we got a letter from Tom Guido who had heard it through Russell and wanted us to play a show that we thought, oh fuck, we could actually play a club! We weren't even going to shows then. I mean, I had like a couple MUMMIES records but I had never seen them live. It was kind of weird. C: So how did you guys end up meeting Russell? D: Well, he sent us a letter, actually. He was the first letter we ever received. We had a PO box on the back of the LP and every day, me or Greg would go by and check it. Like a month or two went by and no letters, then one day Greg called me and said, you gotta get down here, man! There's something in the box!! So I get down there and we open it and it was like this real weird letter. Like, something to the effect of don't ever go pro, I can't and I won't....and then, like send me all the fan club stuff. Then he just signed it, like, Russell from the MUMMIES. And then, as an after thought, he crossed out the MUMMIES, and then there's like an arrow or something pointing to it saying like big deal. He had written it down there and then he was like, awwww....fuck, why did I put that down there? It's no big deal that I'm in that band. Then like a week after that we got a letter from

Tom Guido. He had this Sunday night free thing called the HAIR CLUB at the CHAMELEON. They would have bands at five o'clock and like, no one would be there. He said, do you guys want to play a show and he mentioned he knew Tina and Russell. So we knew Russell was gonna be there, we had sent him a tape of one of our practices. We drove to the CHAMELEON and we didn't know anything about playing a show or anything. We showed up there like three weeks before and met Tom, and he's such a character anyways, we're like, what do we need to bring? That's how fucking na誰ve we were!!! We were like, do we need to bring mikes and amps? He was just like, bring your amps and guitars and drums. We had no idea. We left and we were like, fuck, now we gotta learn these songs, like, learn to play and sing at the same time! C: So you guys over dubbed all the vocals on the first record? D: Yeah, but the second one was pretty much done all live, except like the guitar overdubs. It was pretty fucking funny. So we went for like two weeks and learned enough to play the first show. I can almost name off everybody that was there. Mebbe like ten people at most. Russell threw a banana at us and like an ashtray. C: He takes bananas to shows? D: Well, we knew it was him. We had never seen the MUMMIES and we didn't know any of these people, but we had sent Russell a shirt with like some acrylic paint and just written SUPERCHARGER on it. We had set up all our stuff. We got there way early, there was like one person walking in every fifteen minutes. Finally, he walked in and we were like, oh fuck, you must be Russell and he was like, yeah yeah yeah, blah blah blah. We just started hanging out after that. He's been a good friend ever since. C: Yeah, he's a good egg. D: Him and Mike Lucas are like the two most genuine people I know. The stuff that they're into they're into!! They're not into for a reason. I think everybody, myself included, have either in the past or currently, you like something for a different reason than for just liking it. Russell still listens to the same records he did fifteen years ago. He's a really good guy. C: Yeah, so what was that whole bootleg deal with the first record? D: I dunno about it. I don't even think I've ever seen a copy. Do you have it? C: It's just like a blank label and a real shitty glue job on the cover. D: Yeah, I think it was some guy in Texas or something. Greg was all up in arms about it. You know, at the time that came out, Greg and I weren't even talking. Then he called me up from out of the blue and

said somebody bootlegged it and he thought he knew who it was. It was like, what's the big deal? I mean, I'm sure the guy, whoever it was, only pressed like 500 or 1000, right? He wasn't gonna make a living off it. But Greg was really, really upset. He was like, since I don't have the money to do it right now we should just have Crider do it. Or mebbe he offered to do it and I said well, I'd rather it be somebody other than one of us. That's when he said yeah let's just do it through Estrus or whatever...I dunno. C: There's like three different versions of it. There's like the first one and the Estrus one with all the extra songs on it and then there's a FUCK GREG LOWERY edition. D: I thought the FUCK GREG LOWERY one was the only bootleg. I didn't know there was another one. C: There was the one that came out before the other two. D: That's kind of silly that someone would bootleg it after Estrus reissued it. I've heard it said FUCK GREG LOWERY, mebbe it was the same guy and he just pressed it twice. Who knows..... C: So, is there any bad blood between you and Greg? D: Actually, no, not now, not anymore. A lot of the stuff is old news. A lot of the stuff that made me leave the band in the fist place and the reason why I hated Greg I realize had nothing really to do with Greg at all. So I kinda came to terms with that. A lot of the stuff we argued about was just stuff that people in bands argue about, but I took it to kinda like a different level. Until like a year and a half ago some friends were like, we're gonna start a band do you wanna play guitar? Started doing that and just before that the FEVERS had asked me if I wanted to play drums for them and they were like, we'll coach you. I was really determined to do it, cause I really like the FEVERS, but after a while I was just like, fuck, do I really wanna do this? These other friends had asked me to be in a band and after the third practice it was just like total anxiety to go to practice and I finally quit. It was like, then and there, I realized that I hate being in a band, like rehear-sing....FUCKING CAN'T STAND IT!! Having to deal with other people and having to compromise ideas and all that shit....I just don't wanna deal with it. That's the kinda shit I was really mad at Greg for and it really wasn't his fault, we just had different ideas. It was right after I realized that, I heard his Dad had died, so I emailed him and we've been talking ever since. I mean, we don't hang out all the time like we used to, but we're certainly friendly. He's a good guy I think. He has a lot of enemies and people that take a lot of the things he says the wrong way. Have you ever talked to him? C: No, but I think I know what you mean. D: Yeah, I think people just think he's real egotistical. He's just really driven, you know? He's really into what he does. Talks about it all the time...he used to bug the fuck outta me! It's like, fuck, quit talking about yourself!! He's just really excited about what he does. Kinda in like a little kid way, so it's not like he's being a braggart or anything. He can come off like that I think. Definitely he's not afraid to say I don't like it. Whatever....we talk now. But I haven't talked to Karen in ages... C: I heard the whole SUPERCHARGER break up was you guys both had the hots for Karen or something. D: No.....that would make a good story. C: That's probly why it's the story.. D: No, not at all. Greg had met Karen, she was like his ex wife's cousin and they were going out long before I came along. It was

MAZ KATTUAH and DARIN RAFAELLI aka DONNY DENIM CHOKE 39

never that. Karen and I got pretty close tho, especially after the whole thing.... C: So did you go right from SUPERCHARGER to the BRENTWOODS? D: It's funny, I knew you were gonna ask that. I think we came back like late March or April from Europe and we broke up right then. But I think we actually got the BRENTWOODS together like late 94. I dunno the history of the RIP OFFS, but know he was starting them early on. C: So he was more into the punk rock type stuff and you were more towards the BRENTWOODS type fun rock & roll? D: I don't think the BRENTWOODS stuff is really any different than the SUPERCHARGER stuff personally. There's like keyboards, but that's about it. The songs, a lot of the sillyness....the shittyness is the same. Greg was still in contact with Karen after we broke up and he was starting a group with Shane and Jason White who had just moved up here from L.A. and like Jon Von. Kinda for lack of a better term starting a band with a buncha people that had already been in bands. I remember talking to Karen and being like you and I dunno how to play instruments, we should just like find other people who really can't play or have been in a band before. And Patty had written to us once or twice, I don't think she was really into the SUPERCHARGER record, but she was more into that we were from San Mateo County. She had written in one of her letters where she worked, and me and Karen snuck down there to spy in her and see who she was. Like a week later we had written her just kinda like a we wanna meet you type thing----we have an idea for a band . That's pretty much how that came along. I don't even know why we started it to tell you the truth. Just a reason to put out records, I guess. C: Who played organ on those records? D: This guy named Pat. He was actually Patty's boyfriend at the time. He was in some ska bands or something like that before. C: How come you know all these kids in ska bands? D: Yeah, I know...what the fuck?! CHOKE 40

C: Bad news..... D: Yeah, he's in the SATURN V. We really didn't have any plans to have a keyboard player in the band, but Patty said, hey, I'll sing if my boyfriend can play piano or organ. It was a nice addition. He was the only one pretty much who could actually play. C; So who wrote all the skits? D: We all did I guess. A lot of it was just stupidness. Not a lot of thought went into them. I'm glad somebody enjoyed it. The skits for the DON'T MESS ME UP 45 all came from recordings and practice tapes. Actually, I was pretty bummed out cause I just wanted to do two songs. The MUMMIES had just done that Estrus single and the PHANTOM SURFERS had done that thing and they both had done it where one side was like a vaudeville act thing. Greg really wanted to do something like that and I was just like, let's fucking just do the two songs, it would be so much easier. Basically I was the announcer on that stuff. All the fighting and all that was real. C: Do you keep in touch with Patty? D: Yeah, I saw Patty like a week ago but she was too stoned to talk! C: Yeah, sometimes the best bands are the ones that don't know what you're sposed to do when you're in a band, so you're just having fun. D: Well, that's the other thing, SUPERCHARGER or the BRENTWOODS weren't really bands. It wasn't like we were gonna start a band and put out records and play shows. It wasn't like that at all. I mean, SUPERCHARGER only played like ten shows before we went to Europe with the MUMMIES. C: What was Europe like? D: Oh, it was horrible!! I mean, I had a good time, but no one knew who we were. We weren't even sposed to be on the bill. Trent had known this German guy Thilo... C: From the ASTRONAUTS? D: Yeah, and he was like the co-owner of PIN-UP records. The guy was going to college out here in Santa Rosa and had met up with Trent and stayed at his house a coupla times. He met him over the summer and he wanted the MUMMIES to come on over. Trent and Greg were kinda hanging out a lot together, and he mentioned it to Greg and he was like, FUCK, I'd love to go to Europe, so Trent asked him if we could come along. So Thilo said yeah, I guess we could fit em on the bill. So Greg told Karen and it was like, WHUT? This is fuckin IN-SANE!! I can't believe the guy wanted us to go over there cause he was paying for all the plane tickets or whatever. I happened to work at Mailboxes Etc. so I was the only one who had access to a fax basically. So Trent would draft up letters and I'd send em off. When it came down to like a month before, Thilo had wired the money for the plane tickets and like put it into Trent's account and it was only for four people. There were sposed to be seven , right? So I'm like what the fuck? So, I called Greg and say this guy's only expecting to pay for the MUMMIES to go over. And here he's like set up all the promotion for the tour and ran all the posters and everything and I was like, I can't afford it. And I know Karen couldn't afford it, she had a kid at the time. So Trent called the guy and said SUPERCHARGER can't go. So Thilo was like, I already spent all the

so I'll just pay for them and hopefully we'll break even. I kinda felt bad cause, yeah, he did just break even, but he would've made money, and even the MUMMIES, if they hadn't had us along. So, it was really fucked! I remember in Paris, for like the first show, seeing people turn away while we were playing. Everybody was there to see the MUMMIES. It was a pretty bad experience. C: You guys eat pretty good over there? D: Yeah, kinda...Yeah, actually we did. C: I heard they treat you pretty good over there. D: Yeah, I think they got it a little better the second time around, when they went (the MUMMIES). They'd feed you there and there'd always be like a bowl of fruit you could stick in your pocket like bananas or whatever and just bring them on the road. Thilo, he stocked up this van. But these were really small tours. I don't think the MUMMIES ever did more than twenty shows over there. C: Did you live in that DALY CITY house? D: Yeah, I moved in there when Maz and another guy moved out. It was Trent, myself, and Johnny from the PHANTOM SURFERS. About six months after I moved in Trent moved out and we got another roommate. It was a good place. It doesn't exist anymore, it was on the fault line. C: Wasn't it by the dump? D: Yeah, the dump was nearby so it did stink. It really wasn't an exciting place, it was kinda depressing actually. You couldn't walk to the store or anything, you had to drive everywhere. No one would come to visit cause it was out in the middle of nowhere. I think I only lasted like six months and then Danielle and I moved to the city. C: So how long have you been going out? D: Like ten years, we finally got married this year. C: So the did you guys do your own flip side for the ICEPICK 45 or is that the SHAKE A LEG CAR THEIVES.... D: No, that was the CAR THEIVES. There's the original ICEPICK 45 on PRE-BS, and we had met the CAR THEIVES and they started sending Greg letters and he was like, no, I'm not interested in your band. They wanted him to send them some records, their girlfriend had taken some pictures of us and Greg was like, I'm not sending you anything until I get those pictures. So, they didn't like Greg right off the bat. So, they started sending me letters saying, we want to put out and put your single as the B-side and I was like, yeah, I don't care. I guess they took that as the go ahead to do it. A couple months later, I got some in the mail. I was really surprised that they went ahead and did it anyway. Oh, man, Greg was really pissed about that! The original has like a closed envelope type sleeve and the CAR THEIVES one is like a piece of paper folded in half and it has the PRE-BS single picture on the front side and on the back side it has the same picture, but they put like masks over them or something. C: Yeah, they just scratched your faces out and drew swastikas on the guitars. D: I think they sent a tape to Todd Abramson of TELSTAR and he was interested in putting it out, but they put like swastikas on it, so he didn't end up putting out a record for them. C: But you went ahead and did a CAR THEIVES record later? D: Well, Dylan and Dave contacted me and said they were moving out to San Francisco or whatever, so we'll be arriving on this date and we need someone to put us up. I didn't really take it all that seriously and then all of a sudden they just showed up one day like at a TRASHWOMEN practice or something. They had used all the money they made on that single to buy their Grey Hound tickets to get up here. I felt bad for them cause they really didn't have a place to stay so I put em up in a hotel for a night. Danielle wasn't too keen on having strangers in the apartment, our place is pretty small. They found a job

like that week and lived here for a couple of years, I think. I put out a record for them. They're really good kids, although they really didn't make too many friends out here. Dave and Dylan as a combination can be pretty intense, but individually they're good guys, really , really funny guys. Last I heard, Dave was in Philly and Dylan's in the army. He's in Turkey now, a well rounded individual. He's a good kid, I keep in contact with him. C: What's the gay CAR THEIVES record? I remember being all excited about it and getting it and being like, what the fuck is this?! D: Well, that's an example of how they didn't really make any friends. When they were in D.C. they had sent Sven-Erik a tape and were looking for him to put out a record and he had all intentions of doing it. At least this is the story I've heard. Somehow they got his number and would call him at like three in the morning and say, is our record done? and he's like, who the fuck is this? So, by the time they got here I think he had already pressed it. They were just like really annoying so he decided to put that record out. I remember Dave actually attacked him at a show, like a TRASHWOMEN show, which is really sad, cause I don't think Sven-Erik was there to fight. Plus Dave was kind of a burly guy. Not too many people like them but they're good kids. C: So, what'd you think of that whole â&#x20AC;&#x153;BUDGET ROCK SHOWCASE?â&#x20AC;? D: You mean like, the concept of the whole thing? Things like that can be fun, a lot of people come into town and you meet new people. As far as the bands a lot of them sucked. I basically went for the LYRES who were really fun. That was a definite surprise. Them, and the FLAKES, and the MAYBELLINES were fuckin awesome. I thought you guys were fun, like the whole Otis Day and the Nights shtick was really funny. You could tell you guys were having a good time. A lot of bands were showing off their tattoos and wardrobe. C: Yeah, it's a real fuckin drag...it's supposed to be about having fun, right? D: It goes both ways, I mean, if you have a saturation of everybody doing the same thing, then none of it's really exciting. Like after the MUMMIES and the PHANTOM SURFERS became big it was like a big deal to have costumes as part of your shtick. After a year and a half after meeting the PHANTOM SURFERS, you just never wanted to see a surf band again! Every band that came through San

CHOKE 41

Francisco was a fucking surf band, it was ridiculous!! C: I was talking to the BRS guys about doing some cheapo tee shirts, like some shitty homemade job for like five bucks a pop, and they were like, no, we are getting Alan Forbes to do it, and they ended up selling them for like ten or fifteen bucks apiece!! Budget rock?? But it's like having the same people do everything is just no good at all. D: Yeah, I don't wanna name names, but it was like the same shit back in '93. It was like if you wanted to make a name for yourself, well, get COOP to do the cover. It was no longer the bands saying, well, I'm gonna do the record myself, from the recording to the design of the sleeve and everything. It was like, I'm gonna be in a “ lo-fi” band, so I'm gonna have , you know.... C: So and so do the cover..... D: Yeah, it's just a fuckin waste. C: How could they call it a “BUDGET ROCK SHOWCASE” and then charge three bucks for a can of Pabst? D: It's just a name, like “punk rock”. The MUMMIES and Billy Childish started that. Well, mebbe the MUMMIES did. But I don't think SUPERCHARGER was anything like the MUMMIES. They were a fuckin GOOD band!! C: I've got a video of the PHANTOM SURFERS and the TRASHWOMEN playing in Milton, WA. You and Russell were there and Russel sang ROAD RUNNER with the SURFERS. My buddy Jeff Miller taped it. D: Yeah, he's a nice guy, he runs the GOLDEN OLDIES up there. He brought me a copy of the BLAST RECORDS comp. I remember Milton, cause we had some friends up from England. They drove up with us and we were gonna get a room at this hotel, the FLAMINGO. They had hourly rates and I was like, I don't think I wanna stay here....So we went across the road to this little hotel, mebbe like four rooms. We went into the office and it was this guy with tattoos and shit like that. The guy's showing us around the rooms and we get like this really creepy feeling. I dunno what its like out there in Milton, but it was really fucking weird. Like he was just cutting up all these people and burying them in the back. So we ended up just driving to Tacoma and sleeping in a Travel Lodge. So does Jeff actually own Golden Oldies? It's a chain, right? C: I think it's a franchise, so he owns that one. It's really fuckin cool in there. He's got all these great promo shots and old show flyers from the 60's. His house is even crazier, like he has so many records and cool posters and surf records and stuff. D: A junk collector. C: Totally, he's a good guy. D: Where did you guys stay when you were out here? C: Our buddy, Mike Cancilla. Mike Lucas said we could stay at his house, but it's kinda spooky in there. We went there with a different band, and there were these Italian kids watching like

CHOKE 42

some Traci Lords movie where she's leading some girls around like they're horses or something....weird!! D: He has quite a place. C: Yeah, but I wouldn't wanna sleep on the floor there. D: So what other bands of yours went through? C: The AMAZING SPIDER MEN, a costumed surf band. D: Ahhhhh, so you were in a surf band. Hmmm... C: Yeah, yeah....that's the whole reason I hadda start up the record label, nobody would put out our records. I kinda feel the same way about surf music. All the surf bands that play now are shitty like, Man or Astro Man type sci-fi rip offs. As far as any surf bands that I like, it's the PHANTOM SURFERS. D: They definitely are funny, which is the prerequisite for any good band. It seemed like in the early '90's when the whole “ lo-fi” thing was a big deal and everybody started doing it and all the records just sounded the same. It makes things kinda bad and I think a lot of records just ended up not selling. How many records have you put out? C: Five singles and an LP D: Do you have a hard time getting rid of them? C: Oh yeah, but I know I'm never gonna make any money at it. I mean, nobody else is gonna be dumb enough to press this shit. I wanna have something to show my grandkids. D: That's a good point. Greg was saying it's just impossible to put records out. You're doing it for the right reasons, but to actually make a living at it...I don't think you can do it. C: Well, you can if your pressing shit people actually wanna listen to! D: I dunno what the situation is over there, but have you been to Amoeba records over here? I think it's horrible, but people fucking love that record store. There's just bins and bins of blow out sale, like indie bands that are out and all the covers look the same. Like, fake COOP...just like knock offs. That shit just doesn't sell. I mean, Greg was actually able to pay his bills at one point off the r e c o r d label, but he finally had to get a job. Those days are long gone. He's lucky if he can sell like a hundred copies to his distributors. Just gonna have to wait for another generation of kids that are interested in that stuff to come around again. C: So, who was in the VULCANEERS? D: The VULCANEERS were a paradox. Like, they were the worst fucking band, ever!! But on the other hand they were like the funniest band ever, one of the funniest bands to see. They were a bunch of guys form Los Gatos who we just happened to meet at shows. Probably the most relatively successful members were the organ player and one of the guitar players in that band were in SKANKING PICKLE. C: Oh, goodie.... D: What's that? Did you say “ goodie”? C: Yeah.....

D: Yeah! So they were all like high school friends but really fucking funny guys and fun guys to hang out with. A bunch of stoners. C: That first one, the LAST CALL 45 is ok, but the BAMA LAMA LULU record is fucking great!! The LP sucked....awful. D: Yeah, they wanted to be an instrumental band or whatever. It wasn't like their instrumental songs were that good. They were just really funny and really fucking out there. Yeah, the BAMA LAMA LULU record, I actually wrote that song and there was another one on there..... C: BANG/ZOOM? D: Yeah, they're just funny guys to work with. Actually, the bass player of that band, Shannon Smith, his dad is Kirkwood Smith, who plays the father on That '70's Show, Red. C: Yeah, he was in RoboCop, Clarence. D: Yeah, Clarence Bodiker. C: So, what's the BURI BURI? D: Just a neighborhood in South City. I just decided to write a really stupid dance song about it. C: So, the DONNAS... D: How did they start out? C: Yeah, we could start with that.... D: I met the DONNAS through Eric Jensen, who was the drummer for the VULCANEERS, he was living in Palo Alto at the time. He was like, yeah, we're playing at the CHAMELEON and my neighbor's kid's band I got them on the bill and I think you'd really like them. It's called RAGGEDY ANN or whatever. So, I was turning thirty that year and most of my friends in bands were in like their mid to late twenties. So when he said kids band, I was thinking like college kids. Twenty one or twenty two is like, young for most of us. So we show up and it was really funny to see these like fifteen year old kids struggling to get their amps on stage. It was really fuckin funny. I had never seen kids their age playing music like that. Really fucking noisy and screaming, it was really fucking awesome. After that it was like, Eric, you gotta introduce me to these kids. They were playing another show in Oakland with them and he said I could ask them then. I approached them and I was like, hey, I have this little record label and I'd really like to put out your record. They were like fifteen, I think, they were nervous anyways. They didn't know how to react. They were like, well, we have a record coming out anyway, so I kinda had to use a different angle. Rather than a guy that just wants to put out your records, I'm kinda like, well, I have some songs I wanna do, so why don't I write some songs and this doesn't have to be like a RAGGEDY ANN single, would you just wanna record them? It was kinda like, hmmmmmmm, ok, but could Eric come along? They had to be chaperoned. After that it was unlike any other bands I had recorded cause they could really play! It was really funny. They're good kids all around. C: So you wrote their furst few records? D: So, when I first talked to them I didn't really have any songs, I just wanted to get them to agree to do it. After they did I wrote some songs and kinda had them figured out. Basically I would show them on guitar, ok, this is pretty much what it's gonna be like. They were lookin at me, going like, these songs are fuckin stupid!!! Even back then, the songs were pretty lame, but they did them anyways. They kinda did them in their own way. They didn't come out how I expected them to, in a way the general idea was mine, but they definitely had a big say in how it was gonna sound. We just had fun making the records. We kinda wrote them together, in a way. I mean, it might've been my general idea, but..... C: Yeah, cause the SUPER*TEEM / RADIO X stuff sounds a lot

different from their LOOK OUT stuff. D: Actually, I was still involved in the songwriting on the first one on LOOK OUT. Those sound different then the first three cause like, at the time we did that, LOOK OUT had come to me instead of going to the girls, which I thought was kind of silly. At the time, they were playing as the ELECTROCUTES. Even the songs they were doing at that time had really changed from what they were doing when they were RAGGEDY ANN. So, I knew they were going in that direction. I like those records way more than anything they ever did with me. I mean, their newest album is by far the best. C: REALLY?! D: Oh, fuck, hands down!! C: Are you SERIOUS?! D: I love that shit, I grew up on that stuff. C: YOU'RE FUCKING NUTS!! D: NUH-UH!!! C: So you're telling me their new records are better than the SUPER*TEEM ones? D: Absolutely, hands down. When I was in high school, I used to listen to hard rock, so I've got a soft spot. I think they're really good song writers. Have you listened to it? C: Well, aside from the first records, when the ROCK & ROLL MACHINE album came out I kinda tuned out..... D: I actually think some of the songs on that record are ok. C: Yeah, I was expecting to hear the DONNAS that I liked. I understand, I guess, that bands are gonna progress.... D: Yeah, the thing you have to understand is that they were heading in that direction to begin with. If anything, I stunted their growth. They haven't changed since the day I met them. They're still really fucking fun kids. A lot of people think they changed their sound to appeal to a larger audience, which isn't the case. I mean, they changed their sound to appeal to themselves. They weren't making the records they wanted to make. They had fun making the records with me. I mean, that's the only reason they agreed to do those four. I mean, it wasn't a career move, otherwise they would've said no. C: Are you gonna do more records? D: If I do, it'll be like yourself. I'm not gonna spend money on anybody else, just myself. C: Are you gonna play in any bands? D: No, no, fuckin I HATE BANDS!! I write songs here and there, and if I decide to do it, I'll probly end up doing that. The whole DONNY DENIM thing was kinda like a joke, that nobody got, so doing another record just seems kind of pointless. I don't have the money to be spending on that stuff right now, like jokes, you know? C: What advice do you have for kids just starting up their own labels? D: The very same advice Russell Quan gave us in our very first letter. Don't go pro. You should do it cause you want to do it. It's better to put out your own band. The DUTCHMEN were fun, I dunno if you've heard the BLACK LIPS? They were these kids from Georgia, they were throwing their record around. That record's pretty fucking good. It's better to put out your own record, do everything yourself. Then you have nobody to blame but yourself when it turns out shit. Then you can take full responsibility for it. Don't spend a lot of money on it, go the cheapest route. Cut corners. That's it!

THE END! CHOKE 43

jon von zelowitz

What can you tell us about the beginnings of the budget rock / lo-fi garage punk phenomenon? Many people take the release of the debut album of SUPERCHARGER as ignition, as birth hour of this genre. There have been shitty "budget lo-fi" rock bands playing the same simple three chord songs, recording them cheaply, and having fun doing it, since Hasil Adkins did it in the 1950's. And that's great, it's the spirit of rock n roll. Those are the records I love. Just like everything else, it gets rediscovered or reinvented from time to time. I was lucky enough to be hanging out in SF at the time of one of these reinventions, by the Mummies, Supercharger, and the rest of the gang. There's obviously something terrible in the water supply in Daly City California. You left Mr. T EXPERIENCE right after the euro tour in 1992, in 1993 you started - with Greg Lowery, Shane and Jason White - the RIP OFFS. What did you do in the meantime? I spent about a year in a monastery in Tibet to plan every detail of the ingenious next step in the Budget Rock/Lo-Fi Garage Punk Revolution. But seriously, after MTX I wasn't in the mood to play in a group for a while. I believe strongly that it's best to really have a strong URGE to play in a band, otherwise you can't do your best. It's like fucking.

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Did you "plan" to make a band in the vein of SUPERCHARGER or were the RIP OFFS something completely different? We all had different musical tastes and histories. We started out explicitly with two principles: to have fun with the group, and not to give a shit about anything, but no precise musical plan. We tried playing some cover songs to see what worked. After that we started to all home in on a kind of music which we all liked, and after a short while it was clear what the band was going to sound like. And that we were incapable of playing anything too complicated. How did you get to know Greg Lowery? I should have asked Shane to write my answers, he would immediately respond "in a gay bar". But really I went to a Supercharger show because I wanted to see if the band was really as bad as the record. I was happy to see that they were, it was not fake. So I went back to see them play another show, and I said hello to Greg. It's not a secret that Greg Lowery and you had some … Let’s say a certain degree of antipathy against each other, e.g. Greg stated on the back cover of the Rip Off Records Singles Collection Vol.1 “I liked the name and the idea that we could play live with a gimmick, wear all black with stockings over our heads! Jon von fought me all the way on the name of the band, and the stockings idea, i think he wanted people to be able to

see Jon Von, superstar!!“. What's behind all this? It was NOT Greg who thought of everything great in the Rip Offs, it was ME! ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME! ME ME ME ME ME ME! ME! ME! Yes yes yes, that's right, I AM a great superstar and I AM obsessed with it! ME ME ME ME ME! OK, I hope I have made everything clear! Yeah, I guess so. And how did the other band members get along with each other. I mean, have you been friends, or have there been a lot of fights about this and that…? Oh, it was like any other band, I was the only cool member and the other guys were dicks. But despite that we didn't have a lot of fights and I had a great time. Please, define the term “great time”… Getting drunk, making noise, jumping around, and showering the audience with beer. What's so special with the shrimp salad @ Dave's? It's that they apparently don't keep it in the refrigerator. After the photo session at Dave's Diner in Oakland for one of the 45 sleeves, we ate lunch there, and I ordered shrimp salad. Then I spent about 3 days throwing up, Jesus Christ, it was the worst food poisoning I ever had! Since then I stick to coffee and donuts at Dave's.

PICTURE GUIDE OTHER SIDE: This is an alternate cover shot for the one and only record of the RIP OFFS. THIS SIDE: Top: From the last ever Rip Offs 7” Bottom: Jon Von, back in the MTX days...

Middle: Pissing on a Police Bus, backcover of “Got a record” LP. It’s been said that there’s a REAL police officer standing on the other side of the bus, not knowing that 4 boys in nylon are pissing on it. But I guess thats a myth.

Could you please describe the local "scene" at the time when the Rip Offs / Rip Off Records started? I seem to remember it was pretty lame until Tom opened the Purple Onion and then we all went there to see the same shitty garage bands over and over and drink beer and listen to his excellent jukebox. That was a good thing and encouraged more and more bands to form. What was your favourite Budget Rock Band at that time if you put the RIP OFFS aside of course… The Trashwomen. I love bands with chicks, and that one had it all. When exactly did you move to Paris, and why? In August 1999, because I didn't want to waste another millennium in the USA. In looking back, it was a good move but for a stupid reason. I should have come here for the great French lifestyle: hot cars, beer, TV, tattoos, hamburgers, trashy chicks… Are you still in contact with your former bandmates? Not so much, and it's too bad. But Shane and I film home sex videos and exchange them. Which ones are better?

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Both teams are outstanding, but I have to admit that Shane is more innovative than me. I read that you are currently in a band called LES DRAGUEURS, after all this years playing in bands, you still have that urge to play? I started Les Dragueurs shortly after I got to Paris with Grégoire and David, two French friends. It's true, I absolutely had the urge to get up on stage again and act foolish. You can ask anyone in Paris if I succeeded. Now I've started playing in a second band, the Four Slicks, which is kind of 50's garage. The other Slicks are Charlie, Marc, and François. We just made a demo and its lots of fun. Basically, it's just a hobby what you're doing with these two bands, or do you have some serious plans like touring, recording an album etc? Err, it's a hobby because it is physically impossible to earn a living from this kind of horse shit, unless you are a genius like Greg Lowery. But that does not prevent anyone from touring, recording an album, and having fun! In fact, it's much better that way. Which bands are also worth mentioning, when it comes to Paris and Punkrock? It's surreal because I am in a great, world-famous city, but as far as garage punk, it's the equivalent of Rapid City, South Dakota. There are 30 people in the scene, everybody knows each other and plays in groups together. Your best bet is to look at the web site of the so-called Happy Family,

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http://welcomehappyfamily.ifrance.com/welcomehappyfamily/ Since I suppose that you cannot make a living from MTX / RIP OFFS royalty cheques, what are you doing to make some money? I sell Shane's sex videos after I watch them a few times. But don't tell him. [END]

BELOW you can see Jon Von’s latest punkrock outfit, LES DRAGEURS. You can download some Mp3s and watch some pictures on his own website, www.jonvon.com. He’s got another new band called THE FOUR SLICKS, www.fourslicks.com

JON

DAVID

GREGOIRE

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BITCH ALERT | He's so cute A girl group from Finland who kick off their seven inch with a slow but somehow a bit HOLE type song, especially when the singer starts to shout. The second song “Monday” is again running in this direction. Surprisingly the first cut at the B-Side called “Loveson” [which is the “Hit” on this vinyl, so to say] starts very silent and nice, but soon the song explodes again when the chorus comes in, very powerful, check them out if you are into hard rocking girl bands. The last song is finally again very HOLEtypo at both, song writing and vocals. I hope I didn't scare off someone if I mention that heroin chick Courtney Love's band here so often but BITCH ALERT sounds like them, honestly. Sputnik. BLACK LIPS | Ain't coming back Can't believe how many raving reviews I saw about their debut record on Bomp! Records, they must be bigger than the WHITE STRIPES next year, if you believe what's written… this 7” was the first thing I hear of them, and what can I say unless THIS IS GREAT! I don't know what it is but these four miscreants from Atlanta, Georgia, got it! They have the teenage rock n roll angst, they are raw and dirty, they are not those kinda kids who just turn up the amps to get heard, they do it the other way, the BLACK LIPS play stripped down songs and lay all their energy into the vocals and shouts. It's like hearing a BACK FROM THE GRAVE band totally drunken and full with blow. Buy their records! Munster. THE BRIEFS | (Looking through) Gary Glitters Eyes Okay, everyone knows the BRIEFS, they are the 2003 punk uprisings, and by the time I write this review I'm sure it's already sold out. So I keep it short: The title track is (of course) also on the current album, the song on the flipside is a cover [“Dead in the suburbs” by Los Reactors]. Screaming Apple. CAPITAL SCUM | Freak Show No less than 7 track from this old HC band from Belgium. Simple and monotonous songs with growling vocals, but the good thing about this record is the trashy sound. These guys are old school, they're charming, not like the stupid HC bands out there with polished sound and image. RocknRollRadio. THE CARNATION | Take action Though this a SOUNDS OF SUBTERRANIA release, I was awaiting some hard rocking combo, but surprisingly this band from Sweden is pop as pop can be! And when I say pop, I don't mean radio pop or something like that, this here is sunny Sunday music, this is love songs and hugging, laughing and going for a walk with your girl / boyfriend. Four songs full of harmonies and sugar candy. Nice take! I like this one! Sounds of Subterrania. CHICKENPOX | When she come smiling They were the first ska band on Burning Heart who even do electronic hippie sounds nowadays, here you have solid two tone influenced ska, very contemporary, very professional. Somehow I liked them more when they skanked out more up tempo songs. Here you have three slower ska or even ska/pop songs, the title song is just a great, laid back chill song. Released by the very busy LEECH label from Switzerland. Leech. COLT SEAVERS | s/t This bastard with the name of the the unknown stuntman of the late 80's tv cult „Fall Guy“ rocks like hell! It's fast, brutal and angry! Those guys seem to do some primal scream therapy! Yikes! In some ways Colt Seavers sounds like the mean small brother of Drugstop!!! This is definitely nothing for the easygoing Emo youth of today! This is real fuckin' Rock'n'Roll, so don't shit yer panties sissieboy, 'cause this really knocks yer block off! Kindspech / Grütrillen. DAMNATION KIDS | Runaway You may know SUPERHELICOPTER, everybody knows them, Germany's premiere garage punk trash whatever band. The DAMNATION KIDS are more or less the solo thing of CHOKE 48

Superhelicopter's Nils Westphal, but don't await a guitar playing folk record like you often get when it comes to the term “solo record”. These 4 songs are as dirty and aggressive as the “main” band, beginning with the title track “Runaway”, a raunchy and direct kick in the face, of course with distorted vocals, then the UBER HIT of this Seven Inch, “College Rock”. I think I already had a better version of this song on a CDR that Nils sent me, nevertheless this song is so rude and aggressive but additionally there is a guitar solo and a sing-a-long refrain!!! Perfect. The two songs on the flipside are a bit faster, I prefer Side A. Still, this is great lo-fi punkrock. Play it loud, but beware, the sound may damage your stereo seriously! P.Trash. DEE RANGERS feat. Don Crane | Dee-Sected I think this kind of music is called R&B, plain and in best Toe Rag Studio Quality, four songs, supported by non less than Don Craine of the DOWNLINERS SECT. Two of these songs are also on the latest Dee Rangers Album on White Jazz Records, which makes this pladder more or less a collector's item. Colored Vinyl, of course. Munster. DEMOLITION DOLL RODS | Big Rock Candy Mountain Yes, there was Garage Music in Detroit before the White Stripes came up with their version, here are the godmothers named Demolition Doll Rods, supported by Dan Kroha, a guy who used to be in the GORIES with two garage trash pop songs on a finger licken picture disc, one of the thickest Seven Inchers I've ever held in my filthy hands. This disc will be on eBay for 20 bucks pretty soon. TG. Munster. DIXIE BUZZARDS | s/t This is the first release of a brandnew and supercool GarageBluespunk label from Madrid/Spain. I don't know if the Buzzards are still around (I guess not) but this record is a real rocker! The opener "Ain't going back" will make your little garage punker ears bleed! The record itself comes in a deluxe handprinted envelope from our all favorite printer/artist "Bongoût"! You should keep this label in focus for more great releases! Big Black Hole. DRUGSTOP | Machine Gun This is the first time a get to listen to this german punk band, what a surprise, six songs simple and fast, and very mean! This is nothing you're going to dance to at your favourite “punk” disco, this is angry and pissed off, like early DWARVES stuff, with a little bit more noise stuff mixed in. Heavy but good stuff on P.Trash! DRUGSTOP | s/t Now for all that funnyboys that think: „hahaha how funny! drugstop sure is a punkband making fun of that hillbillycountry idiots from truckstop“ shut up and fuck you! Drugstop are the German Zeke! This is the way PeterPanSpeedrock would like to sound but never succeeds! On this fine piece of vinyl Drugstop rocks out four songs with so much hate, snot and guts that it would be a pleasure running amok with that 7incher as a soundtrack! I like this kind of sound and if you don't like it you're probably some emo whining kid that doesn't know what rock'n'roll is! rock, rock, rock for drugstop! Rosa Records / Beat Baracke. DUESENJAEGER | Lethargie und Ausverkauf This is the sideproject of the guitarplayer of the almighty Grizzly Adams Band! But if you expect some High Octane'n'Dirty Rock on this coloured 7incher, than you're wrong! Its hard guitars with some quiet parts and German language! For someone who likes it this might be the best.... Please, give me the Grizzlys! Anytime! Kindspech / Chief. THE FAST | Kids just wanna dance I cannot believe how stupid these guys look on the back cover of this single, it's just ridiculous! An absolute catastrophe! Pfew. Okay, this is late 70s NYC punkrock, but the artsy kind of stuff. The A Side is great with the classic “Boys will be boys”, the

second track is the title song of this release, also a very art/punk/comic song, but also very cool and entertaining. The flipside contains two songs that have been recorded at the famous Max's Kansas City, one of the breeding holes of punkrock. The sound quality is okay, but the songs are… well, maybe they are funny if you see those guys acting on stage, but the audio attack as a standalone is making me turning off the stereo… Munster. THE FE FI FO FUMS | Electrofize me Now, with a name like this you have no other chance than being the coolest band around. I took me longer to read the liner notes on the backcover, than actually listening to the two songs, the title track is a slow lo-fi hit, the flipside is even better, somehow angrier, a fast SUPERCHARGER flavored smasher to dance stupid to. I suggest to get this 7” immediately before they run out of copies, I heard it is distributed by Soundflat over here. Boom Boom of Renton. FRONTAL | Tätowiert Check out the book “Folta für John Travolta” (german only) if you wanna find out more about this band from Wels, Austria, they have been around since 24 years and are still making music. When you listen to these four songs, the term “punkrock” may not come to your mind, maybe more “rock/pop”, but still, there's something in the songs that has a punky edge, maybe it's the lyrics. Embarrassing is the last track “Henchmen Klein”, a children's song, its unnecessesary. Be sure to visit www.frontal.at.tt DSS. THE GILJOTEENS | Without you Wiggle and shake in 60ties Beat, but somehow the four songs of this band cannot take me by storm. To me it sounds mediocre and redundant. Sorry guys… Screaming Apple. THE HARD FEELINGS | 100 Miles and hour Straight forward rock n roll, of course not the slick version, more the dirty and raw type for heavens sake! This is the band of an Ex-REVELATOR, so what do you expect? Two songs, both of them are cover versions, the title track is originally recorded by Ray Loney and the Phantom Movers, a simple and fast rocker, the flipside is slower and more blues influenced, no wonder, the song (an instrumental) is originally done by Bo Diddley. Super-duper artwork, as always with TEAR IT UP Records releases, produced by Mike Mariconda, can't do no wrong huh? Tear It Up. INDIKATION | Ain't that love // Yes I do After their Seven Incher on Larsen Records, this is the second single I got from this Norwegian band. And what can you expect from boys who book some studio time at Liam Watson's Toe Rag Studios in London? Right: authentic sixties music. This Seven Inch contains two up tempo organ drenched freak beat songs who are not very satisfying just because … there are only two songs! I can't wait until these five guys finally release a full length! Maybe Denis at Larsen can book them six more days at Toe Rag. Can you? Please! Screaming Apple. THE LEGENDARY TIGER MAN | Big Black Rusty Pussyboat Two cuts by a guy who calls himself “legendary”, hm, I don't know why. Here we've got blues soaked guitar trash, with slick lyrics and the help of Jim Diamond (guitar) and Mick Collins (Drums and additional vocals). Both songs are okay, but no more than that, I guess they are more or less improvised products of a hangover. Only for collectors. Munster. THE MANIKINS | Don't gimme a choice Wow, this is totally my kinda music, very fast and maybe even hectic lo-fi punkrock with a lot of whoaos, this is exactly why I love the RIP OFFS and the HOT POCKETS. It's good to know that Sweden is more that either guitar wanking hippies or melodic Punkbands. When I unravelled this thing, I thought this is some pop or even sixties stuff, four clean looking boys all dressed up the same, with striped long sleeves, but after the first few seconds of the title track “Don't gimme a choice”, I had no other choice than to love 'em. Three of the four songs are basically the same, one's a cover version I didn't know, “Palisades Park” originally sung by a guy named Freddy Cannon. A full length is out soon on Rockin' Bones Records, so better keep your eyed peeled! P.Trash.

NICO | I'm not sayin' / The last mile I never thought that I would ever own a NICO single… but here it is. She hasn't only been a model or a muse of course, most know this blond beauty from the “Velvet Underground & Nico” and Warhol and blah blah blah, but before she got to be polished and shaped by John Cale to record her late 60ties albums, she recorded some songs at a recording facility which was co-owned by the Rolling Stones Manager Andrew Oldham. One of this songs is the title track of this gem here, a VERY folky and through NICO's voice, unique song. On the flipside is a damn boring cut named “The last mile”, a terrible protest song written by Oldham who could be totally neglected but… it's funny only because of the musicians involved: Brian Jones and a very young Jimmy Page on guitar… hahaha! Cheers! Munster. THE PLASTIQUES | s/t This is a blast! The name Sellergren really stands for quality! This guy really knows how to write good fast'n'catchy punkrock tunes! The Plastiques are the new band of the former leader of the Dialtones. The sound is a mixture of the Dialtones typical DevilDogs-stylish PunkRock'n'Roll and something that sounds a bit more 77' to me like perhapes some Clash influences on the Aside "Shoplifting"! The B-side "This shit just can't be real" is a real in your face punkrockbasher! I hope this band will release an album soon and will be coming on tour! olé! This 7" seems to be the beginning of something real good! Radioblast. LA SECTA | The killer who wants some fun Oh my gosh they are still around, one of the longest running band from the Basque Country, La Secta. I remember buying one of their CDs nearly a decade ago, and here they are with three new songs on clear vinyl, and the sound is still guitar driven, maybe the heavy riffs increased over the years, so friends of furious guitar laden punkrock songs listen up, there is an alternative to those scandinavian wankers. The song on the flipside is a cover by the SONIC RENDEVOUS BAND, cover done by Jorge Alderete = brilliant. Munster. SINGING DOGS | Hell Blues This is the first release from P-Trash Records, hand numbered and available in three different colours, and it's totally garage punk. I don't know where the two guys of the Singing Dogs come from, but the four songs on this nice piece of vinyl are highly entertaining and all of them have the same primitive stomping rhythm and raw vocals, the whole package has a very snotty touch. Got it? P.Trash. SINGING DOGS | Suck the Dog EP A brand new 7” that came in here very last minute… Most of the songs are faster than the ones on the “Hell Blues” 7”, “Kill me” even reminds me a bit on NYC pogo punk BLANKS 77, but don't get me wrong, the SINGING DOGS are still a trashy garage punk combo, out of bounds! P.Trash. THE SPITTIN' VICARS | s/t The Spittin' Vicars is a band of some old punks from the U.K. and The Netherlands. It features Vom Ritchie of The Boys and DTH fame and John Codger former member of The Stains. The third man, Vince Incredibleruns a studio in the Netherlands. The record features two songs "oddball" and "(Ain't going) Back to babylon". Oddball is kind of compareable to the Dictators whereas Babylon is a rough and tough two fingers up in the air punk number! They're recording a full length at the moment, so watchout! Radioblast. SPLIT | AGITATORS // HEARTACHES The AGITATORS play simple and catchy Street punk, the first song is great, a nice sing-a-long anthem, the second song is a bit too wh-oo-hoo for my taste. The flipside contains two songs by the HEARTACHES. When I saw them for the first time in Gierle, I thought they are a plain US BOMBS rip off, but after their good CD/LP on People Like You, they pretty much found their kind of sound, streetpunkish and snotty. I liked the Agitators better. TG. RocknRollRadio. SPLIT | THE BRIEFS // THE SHOCKS The Briefs are god! The Briefs are probably the best band on planet earth right now! These guys really know how to transform '77 Punkrock into the new time! Ayayayayayayay! The song CHOKE 49

featured on this split 7" is called "I know" and again proves my statement from the beginning! The Briefs are great! They're on tour right now and if you miss them it's your own fault! I don't like the Shocks! Never liked them. Radioblast. SPLIT | THE DISTRACTION // THE HATEPINKS Okay, you have all records of the STITCHES, know the BRIEFS songs from A to zed, got FM KNIFES and THE SPITS and are still not sick of NO Wave Punk? Here is the perfect record for you! THE HATEPINKS are fucking awesome, I have never ever heard of them, and here they are, cranking out a song like “Bored on Pills” that just electrifies me and keeps me bouncing around in my room. DAMNIT!!! I want more of this fucking frenchies! THE DISTRACTION from Huntington Beach are often been called “the false Stitches” but after to ok first album, this two songs here make you believe that they got something special, it's a punk / new wave bombshell! Lollipop. SPLIT | TEXAS MOTHERFUCKERS // THE RIOTS I was stunned when I took a first look at this TEAR IT UP RECORDS release, two colored silk screened printing on thick paper, great artwork! Ever heard of the TEXAS MF's? Me not, but they're good! Like throttled down NINE POUND HAMMER mixed with MOTÖRHEAD vocals and a lot of burgers and whiskey. I bet these guys form Sweden I may add are all weighting 200 lbs plus. Two testosterone filled punkrock songs. THE RIOTS are having more hardcore influences, they are straighter and faster, but these two songs also have that raunchy touch. Recommended! Tear It Up. STACK'O'LEES | s/t Whoooopeee! another fine release from BigBlackHole! This time it's the Stack'O'Lees from FrancoCanada, Montreal, featuring members of the Scat Rag Boosters (yikes!) and the Royal Routes. It's a two man combo with a lot of power and energy and the "Take This" is a fuckin' hit! Go buy the record and read the great liner notes written by Thomas Savage about the name Stack'O'Lees a.aka. Stagger Lee. And if you don't know who Stagger Lee was it's time to look into your history books kiddos! That's all for now! Big Black Hole.

V/A | FREAKBEAT FROM DOWN UNDER Oh how I love being in the Munster Records Single Club! Otherwise I would never be able to get such great records that may sound a bit strange, like this here, but reveal to be great gems! This one here is subtitled “Four South American Bands from 68/69”, three of them from Chile, one from Argentina. LOS WALKERS begin with a beat song named “We got plenty of help”, recorded in from of a normal café audience, as I suppose, very funny and lalala. Next up are LOS MAC'S, who remind me of SOUL INC without the harmonica, up tempo and quirky vocals! A mixture between fuzz and psychodelica are LOS VIDRIOS QUEBRADOS [which means something like “The broken Windowglasses”… haha!], but the strangest band are LOS JOCKERS, who take most space on the B-Side, singing about a grandpa's tie. Very drunken and mournful “vocals”... Get this! This is great! I hope the folks at Munster make a whole series out of this! Munster. THE WAISTCOATS | It's not true The last release by Pure Vinyl for this year is this Seven Inch by the Waistcoats from the Netherlands, and after the weak “In my eyes” album it seems that this combo are back for good with four songs on blue vinyl. The title song is something to dance to, and you can even sing-along. Cut number two is an instro, organ drenched and driven, and very danceable as well. I don't know what it is but the songs make you side-stepping like Manfred of The Woggles does on stage. The best song in my opinion is the first one on the B-Side “(You don't) try too hard”, with plenty of pop and beat appeal. Closing this release is a shouter named “Shaggy Dog”… oh… I`m doing sidesteps again!!! The Gimp. To date I never really liked the Waistcoats so much! It's true! But this 7" is a real good rockin' piece of wax! The record features four songs, three vocal numbers and one instrumental mixed into a real listening pleasure! My favorite tune on this one is "Shaggy Dog" because it really rocks in a cool insane way (I love songs where people are making stupid dog noises in the background, hahaha!)! The whole lotta songs was recorded at Toe Rag studio by Liam Watson and normally this stands for quality! Yep! Gerhard Fluch really knows how to kick bands asses to record good 7"es! That's the bottom line! ChrisReeko. Pure Vinyl.

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RECORD REVIEWS

69 CHARGER | Trash Deluxe CD No, it's not “trash”. The debut by this punkrockin' combo from The Netherlands is the opposite, it's a raw and fast ride on the [early] Gluecifer train, mixed with a bunch of other ingredients like NBTurks and some dirty soul punk acts. The 12 songs are energetic and powerful, but I've to admit that they are not as top-notch as the info sheet [of course] promises. Expecially when I think of other bands like RODRIGUEZ, who are not as rock n roll as these Dutchmen, but easily more garage punk in any way. “Trash deluxe” is a good attempt, but not a killer. Stardumb. ACCIDENTS | All time high CD These guys don't look very sporty… that's my first impression, while looking at the cover. But the sure know how to rock, with a rock'n'roll guitar at punkrock speed, plus snotty vocals that may remind you a bit of the shoutings of football supporters three hours after a glorious victory. As I could gather from the info sheet, this is the debut album of these four heavy weight Scandinavians, and I have to say that the songs rock way better than the last BONES album. Its more aggressive and it's got more power in it that's basicly it. Includes a Hank Williams cover song, “Pan America”. Rock Alliance / Bootleg Booze. ADAM WEST | God's gift to women CD … but not a gift to me. Testosterone-filled plain rock music with a punky edge and cool vocals, but the songs are so interchangeable that I doubt that anyone except the band can tell them apart without a setlist. TG. People Like You. AFTER HOURS | The trouble with those guys is… CD Perfect chill out ska in the traditional way, with some jazz and lounge music moments! No wonder, the members of the band include guys from HEPCAT and KING APPARATUS. Listen to this when you're hanging out at the beach, feeling dizzy because of the heat and/or cocktails. Jump Up. AGAINST ME! | As the eternal cowboy CD / LP This is the best record that came out on Fat Wreck in 2003, and I cannot wait to catch them life this summer. Melody without the core additions… lyrics that are poetic in a way, and the when you listen to Tom Gabel singing, you can easily find more revolutionary ethics in the voice than in most bands lyrics. Its folk and punk-as-fuck, there are hymns and ballads… perfect record. Thanks! Fat. ANTIMANIAX | I'm without sleep in this desert of concrete CD 9 more hard hitting ska punk gems from this band from Graz. Okay, you can definitely hear some LEFTOVER CRACK here and there, but still this guys got something going. I'm not sure why this CD has been released, not so long ago AMX released their debut on the very same label. Hm. Householdname. THE APERS | Wild and Savage CD After just two full lengths but a ton of other releases, here you've got a collection of songs which never made it on a proper release and / or were given away for some compilation. 25 Songs all in all, many of them are most obviously cut out material but there are also some gems like “Do you remember how I cried”, one of the best APERS songs ever, from the Cretins wanna dance Compilation out on Swindlebra Records, or the songs with the keyboard [expecially “Always be around”]. For all those who can't get enough APERS stuff, this is a way to comlete your collection, all the others should better stick to the Full Length releases. Stardumb. ASHERMAN meets DUB STREET ROCKERS | Zion ready CD Smoking pot is not automatically increasing any songwriter talents. However, what's the fukken point with dub music? Jump Up. ATOM RHUMBA | Backbone Ritmo CD If I'd believe what is written in the promo sheet, this band from the

Basque Country is the next big thing. This kind of rock, soul, funk with saxophone [uuargh!] bores me, next please. Munster. BEATBRATS | Tainted CD The debut album of this punk kids from southern austria was, errrr, ridiculous, but what can you expect with a title like “The Revenge Of The Muppet Puppet From Teen Planet“? It was plain melody core, and they even covered the theme from the animted series “Pinochio”… In the meanwhile they listenend to a lot of Hellcat Records bands and here they are with a fukken great CD! Ok, not all of the 13 tracks are that good, but songs like “12 feet 10”, “Shoot it up” and “Don't waste my time” go straight into your punkbrain and they are definitely stayin there. No attempts of cuteness or levity, just real, reputable punkrock with just the right amount of aggro // youthful enthusiasm. Pam. BEETWEEN THE LINES | Wake up call LP Very tight and furious hardcore music, reminding me of INTENSITY or old school stuff from NYC, when HC was not all about this unity / vegan / hippy shit. These guys are from Antwerp, and when I listen to these 12 hard hitting and powerful tracks, I suppose they are and they are very angry. RocknRollRadio. THE BERSERKERZ | River Deep Action High LP I enjoyed this lads from Belgium when the rocked the Bogen 13 in Innsbruck about 3 years ago, and when I listen to their new album I concede that “Rhine Delta Rock'n'Roll” is pretty vital still! 10 songs of raw guitar driven punkrock action and a bunch of singalong, a fine ride… catchy and heavy at once. Sounds of Subterrania. THE BLACK KEYS | The Moan CDEP Stripped down blues brat, born in the Mississippi Delta and raised by the same parents like IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS. I gotta run and buy the whole album, these four songs are not enough for me!!! I'm squirming around for another reference that`ll get you sniffing in the right direction, but take the fact that I`m having no luck as an indication of their ability. Superb “No Fun” cover version. They seem to have come out of nowhere, but they`ll hopefully be in big places by the time this review sees print. In short, way cool!. Alive. THE BLACK LIPS | We did not know the forest spirit made the flowers grow LP/CD This here really came last minute, so I could not listen to the record properly before writing this review, but my first impression is that this second album by the four boys from Atlanta, Georgia, is far more experimental than the first self titled album, it sounds as if there's been some drugs involved… still, it's a very good, primitive and raw sounding LP you should buy, especially if you missed them during their euro tour in may / june!!! Bomp. BLOODJUNKIES | Maladies CD Oh my gosh, punky goth folk with spaghetti western influences! Hm, I don't know.. perhapes my world just isn't ready for something like that! Half the team of the Bloodjunkies is recruited from the Damnation, a LA punk band. The Bloodjunkies Maladies record features 17 songs with a cool western intro as the first song and than a mixture of punk songs with a goth edge and folk songs with a punk edge. I guess there a few covers among the songs but I only recognized the Danzig cover „Thirteen“ (of J.R.Cash fame) and a New Model Army cover „51st State“. Just like I said before... I guess I'm not ready yet for such weird stuff..... Maybe I'm to young?!? I dunno.... People Like You. THE BONES | Straight Flush Ghetto CD/LP Nothing new from THE BONES from Sweden, who are more popular in Germany than in their home country. Their third album is a solid rocking release that may be just the right thing for greaser punks and motorcycle gangs. There's nothing wrong with it, except the fact that listening to these 16 songs make me cry for the next SOCIAL DISTORTION album that is in the works for like 5 years now. Fuck. The Bones are awright, but I want the real thing! People Like You. CHOKE 51

4 songs, maybe it's to complicated for me. Reflections. THE BOONARAAAS!!! | Go get goo goo CD / LP They got really really better! If you don't know them by know, the Boonaraaas are 4 girls who play punkrock music, very poppy, very surf influenced, and very charming! Allthough the recordings are clean-ascan be, I dug this 16 tracks from the beginning on, startung with an instro, then the uptempo tune “Hipshakin' Loving” over to track 4, my favourite of the record, “Turn her away” with great vocals… I you are into girl groups and poppy surf punk, this is it. Thunderbaby. BOUNCING SOULS | Anchors aweigh CD Great live band but it seems that the albums get a little bit more pop appeal. Here you have the fifth release, and of course these guys come up with some great melodic punkrock singalongs, like “Kids and Heroes”, the secont song on this album, a typical BS hymn, but nevertheless I miss the fast and furious HC songs that were also a part of the Souls. The artwort is really pathetic and in my eyes even disgusting. The music is good, but for starters, better check out the “Maniacal Laughter” LP. Epitaph. BOYSKOUT | School of etiquette CD A big stink is made right now when everybody and his cousin rediscovers 80ties pop music. Here are four girls, three of them look way younger than 20, but the kinda discovered 80ties music as well, but not the sunny side of it, more there darker and introverted side of it. So it is no wonder that their debut record “School of etiquette” sounds like a mixture of mid ninties rock music [SLEATER KINNEY] and 80ties bands like JOY DIVISION or even SIOUXIE. There are a lot of synths and pop melodies, but still there is something that makes it not easy to swallow. Give them a listen when you see this CD at your record shop! Strange girls, and very pretty ones, too! Alive. THE BULLOCKS | Ready, steady, cash CD The Bullocks are Düsseldorf's second oldest punk band, right behind the Toten Hosen, they play very clean singalong punk, not more, not less. I don't like the vocals. Wolverine. THE BUSINESS | Hardcore Hooligan CD I guess it's common knowledge that thes lads are football fanatics, so it's no wonder that they put out a CD full of football “inspired” songs and sing-a-longs. Just listen to tracks like “Englad 5, Germany 1”, “3 Lions”, “Saturday's heroes” and stick you hand into the air, holding a pint of guiness. This is fun! I love football, I love punkrock music, so this is a goob combu, huh? BYO. CARDIAX | Demo While I agree with the theory that there are way to much pop punk bands out there who release gazillions of bad records, I'm happy that finally there`s a good one in innsbruck. This is their first demo I guess, so don`t expect perfect sound quality here [did I ever?]. The songs are uptempo skatepunk with a predominand lead guitar, they steal here and there, and I guess I would have loved this kind of music when I still had a skateboard. Can be compared with early HORACE PINKER or SICKO or ALLISTER or even poppy APOCALYPSE HOBOKEN. Lets see what happens next, hope they don`t call it a day too soon, would be interesting in which direction these guys are heading to. www.cardiax.da.ru CAMAROSMITH | s/t CD This is Donny Paycheck's Band, when ZEKE is like most of the time temporarily disbanded. He's drumming, ZEKE bandmate Jeff Matz is playing base and the other three guys, I don't know. I'm not sure if every ZEKE fan will dig this, this 13 Songs are partly influenced by NEBULA, FU MANCHU and all that stoner rock swell, but you can also hear a LOT of 70s rock, BLACK SABBATH, MONSTROSE and even IRON MAIDEN [-> Flight of the Red Wing”]. Dead Teenager. CAPTAIN EVERYTHING | It's not rocket science CD The Artwork is great! The music is plain melodycore dreck without surprises. Who needs musicianship, songwriting or individuality if the kids want to hear this? Captain Everything is very successful in what they are doing, this means possible they're good, but it's definitely not my cup of tea. Householdname.

COFFIN LIDS | Rock n Roll CD My goodness, this is a classic!!! Can someone tell my how BOMP tracks down all these unique bands? Can you? Please? The COFFIN LIDS are from Boston, but musically they are from the northwest [SONICS] and San Fran [THE MUMMIES], raw and rockin', and unbelievably straightforward. Don't put that CD in if you only got 5 minutes of spare time, cause as soon as you hit the “play” button, you just can not stop listineng, dancing and shaking, you are forced to turn up the volume and jump around in front of your neighbours, while they shout on you… pfew! Bomp. COMMUNIQUE | Poison Arrows CD Sometimes I wonder what happened to LOOKOUT Records. In the early nineties you could by anything by this Berkeley, CA. based label, it always was something special, setting the standards for the so called punk scene. Since a bunch of years its going down the drain, and now they've reached the bottom line pretty much. One of the best labels became a imprint for boring emo bands, college chart stuff without edges. COMMUNIQUE is a band that pretty much fits into that scheme, four boys who state DURAN DURAN and U2 as influence, playing mid tempo pop tunes who fit best as background music for a Saturday afternoon TV series like Sabrina, the teenage witch. Come on. LOOKOUT!. CRISIS WHAT CRISIS | Christopher street day CD Typical german pop punk sounding like it was from 1990. Five Songs, bad english but I guess these guys like what they're doing. I don't. Friendly Cow. DAMNATION | The unholy sounds of CD/LP OK, produced by Blag Dhalia, the ringleader of the mighty DWARVES, so what can you expect? Right, guitar driven, ball-busting, evil and fast punkrock music with a shitload of creepy tongue-in-cheek humor plus the right amount of melody. Don't be afraid of the stupid band name, these L.A. quartet is able to save your punkrock party, but don't make the failure to take them too serious. Its just [damn good] punkrock music! People Like You. DARLINGTON | Moron-a-thon LP/CD Well done, boys! Way better than their last album, but also a lot shorter. In only 22 minutes these Texan foursome crank out 10 tunes, poppunk we've heard hundreds of times before, but we still cannot get enough. Yeah yeah, still the lyrics are all about girls, partying and uh… girls, but hey, its POPPUNK! Another fine Stardumb records pladder! Stardumb. DEAD FISH | Afasia CD “Melodic Hardcore with politics” is stated in the promo sheet, well, due to the fact that this band is from brazil, and I don't understand a single word, and there's no lyric sheet, I just hear them yelling something. But they are absolutely right with the term “melodic hardcore”, not that modern kind of shit, this sounds like the other release I got from Friendly Cow Records a lot older. I'm pretty sure they're pretty well known in their country, and the make a lot of kinds jumping up and down. Friendly Cow. DEADZIBEL | Hell to pay CD Total fuckin' wack jobs, these guys are. Way back when, like 4 or more years ago, I saw these band a bunch of times, and the genre they semmed to fit it was most likely the noisecore/punk thing. Here they are again, four loons who pound and band on their instruments with abandon while belting out stereotype-laden, rather hilarious “vocal accompaniment”. And just when you begin to fear yet another musical tantrum, they pull together ond offer up hummable melodies! There is a lot of heavy rock music in it, and even some punkrock, that kinda punkrock that made scandinavia famous in the last decade. They even mix up TURBONGRO songs, like the title “Alpha Rodeo” suggest. But nonetheless, a fine and entertaining disc of these band from Linz, Austria!!! www.deadzibel.com 13.

THE CHINKEES | Plea for peace CD+ This is Mike Parks Skapunk band, Mike Park is I guess with two or three “employees” running Asian Man Records, a fine institution for Ska, Skapunk and Pop music. This release came out on Kung Fu, I wonder why, but alas, it's a Best of thingy, with nice and poppy ska punk songs, including an organ. Worth to check out if you are into this music. Kung Fu.

THE DEFECTORS | Turn me on! LP / CD Fuzz infected garage music, raw, with a farfisa organ. Haven`t had the time to listen to it more than three times, and what can I say, until now I could not really find something special about this danish combo. They are not bad, but they seem to be exactly the standard program you expect it to be. I admit that I don`t like that kind of music on disc, I rather go for live shows. The best track is “Tricky Baby”, which has got a nice Cramps-twist in it. Better check it out for yourselves. Bad Afro.

CIRCLE | Vaudeville CD This guys are from Belgium and they're cranking out 10 HC songs that reminds me of REFUSED mixed up with a lot of BOY SETS FIRE melody moments. The cover artwork and packaging is very professional, so is the recording. If you favour above mentioned groups, this album is definitely something for you, I'm not able to listen to this longer than

DENNIS MOST & THE INSTIGATORS | Wire my jaw CD If you are a collector of the “Killed by Death” series, you may have read the name “Dennis Most” on part 18 of before mentioned compilation series. His 1979 7” “Excuse my spunk” became a collectors item somehow. This CD here features a wide range of his recordings, from 1976 until new songs from 2002. Don't be misled by

the cover picture, the band looks like a bunch of retards in new clothes… the music is darker and tougher, garage punk with metal influences. Its nothing you would call punkrock these days, but protopunk may be the right term. Dionysus. DESCENDENTS | 'Merican CDEP They are back, they are perfect, they did one of my top 10 ever records more than 20 years ago and still they are so fucking good, so much better than all the swell that crawls around in this shitty music business. I put the CD in and I'm immediately beginning to grin, it's like coming home, it's like going skating after school, it's like hanging aroudn at some beach with nothing to do, just watching the girls and sipping on a cold drink. If you don't like the Descendents, please go away and dig yourself a hole. I don't care what you are doing, just go out of my sight. I love you guys, I mean it! SEND ME THE FUCKING FULL LENGTH SOON! Please! Don't let me die here with this needle aka CDEP in my arm / ears!!! Epitaph. DIE HUNNS | Long legs CD/LP After the last DUANE PETERS AND THE HUNNS record I thought that this band is pretty much over it. Lame songs and lame shows, but here, with Corey Parks on bass, The Hunns got something back again, it sounds fresher and way more creative than ever. Okay, they are of course never as good as the US BOMBS in the “War Birth” era… but still, this is a nice records that will rock most of the punks out there. 15 songs, three of them are exclusive to the CD release, which also has a Quicktime Video Clip on the top of it: “Love & Hate”, a funny video, Duane looks more dead than ever, and Corey's gotten some more silicone injections right before the shooting… at least it looks like as if haha… check it out! People Like You. DIRTSHAKES | Return To Boomsfeeldeliah! CD Maybe the kids have a problem with vinyl. This may be a reason why the four old men from Solingen put out a CD containing most [or all?] of the songs they did so far, and which were released on various labels. A predominant part of the 16 Songs have only be available on vinyl. So if you want to check out this punkrockers and their Ramones Angry Samoans Radio Birdman influenced sounds, this is a good an cheap grab-a-bag. I guess the first pressing is already sold out, but the second will be available soon. Listen geeks: 8 [eight!] videos included too! And Steffi Graf is the cover girl!!! Valve. DUESENJAEGER | Las Palmas OK LP Ok, this is definitely NOT a very nice treatment. Here I got a four song CDR [plus a video clip], as a teaser for the new LP of this german group. It would be no problem at all if the four songs would be sucky, but damnit, they are so good! Reminding me a lot of ANGESCHISSEN, plus maybe a bit of both, MUFF POTTER and TURBOSTAAT, which means fast punkrock, angry vocals and misanthropic lyrics, packed in a lot of melody. Send me the LP now. My Ruin. DUVALL | Volume & Density CD I don't know anything about the SMOKING POPES, former members of this band, Josh and Eli Caterer now formed Duvall, which are rocking in a mid tempo, emo-esque way. Nothing for me, sorry, but I'm sure a lot of Dashboard Confessional or Jimmy Eat World fans dig this. Asian Man. EXCEED EXCESS | Media shock CDR 10 Demo Songs of this new punk band from the eastern part of austria, simple punkrock with a street punky edge and a bunch of singalongs you've heard before. Let's see whats up with them in some months. www.exceed-excess.tk EXPLODING FUCK DOLLS | Crack the Safe CD Another “legendary” OC punk band, but a VERY stupid name... What we've got here is Duane Peters' band prior to the US BOMBS, a very entertaining streetpunkish / old school punk styled outfit with a bunch of anthemic songs, even some song that have been recorded by the US BOMBS years later. I guess this is for all of you who are into that OC sound, y'know think SMOGTOWN and similar, but in addition, the Exploding Fuck Dolls have a lot more Johnny Thunders / 70s Punk inside. This may be your favourite punkrock record until the new US BOMBS album is breaking in. Contains detailed liner notes and pictures. Disaster. FACE THE ENEMY | These two words CD / LP Hardcore music I listened to nearly 15 years ago. Very professional though, the members have also been in BATTERY, BETTER THAN A THOUSAND, etc. now they play in front of 15 year old kids with backpacks. Defiance / PAM. THE FALCON ASS | Dead rats radar CDR This is the manic countenance of emorock. This three people are definitly part the audiences, one side is standing around, not knowing what to do or think with absolutely no clue this is all about, and the other side people who jump up and down like primitves intoxinated

with some nerve-shattering substance. That's how I imagine a FALCON ASS show. I never saw them live. But I surely will. Check this out if you are sick of the tons of stupid college rock glitterati bands from overseas, or from wherever. This is what sickness is all about, a punch in the face. Ape-like behaviour. Unpredictable songs. Dangerous and nasty rock music you've heard looooong time ago on labels like Touch & Go or AmRep. www.checkcontrolcenter.com FRESNEL | Scenario CDEP Okay, this is heavy and violent, uneasy and sludgy hardcore with lots of growling and shouting. I'm quite sure Maggo from BUG really digs this kind of music, full of edges and twists, with steady basslines. Somehow this is a bit disturbing, four songs in 19 minutes.,. hey, I've got a short attention span! It would possible be better they would have cut off the last 90 seconds of each song. BTW: Great artwork. Noise Appeal. THE FIGHT | Home is where the hate is CDEP / 10” I've never heard of this band, and it's no wonder, the singer Kate of this melodic punkrock outfit is 18 years old and the elder of this band. I don't know what connections they have to Fat Wreck but here's the debut, 7 fast and fresh songs between FABULOUS DISASTER, SQUAT and the punkrock edition of NO DOUBT. Awkward cover artwork, but good songs! Fat. THEE FINE LINES | dto CD It's very HEADCOATS and HEADCOATESS, plus loads of even older influences [MUMMIES, SONICS]!!! IT'S SO DAMN GOOD!!! These threesome is playing together two years or so, in Springfield, MO, and they are the surprise of this issue. Coming out of nowhere, the two brothers Justin and Jason on guitar / drums, plus the VERY cute looking Trista on bass, deliver not only fast paced garage tunes, they even have a buncuh slower, meaner songs. Due to the fact the vocal duties are shared between Trista and Justin, the male / female voice is giving the whole package something special. Be sure to check this band out, I hope the hop across the big sea soon! BTW: this is the first release of LICORICE TREE Records. Keep your eyes peeled on that label too, a Texas comp is coming soon, plus the debut of Mike Mariconda's new band, THE STEPBROTHERS! Licorice Tree. FUN PEOPLE | Otros Callan CD A giant compilation of FUN PEOPLE songs, songs ranging from 1995 until 2000, remixed and with a nice booklet with comments on each and every of the 40 songs! If you don`t know them, they play sometimes fast and hard, sometimes mid tempo and poppy tunes, always with a lot of melodies. And they are from Argentinia, which is giving them some exotic bonus! I like BOOM BOOM KID better, but FUN PEOPLE are damn good as well! Beat Generation. GAMEFACE | Four to go CD / LP Good to hear they are still around. I just own the first two records, and I don't really know where the went stylistically since 1995, somehow I lost touch when Dr.Strange Records stopped to send me promos…, but this release may possible be a fingertip to the “old” times. Their second album that came out in 1995 was entiteled “Three to get ready” so “Four to go” seems to be a sequel. Very similar to SUPERCHUNK, Gameface has always been forgotten, they did “emohardcore” before geeks gave college rock a new name. A warm voice and straight melodies, and mainly sad or at least thoughtful lyrics, that was Gameface at the beginning of the 90s and in 03 as well! Defiance / PAM. THE GIRLS | dto LP Hm. I don't really get it, its too much BRIEFS, although THE GIRLS have way more new wave / synth influenced than before mentioned hipsters. Maybe I leave it in the shelf and put it back on my record player in a month or two. Right now I'm a bit dissapointed, cause there's been some buzz around this release. Radio Blast. GIVE UP THE GHOST | We're down til we`re underground CD Whoao… yes! This is aggression! This is what SOIA was way back when they didn't have any street punk influence. Even the vocals are similar to Pete Koller's. Nevertheless, this band here, formerly known as AMERICAN NIGHTMARE has something special. I must admit that after 5-6 songs it is to monotunous for me, but I`m sure the hardcore kids go wild for this record! Burning Heart. GHETTO WAYS | dto. LP The Ghetto Ways [oh what a play on words…] from New York did not impress me at all when I spinned the LP the first time, but like with many good records you still like 5 or more years from now, this one gets better everytime I listen to it again. They play hard and a bit soul influenced garage rock, I know that's nothing new for you in times like this, when the next new garage rock sensation seems to crawl out of every garbage can. But this here is really slightly different, and it shows again that Alien Snatch has a good hand when it comes to pick CHOKE 53

THE ESTRUS ROUNDABOUT Every time my postman brings me a parcel from Bellingham, WA., I`m grinning like a retard in some mental hospital or like Chris Reeky when he get`s a cold beer for free, because based in Bellingham is ESTRUS records, and receiving promos by this fine label is like getting a action fix. Estrus cheffè Dave Crider has put out a lot of records since the last installment of this crappy punkrock zine, here are some you don`t want to miss… Lets start with THE VON ZIPPERS “The Crime is now!” CD, which has lately also been released by ALIEN SNATCH records in Germany as LP [with a beautiful gatefold cover], it's fresh and fun, it`s loud and snotty punkrock for simple folks like me! I don`t know much about this band, I just know that they used to wear nazi helmets on stage, and that they`re from Calgary. Which is not very useful for this review huh? Well, I`m just gathering all my informations, but I cannot even think straight when I listen to this CD. I don`t really have the time to think, I have to turn up the volume once more… Not really my cup of tea is the DIPLOMATS OF SOLID SOUND new disc “Let`s cool one”, instrumental music, pretty funky. I don`t like Bookter T & the MG's. Defining new levels of greatness, THE MISTREATERS are back with their second album entitled “Playa hated to the fullest”. I haven`t been able to see their show in munich or elsewhere at their euro treck last winter which fills me with anger and envy because seeing this foursome from Milwaukeeeee must be a pretty sweaty, energetic and hollerin' hayride. Hard hitting rawk'n'roll music, distorted vocals / screams from the first second. I've not been familiar with their material before I got this record, but I knew that they had some stuff out on BIG NECK RECORDS, a label with a take-noprisoners bands reputation, so I expected some really good music, but these 11 songs [there are 12 songs on the CD, but one is not-so-good, it`s a slower blues infected tune] are hitting the top of the scale. I'd give it 12 out of 10, if we would have a valuation by numbers. It's as simple as that. “OH MY GOSH!!!” I thought, when I got the information about a MUMMIES record that is “in the works”. RE-UNION? Nope sir, but maybe t'is better to keep the mummies in their shallow grave. But nontheless… they were the fukken KINGS OF BUDGET ROCK!!!!! Why you ask? Self proclaimed? Well, maybe… Their records sounded awkward? Uhm… yes! They didn`t even have a offical CD out until their “Never been cought” album on Telstar came out as CD ten years after the vinyl release. Now… ESTRUS SUPER RECORD COMPANY presents us 22 tracks from the lost vaults of Budget Rock Global Industries™, two members of the MUMMIES have traveled back in time to rescue the master tapes, all the hits of these bunch of loonies dressed up as mummies, now with BASS!!! Yes, with this CD we've got the proof, the MUMMIES had a bass player! Listen to all the classic tracks, like “I`m bigger than you”, “Food, sickles, girls” or “Stronger than dirt”, and become a believer if you aren`t already caught by the mummies blend of stripped down, raw and dirty rock n roll!!!! Get a copy of this ASAP and guess who this combo acted on stage. They destroyed pretty much everything in sight: bottles, microphones, eardrums… you name it, they broke it. [I feel obligated to point you toward all other essential recordings of this super-group. See MUMMIES article for further infos.] THE DEXATEENS, who are they, where they come from? The info says they are from Tuscaloosa. Uh? Yes… and which planet? According to google.com, this is a town somewhere in Alabama. I expected another two-guitar-powerhouse, but after a few seconds into the first song I was surprised to hear a nice country-eske song, “Cardboard Hearts”, the opening songs, sounds like UNCLE TUPELO with a Rock N Roll intervention!!! GREAT! The second track is slower and harder in a way, more guitar riffin', the next one called “Cherry”, surely brings a lot of people to dance at a live show, a straight rocker! But my favourite track is “Hard Lovin'”, sounding very familiar somehow pretty soon… to sum it up: it`s a very good and diverse album, it does definitely not contain that kinda hits at first, but the more you come into the songs, the more you start to like the DEXATEENS!!! Pretty much finishing off this ESTRUS RECORDS release mayhem is the new album by the FALL-OUTS, their fourth full-length, to be correct. I'm not in possession in any other FALL-OUTS release exept their 1993 release on Estrus called “Here I come and other hits”, which in fact contained an über-hit, “Made my bed, gonna lie in it”. Oh my gosh, when I got this record I couldn`t stop listening to that song. The new LP is again recorded in Conrad Uno's Egg Studios in Seattle, and again there`s a hit included that keeps me running to the stereo, pushing the >repeat< button: “One thought too much” is a perfect pop tune, not a happy one indeed, more of the darker side, like most of the songs of this record are drenched in cynicism and have in my opinion a slight touch of resignation… did I mention that this album is entitled “Summertime”??? Mmh… it is! Check it out for yourself, I thinks it's an “okay” album, but I liked the old one better. Maybe just because it's a lot wilder! Just when I found out about Tina Lucchesi's new band THE DEADLY WEAPONS and when I was thinking that her “other” band is defunct after a bunch of years without any new song… the postman hands me out THE BOBBYTEENS brand spanking new “Cruisin' for a bruisin” CD, what a surprise! And they are in better shape than ever!!! [I`m speaking of the music, of course.] I loved the first LP “Fast Livin' RocknRoll” out on Tina`s own Lipstick Records, but the second one was a bit dissappointing, to fast and somehow I got sick of the songs pretty soon a bad sign huh? Well, here they are again, looking like one of these high school rock bands of 80ties teen flicks, still with a heavy bubblegum punkrock injection, but this time the three girls [and the boy] have a 60ties girl group influence plus a bad girl attitude… a pure listening pleasure if you're driving in your car… smoking a cigarette… hitting the pedal on traffic lights… if you don`t know the BOBBYTEENS by know, buy this, it`s their best record until now. They know how to rock, they've done their duties in uncountable bands before… namedropping? THE MUMMIES, COUNT BACKWURDS, PHANTOM SURFERS, TRASHWOMEN, SPASTICS, DUKES OF HAMBURG,… recorded in a proper studio, still sounding very raw. The debut CD by THE DT'S called “Hard Fixed” came in, this new ESTRUS Supergroup consisting of label owner Dave Crider on guitar, Diana Young-Blanchard taking the vocal part, plus Patti Bell on keyboard and Phil Carter on drums is providing a tight mixture of sleazy guitar action and RnB/Soul, and of course some hard rock. Although Ms Young Blanchard sometimes sounds like Janis Joplin, I totally dig her kind of singing, it's clear that she is taking everyones attention at live shows, just like that Lisa Kekaula of the BELLRAYS does it. Check this out if you dig the BELLRAYS, even though if the DT'S are a lot harder riffin'.

bands out of nowhere. Ok, often the “just” do the Vinyl Release of some CD on Estrus or Dirtnap or sth, but this here is TOP NOTCH ACTION MUSIC, great sounding drums, hard riffin' guitar and extraordinary grunts, shouts, snarls aka vocals. Want some comparisons? DIRBOMBS on coke? DEAD BOYS grew up? SPACESHITS with more punkrock? Can't wait to catch them live this fall, when they are on euro treck. Alien Snatch. THE GHOULIES | Communication CD This one's a little bit older, but the nice folks at Rockstar Records sent it to me, so here we go… I thought this would be the same old sweden-rock-and-roll story, but this band from a town called Uppsala in Sweden are somehow different. When you listen to this CD for the first time, the songs all sound the same, but in fact, everyone is a blazing, punk-packed rock and roll ride down the fast lane. 14 Songs in 27 minutes, go figure! This is very intensive stuff, so better fasten your seatbelt, kid. Rockstar. GLOWFI | Getting nowhere but getting by CD This band out of Switzerland is trying hard to sound like the HIVES, and they even get it at some moments, but at the same time you've got the feeling that there's nothing very original. Maybe they put up a great live show, I bet this guys get all the chicks, cause they wear white belts and black shirts. Don't get me wrong, this CD is not totally useless, its all about 60s and rock and roll and maybe even a bit garage, but way to nice to blow me aaaawayee! This fits in with a lot of what the kids today kinda rave about. Brat. THE GOD AWFULS | Next stop armageddon CD Well done RANCID, early MADCAP, fukking powerful singalong Punkrock, with ultra fast tunes as well as catchy sing-a-longs, I'm pretty sure we see this guys on WARPED / DECONSTRUCTION / etc. TOUR stages soon. Produced by the greedy brothers… Cook and Dhalia of the mighty Dwarves. Kung Fu. THE GRIZZLY ADAMS BAND | Inflight Entertainment LP This is a real fine slab of 12“ vinyl!After two genius 7“es this is the first longplayer of the Grizzly Adams Band! It features 15 great tunes that are all handmastered which took a fucking long time to do, but i think it really was worth the wait! The songs sound like a mixture of that good old '77 punkrock mixed with a shot ass cobra trbngr! The guitarplayer jan is just doing downstrokes on the guitar and that is a good combination with the cool drumbeats kicked out by lui and the basslines of alex that bring in some melody. Not to forget the retarded vocals that chris shouts out! My favourites on this one are „ghost city riders“ and „tonight“ This band really knows crank out tunes the right way! Buy this or be an asshole! Stereodrive [who never sent us records] GROOVIE GHOULIES | Monster Club CD Its not very necessary but here is a compilation with some old GROOVIE GHOULIES songs, re-recorded . And what can I say, its fun! Every GROOVIE GHOULIES record is fun! Poppunk with monster / comic / outer space themed lyrics, unique cover versions like “Lookout, here comes tomorrow” by the MONKEES, the 50s tune “King Kong Stomp” , Daniel Jonston's “Devil Town” , “Pet Semetary” and finally turning HERMANS HERMITS “Don't go out into the rain” into a punk pop anthem. Do we need more ghoulies records? Yes, definitely! Cannot get enough! Stardumb. GTX | Paralyzed and burned CD GTX is (or was) the sideproject of the Sonic Dolls drummer Torsten Monka. In this formation he plays the bass, although he's a drumpro and gives lessons to little kids! He is now in the nihilistic german punk band oiro! GTX sounds pretty much like a mixture of EMO with something harder to me! Some songs come out like whining and crying with melancholic guitars and complaints that the summer is gone or that someone is missing the bus the second time in one day! Other songs even have a good rock edge! I'll prefer the Sonic Dolls or Oiro... anytime! Flight13/Chief Recordings. HALFWAYHOME | Let's start this over CD Wynona Records has put out some great records by ramones-core bands like RETARDED, HIGHSCHOOL

DROPOUTS, HUNTINGTONS or THE HYMANS and more, now I've got the feeling they also begin to do some emopop stuff. Bad emo pop like this one, melodies you've heard dozens of times before and a singer who sounds like Kermit. No, that's not for me. Wynona THE HARE-KEE-REES | Explode! LP So these kids have played in some other bands before [KING KHAN, METROPHON, THE ASTRONAUTS] and they adore the whole northwest sound from the 60ties, which is basicly SONICS, (Fabulous) WAILERS and KINGSMEN. And now they want to transfer this thing into Germany 2003. Hm. Do they succeed? Well, partially I think! It's powerful and its kinda raw… but not like that kind off rawness you imagine when you are speaking of bands like the Sonics. Its not bad, its surely a release that deserves to be heard, and I hope tons and tons of kids will listen to this and get to know real garage punk, but there is just this little spark missing that is definitely needed to bring this pladder to an explosion. Sounds of Subterrania. HARD ONS | Very exciting CD The first song is the best they did for years, but the magic of the early days is gone, and they even got a new drummer now. Melody can never be a bad thing, guitar solos certainly can. Bad Taste. THE HATEPINKS | Sehr gut Rock n Roll CD/LP This is definitely one of the best punk rock records of this year: The debut by this band from Marseille, France, with ExGASOLHEAD Olivier, NEW BOMB TURKS meets PAGANS, meets 77, meets funny aczent and lyrics = PERFECT PARTY RECORD!!!! CONGRATS!!! Lollipop. HEARTBREAK ENGINES | Good drinks, good butts, good fellows CD/LP Just the usual punkrock sing-a-longs that may be entertaining for true fans of the greaserpunk scene. For my taste it is a little bit to mediocre, don't get me wrong, it's not bad at all but I'm missing the special moments. People Like You. THE HELLS | dto. EP Still not sick of this shite they call “garage rock” these days? What is this blanket term anyway? Here`s a fabulous new band from London, England, with a six-song CDEP that is so hot that it would be not surprising if you see them soon in every glossy magazine as the new rock sensation. Yes they would, if these wannabe journalists would at least have I tin cup full of taste when it comes to music. But rather that THE HELLS, some crappy combo like RASMUS or whatever is grinning into our faces from every cover… goddamnit. Maybe because THE HELLS are too uncomfortably and direct? I don`t care, and you should not care at all too, go to www.thehells.com and check out their great sound files, and then, buy their CD! Artrocker. HIGH-SCHOOL MOTHERFUCKERS | Want some? CDEP Five Songs including a RAMONES cover of this band from France, very glam influenced punkrock, I guess it can be compared to THE REVOLVERS. Track Number 2 is a perfect singalong anthem, I wish all of the songs on this CDEP would be like that! Keeo on going!!! Check them out at www.highschoolmotherfuckers.fr.rm I STOLE A MILLION | CDR Self-recorded self produced this guy even did the artwork and packaging by himself. This is DIY, more punk than most of the CDRs I get from so-called punkbands with color-copied booklets, a “Record Label” logo on it, never ending thanks-lists and that kind of crap. This here is pretty unique, seven sad songs [I guess so, didn't bother to read all of the lyrics.] that fit into the emo genre. Don't nail me down, I'm not that much of an expert when it comes to emo, but I'm definitely able to differ bad emo from good emo, an this debut CD has much more that most of the swell from the US that gets their ass kissed by the European media. Order it directly, it's cheap, but limited! www.8ung.at/istoleamillion THE IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS | Love unbolts the dark CD Another trip into the blues drenched, raw rockin' county of Chet and JR Token with 6 studio tracks and 5 live tracks, recorded at shows or radio broadcasts is making this CD not only a release for fans of the band, it pretty much sums up what makes the band so interesting, the studio tracks and the live action at which you neever can be sure what's happening in the next few minutes. Be sure to check out their other releases on Estrus! Sweet Nothing. THE ISRAELITES | Jamaican Celebration CD After their “Roots” album, another fine release from these Californian Ska Band. I got no infosheet, but this must be some kind of a compilation, with 14 tracks, all of them are very slow perfect poolside music. Jump Up.

JACKASS | Plastic Jesus CD What a fun record this is! A bunch of guys playing uptempo honky tonk country songs, with great warm vocals and honesty. You know there are some bands who make fun of country, but somehow I've got the feeling these guys mean it, although they do strange covers of “Music” by Madonna and “I want it that way” by the Backstreet Boys. Those two songs may have cost the label a ton of money, but I'm sure they can sell a lot of this Big Daddy [a BYO subsidiary] release. Nice factoid: Pete Finestone is drumming! He played on the best Bad Religion Albums NO CONTROL and SUFFER, until he got replaced by Bobby Schayer. Big Daddy. JOE FERRY | Big Ska CD Laid back, 50s influenced ska, mainly instrumental, great to listen to if you're hanging out on a Sunday afternoon, thinking about what you did

GET HIP RECORDINGS THE BREAK UP SOCIETY | James at 35 CD/LP Like so often, GET HIP presents a new group with a fantastic debut album. Here we've got the new band of FRAMTON BROTHER's Ed Masley, with 16 songs mainly about girl trouble and the joy's and terrors of being in love… in a cynical way. This four guys play hooky pop/rock sound that will you and your girlfriend make tip with the toes and smile, while Ed Masley sings about CHEAP TRICKS singer Robin Zander, about a girl that is the new Ronnie Spector or about his favourite shorts. Funny album concept, great music. THE CHAINS | On top of things! CD/LP This is a celebration to 60s beat music with a itsy bitsy of psych guitars in it, for my taste this is a bit too slick, the fuzz guitars and harps [at “Dissapearing man”] are too ordinary, there is nothing raw or furious in the songs. I know many of you just like this sound but I want my steak medium, with blood, and not well done… THE CHARGERS STREET GANG | CD / LP This record is now so old, I question it`s relevance in a fanzine that purports to highlight music that is “new”, but it's still worth writing about this records more than half a year after it hit the streets, just because it is … great! CHARGERS STREET GANG is not your typical Get Hip Records band… recorded at the Sweatbox in Austin with Mike Vazquez and Tim Kerr pushing the buttons, sounds more like a typical Estrus band huh? Well, they are as wild and raucous like bands of the beforementioned label, but somehow I can hear a little bit of an early Dischord sound, like FUGAZI and NATION OF ULYSSES… theres a lot of tempo changes and aggro vocals… and loooooong song titles. Got it!? MONDO TOPLESS | Go fast! CD/LP Just right now, when every Tom, Dick and Harry is listening to that “new” sound called Garage Rock, MONDO TOPLESS from Philadelphia are back with their best album so far. Released by Get Hip records, these mainly fast paced songs make your toe's tapping all the time, led by the VOX organ sounds and nice vocal work by Sam Steinig and very catchy hooks, although there is not much that sticks into your brain or ears for more that 3 three minutes, hm. This means you don't catch yourself whistling some Mondo Topless tunes while you walk around in the park or something. But anyway, who of you rock'n'reelers is going a walk? You see… 15 Tracks, including a STOOGES cover named “Loose”. PREACHER'S KIDS | Wild Emotions CD/LP This is just pure fun to listen to! Great new [?] band led by NECKBONES guitarist and singer Tyler Keith, connecting early rock'n'roll spirit a la Chuck Berry with the raw and relentless energy of garage rock bands PLUS the melodies of late 70 bands like REAL KIDS. The opener “Adult High” will leave you dancing around, clapping your hands and aksing for a cool bottle of beer! This record is like a long quarrel with your girlfriend, a lot of shouting and moaning, but in the end you're lying in your bed with a smile in the face! JET LAG | Beautiful Scars CD A band from Spain on Get Hip Records? That must be an outstanding combo… I must admit that I never heard a single note of JETLAG, I just read it in some show listings when I took a trip to spain. Which is a pity because this records is truly entertaining… well that's not the right word… it's moody and mellow and beautiful. Just the track number two “Shine On” makes this release worth it. 14 Songs all in all, for all fans of good pop music like the POSIES did it in the early 90ties, or the first two TEENAGE FANCLUB releases. Get Hip. COLUMBUS & PREBLE AVES | PITTSBURGH, PA 15233 | USA

wrong the night before, why you drank that last beer and did you really smoke 30 zigarettes? And where did that girl go? Hm. Shantytown. THE JOYKILLER | Ready Sexed Go CD After re-vitalizing TSOL, Epitaph brings you this Anthology of The Joykiller, the band of TSOL's vocalist Jack Grisham, with no less than 32 songs, 7 of them are unreleased. I'm in possession of all Joykiller CD's, although I somehow wonder why, so I don't really need this CD here, but if you want to listen to some impact-free songs with a dark twist [lyrically], then listen to this at your favourite shopping mall. Epitaph. JUST A FIRE | Light Up CD Another surprise by the label that is famous for fine ska punk releases. I cannot loose the feeling that Mike, Miya and co. get tired of the usual skapunk. JUST A FIRE starts of with two uncomfortable punkpop songs, nothing really to singalong to. Track 3 is slower and [okay, you got me] heavily ska influenced. But the rest is pretty difficult to listen to as well, hm, maybe I didn'T get what they are all about. With a name like that these guys must have an ambition to get signed by a major. Asian Man. KALLES KAVIAR | Early bird CD Rocksteady // Reggae music from Basel, Switzerland, very contemporary and… boring. Where`s my hashpipe? Leech. KEVIN K & THE REAL KOOL KATS | Kiss of Death CD A typical record for old fashioned punkrockers, very much in the vein they did it in the late 70s. The sound is a bit corny, but still okay, there's some really good cover versions, like the RAMONES “Road to Ruin” and “These boots are made for walking”, but as a whole this CD cannot convince me. Lollipop. KING DJANGO | A single thread CD There's only few ska bands I really really like, and King Django and his 100 musicians are definitly not included in my list. Roots Ska // Reggae. Leech. KOMMANDO SONNE-NMILCH | Der Specht baut keine Häuser mehr DoLP / CD Maybe the most intellectual band ever coming out of Hamburg, after all this band is lead by Jensen [Ex-ANGESCHISSEN, Ex-BLUMEN AM ARSCH DER HÖLLE, Ex-DACKELBLUT, OMA HANS] he recruited members from DIE STERNE, GOLDENE ZITRONEN, SLIME, STEREO TOTAL and more, for this project [?]. It`s not an easy record to listen to, there are a lot of sound bites and spoken word parts, as well as poppy punkrock songs like “Steilwand” which remind me of ANGESCHISSEN tracks. Hey, this is definitly something very unique, and thanks to god it`s not a artsy fartsy brain child! I`m not quite sure why this comes out on Sounds of Subterrania, but it determines the diversity of this great german label. Sounds of Subterrania. LEATHERFACE | Dog disco CD It's the seventh studio album, and it's not surprising at all. It's high standard like most of the albums they did before, so any Leatherface fan won't be disappointed with 12 more songs full of HÜSKER DÜ harmonies and pathos-drenched vocals provided by bandleader Frankie Stubbs. Not as great as their comback album from 2000, but still a great record. BYO. THE LEG HOUNDS | ...date your daughter LP 10 fast and Devil Dog drenched Rock and Roll songs to sing a long to, drink beer and chew…. Chewing gum! This is just one of these records you get angry with just because you have to run to the record player once again to put the needle on again and again. Screaming Apple. LIGHTYEAR | Chris geltlemens hairdresser… CD “… and railway book shop” is the full title of this new and farewell CD by this Ska Punk Band from UK. The first bunch of songs are pretty fucking amazing, think of “Less Talk, more Rock” Propaghandi with Ska and Horns, but from track 5 or 6 on, it is getting predictable. Still, this is a very good record, an please bear in mind: I'm not even a dedicated follower of Ska music! Householdname. LITTLE KILLERS | dto LP / CD Of course this one cannot be a bad or [wouldn't it be even more dissapointing] a mediocre album, if one of the best labels on planet earth introduces their first new band since five years to us. Yeah, five long years ahv passed since BANTAM ROOSTER released their album on Crypt, and suddenly Label Head Honcho Tim Warren said NO NEW BANDS and only did some compilation series and reissues. A very sad time t'was me brother, couse you were absolutely sure that when CRYPT cranked out new swag, it must be a soon-to-be-classic. You are not familiar with their releases and bands? TEENGENERATE? NEW BOMB TURKS? NINE POUND HAMMER? OBLIVIANS? DEVIL DOGS anyone? Yeah exactly, top notch action rock and roll! But now the dry times are history and the LITTLE KILLERS from NY fukken C show us their interpretation of the Punk/Blues/Rock formula… you can hear the REVELATORS, the mighty CRAMPS, even some REAL KIDS and a whole lot of Chuck Berry-eske roots! This is already a classic. BUY THIS IMMEDIADELY OR GO BACK TO

DEATH by SALT compilation Okay, this here really came last minute, so I have to admit that I only can give you a very brief overview… SLUG MAGAZINE is a publication from mormone-country, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, featuring underground music since 15 [fifteen!] years, and here is their seventh compilation of local bands. And while listening to this three CDs I bear the opinion that this region has so much potential, so many great but unknown bands, I feel like being warped back to the late 80's when so many interesting and unique indie [way back when it was REALLY independent!] bands popped out everywhere. It's truly unbelieveable: 59 of Utah's finest bands [out of 200 entrants…] compiled on 3 CDs, with a 72 page booklet AND a eyecatcher packaging. Overall GREAT artwork! If you wanna know whats really going on in this wonderful [sic…] country named USA, aside from the glossy promo magazines, get this compilation!!! www.slugmag.com | deathbysalt@slugmag.com

THE STUPID INDIE ROCK GLITTERATI CLUB WHERE YOU CAME FROM! Crypt. MANDO DIAO | Bring 'em in CD Didn't get on the guest list so fuck 'em. Ha ha. Mute. MEDIA WHORES | Master of Pop Hits CD Ugly cover GREAT music! This is with the Travoltas “Endless Summer” the power pop album of the year! 15 tracks of pure guitar driven and ultra melodic power pop songs, I guess this is some kind of compilation because most of the songs have been on some Seven Inchers that possibly went out of print and there's two covers on this disc, THE REPLACEMENTS “Can't hardly wait” in a live version and BADFINGERS “No matter what”. Sure: They are not re-inventing this genre, there are a lot of great power pop bands around who got this or that song who could be a nationwide radio hit BUT this guys from Columbus, Ohio do it BETTER than anyone else!!! Just listen to “It's about time” or “1984” or “Lisa sez”… pfew… can it get any better??? Screaming Apple. THE MINDS | Plastic Girls LP Portlands seems to be a nice place to live. The EXPLODING HEARTS were awesome, THE EPOXIES are fun too, and here are THE MINDS, another new wave, one-note keyboard punk band. Before they had the “Rip out your eyes” 7” out, Daniel of Alien Snatch sent me a link to their website so that I should get a listen to their MP3s, and they were great! But this record here is outstanding, catchy as it can be, but wild as well, and it makes me hyper-active! It`s got enough melody to make me sing uuuuhhh and enough guts to let me point my finger in the air. “Don't touch” is a number one party hit, if your friends don't feel the urge to dance to this, it's time to search some new friends… Buy this LP, or the CD that came out on Dirtnap. Alien Snatch. MIRACLE OF '86 | Even famous last word CD Play nice boys, or mom will take away your distortion pedal. Wait, you don't need it for your boring pop songs anyway. Defiance / PAM. MONDO RAY | New tales of King Vikram and the vampire CDR Of course, this boy is sick. Mondo Ray aka David da Cruz with his solo project, or dare I say “help program”? Maybe making [this kind of] music helps him to channel his energy and / or ideas, I'm sure he has plenty of them… Years ago he had a band named EISCORN, then COUNT DRACULA and now he`s with his [crazed out] brother and a friend in FALCON ASS. Here he does guitar licks… distorted vox and programming on a drum computer, 10 tracks full of song snippets, weird, raw and fast paced. Maybe the NILS / SUPERHELICOPTER of emo punk? I like it! Order this directly from Mondoray69@hotmail.com MULETRAIN | Demolition preaching CD It's hard NOT to mention MOTÖRHEAD here… MULETRAIN are a pretty new band, I guess from the Madrid area, and three of them played in a well known spanish punkrock band before: AEROBITCH!!! Yup, I don`t know what the former Aerobitch singer now after she left, but the remaining members, plus a new drummer from a hardcore band namend MILK FICTION formed this hard rockin' outfit MULETRAIN. It`s metal infected and mean punkrock with angry vocals, not as fast as ZEKE, not as scummy like ANTISEEN, not as metal as MOTÖRHEAD, but somwhere inbetween! Comes with very fine artwork and package!!! Beat Generation.

THE MUTANTS | Voodoo Blues CD After their compilation on the greek label GREEN COOKIE Records, and a bunch of 7”es, this is the debut of this strange group of part time alcoholics from finland who call themselves THE MUTANTS… and somehow they`ve become a bit more slick and tend to slip into that wide area of 70ties crime flick sountracks. A very positive development I might add!!! I know some of their older songs, and somehow they were kinda more funky and had a lot of latin rhythms, these nine mostly instrumental tracks are more blaxploitation orientated, plus it always contains some decent 60ties swing… I dunno, it`s hard to describe, give it a listen and find out by yourself! It should be available anywhere. Great artwork by Mr.Alderete. Spinefarm.

hard kicking and raw bands, but the SONICS were just outstanding. They did not abandon the enticing sexual energy that`s inherent in rock`n`roll in favor of some overly conceptualized sense of purpose or “duty” to the music community. They are the ultimate party band. And who else then folks who also have their roots in the northwest of USA are legitimated to cover their tunes? It`s an all-star band consisting of Mark Arm, Steve Turner and Dan Peters [all MUDHONEY], Tom Price [GAS HUFFER], Bill Kahuna [GIRL TROUBLE], Scott McCaughey [YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS, and a guy named Craig Foley. 16 classic tracks. And now run and buy this CD! Rock & Roll Inc. NO AUTHORITY | Honk if you're horny CD Sad, isn't it, that "sounds very professional" is, more often than not, the antithesis of a compliment? Often musicians of ska bands are not so tight on their instruments, these guys here surely know how to play nice mid and uptempo skapunk, only the vocals are too thin and maybe the singer is lacking self-confindence… nice record but no-one will remind it next summer, when skapunk is hip again. Leech.

MY SO-CALLED BAND | Always something there to destroy me CD I'm always happy when I get a CD directly from the band, not from some agency or so. This guys are from Charlotte, NC, and they make music you want to dance and kill people randomly. I'm serious, this is good stuff, you'll be infenitely happier, yet still bitter and cynical. Buzzsaw guitars, some TSOL and even very old SNFU moments equals great punkrock to me. Suicide Watch.

NONE MORE BLACK | File under black CD/LP In the winter of 2000 KID DYNAMITE broke up because singer Jason Shevchuck wanted to pursue a career as filmmaker, but he found it hard to stay away from music so shorty after the break up of Kid Dynamite, None More Black was born. After some line up changes the band inked a deal with Fat and here's the debut: a soft/melodic core album which reminds me of some earlier tracks of AVAIL and the poppier version of GOOD RIDDANCE. Fat.

NERVOUS EATERS | Eat this! CD TEENGENERATE, the LAZY COWGIRLS, NEW BOMB TURKS and many others covered songs by this band from Boston, they were kinda bigger in the 70s, and now, like many old [proto-] punk bands they are back, looking really really old and maybe want to cash in. With the Nervous Eaters, their comeback is cool with me, this 12 Song CD contains pretty good guitar burning tracks, and even the ballad is okay. I also heard they play live again, with Alpo from the REAL KIDS on guitar. Check this out if you dig 70s pre-punkrock. No Tomorrow.

O.B. | Fein Gemacht CD If I was stranded on a desert island, and I had nothing else to listen to but this CD, I would listen to the conch shells. I don't think this is very funny. File under German Oi-Punk. Rockstar [Berlin].

NEUROTIC SWINGERS | Artrats CD/LP Now I am stunned. This is quite a step this fucking frenchies took since their last CD, this record here has it all, it is fast and catchy, it is snotty and simple, it's just a record that makes fun listening to, a whole lot of 77 punk mixed with a itsy bity wave punk and garagey touch. I am still stunned! After three high speed tracks they reveal a pearl named “Girl in a broken car”, a mid tempo smasher served in very charming frenglish… buy this now, stupid! Lollipop / Demolition Derby.

ONCE TASTED LIFE | Fields of hope CD Ok, this is very melancholic and deeply emotional music. Yes, it's not completely wrong if you brandmark it as emo. Six songs, two of them are really good and would even make it on a “sounds-likeSamiam” tape, the other songs are nice though not even my girlfriend [who digs Rainer Maria, Project Kate and other swell] seems to like it. Hm, strange how a bunch of guys who used to play in Hardcore Bands discover their soft side. If you are into above mentioned bands, check out this disc. If you are allergic to anything near emo, it's better to stay away. Noise Appeal.

NEW BOMB TURKS | Switchblade tongues, butterknife brains LP/CD Eric and the boys are waving us goodbye woth this compilation of unreleased stuff and Outtakes, most of them should be released on a ten incher via Glazed Records but somehow this thing never came out. But there is a lot more to discover, like the DEVIL DOGS cover “Radiobeat” and a bunch of songs from the sessions of “The night before the day the earth stood still”. Essential for NBT fans, good for the few who ain't. And don`t forget to buy the first NBT comp “Pissing out the poison” on Crypt as well. Gearhead.

OPEN SEASON | Each Day CD Modern Ska / Rocksteady music, way too clean and really dull lyrics. The band looks like the cast of a daily soap. Adequate genre exercise, but is that enough? Not for me. Leech. THE OUTTAKES | CDR Two songs Demo Recordings of this garage band from [I suppose] the northern part of Germany. Although it's Dähne on the skins, it doesn't sound like SUPERHELICOPTER at all, both songs have a poppy edge, only the voice is a annoying me a bit.

THE NEW STRYCHNINES | The New Original Sonic Sound CD Yes! It's a SONICS cover band! And its totally fucking brilliant. Why do so many people all over this globe love THE SONICS so much? Simply because they are the best garage band ever. Maybe they even were the best punk band. If you listen through all these compilations of 50s and 60s garage bands you can find some really

OZMA | Spending time on the borderline CD Ugly cover, nice band. VERY Weezer-typ-o-music, with synths and everything. I think it's the second full length from these young guys from Pasadena, “Rock and Roll part three” (Kung Fu 1999) was a carbon copy of Weezer Songs, with this record they went further,

WIZZARD in VINYL records Wow, a parcel from Japan!!! Packed with 10 CDs, but due to the limited space here, and the fact that this parcel arrived last minute, I was not able to review all of them. The first record I put in is the HAWAII MUD BOMBERS “The best so far” CD: a fantastic album full of surfpop influenced punkrock songs, REALLY a must for everyone who digs TEENMACHINE, THE YUM YUMS, TIP TOPPERS and similar bands. All I have to say about this is f-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c. although they are from Sweden… Maybe I already found the summer CD of 2004. Next up is a band called AMERICAN SUITCASE with their disc “Summerman”, which contains 13 Songs that are not as sunny as the title may suggest. Furthermore they are mellow and sometimes melancholy tunes for summer evenings, I can hear a TON of influences here, upfront of course TEENAGE FANCLUB GRAND PRIX era. Plus there is a lot of VELVETY CRUSH in here and of course the godfathers BEACH BOYS Pet Sounds. A wonderful records from this Norwegian band! A very strange band is MOVIN' JELLY from [of course] Japan, their record named “Girl Trouble” contains 11 songs, 8 of them have a “girl” in the title. You know… “Frozen Girl”, “Cover Girl”, “December Girl”,… The music reminds me of other strange poppy bands from Japan, PANORAMA AFRO, GARLIC BOYS or SPACE COMBINE. Some of the tunes are true party hits, especially when you listen to the lyrics and pronunciation… THE COKES are four guys who may be the Japanese Version of the BUZZCOCKS, the 10 songs on their debut album pretty much sounds

like the first wave of Powerpop, very british and very melodic. I couldn't find out more about them, at first I tought this would be a band from the early 80s, but I guess they are a “new” band. Be sure to check them out if you dig early powerpop // punkrock. What emo is to punkrock, power pop is do hard rock: the emotional side of life… THE SHAZAM are a typical Powerpop band with loads of ROCK influences, sometimes they even sound like AMERICAN HEARTBREAK who are very popular here. I don't know if THE SHAZAM are popular in their home country, but I guess this band from Nashville, Tennessee, have lined up some groupies for sure. This is radio compatible music with a little glam in it, a bit too boring and monotonous for my taste, but a lot of people will run for this! If you wanna get an overview of WIZZARD IN VINYL releases, check out their website at www.wizard-in-vinyl.com or better order the latest label sampler called WIZZARD BREW who contains all of the above mentioned bands of course, plus 16 more, like FUZZBUBBLE, LOLAS, WHITE FLAG, etc… EINSTEINS SISTER | Made Easy For Everyone/The Best of ES 1996-2002 CD Never heard of this band! And even though I'm living in the town where Einstein was born I never heard that he had a sister! The record is a best of of the so far „career“ of E.S. It's mostly powerpop without power like my twin brother Olli of the Motras would say! Very Radio compatible and compareable to bands like the Mallrats or all the other boring (power)pop outcomes... But there's one real nugget on this record! The song is called „Play God“!! Maybe it's a bit to long but the guitars just kill me! CHOKE 57

maybe they also bought themselves some records from FLAMING LIPS, AIR or even some neo-country / indie rock. 12 Songs for warm and cosy summer evenings. Kung Fu. PLENTY ENUFF | Roots rebel ska CDEP 7 guys from Switzerland are pretending that the are from Jamaica and play reggae influenced ska. I don't smoke da planta, so this [only] four songs bore the shit out of me. Maybe I like it when I'm on some additives. Leech. EL POLLO FUNKY | s/t The funky chicken is not as funky as it may seem. Actually it is pretty hard beat music, with a lot of strange noises and distorsions. Hm. I shrug my shoulders and think “Spanish bands are cray-zee!”. Rock Palace / Munster. RADIO REELERS | Rockin' Sound LP Fast and catchy Punk'n'Roll from the Radio Reelers! Truly up there with all this new records of the MARKED MEN, LOCOMOTIONS and FLIP TOPS. But wait! This 12” plays on 45 rpm…. Aaargh! Which means less action for you money!!! But wait again! Who thinks of money or playtime… if you get songs like “Can't be my baby” or the g-r-e-a-t “King of the Bop” cover… wow! Just wow! (Radio Blast) THE RADIOACTIVES | Say yeah to hell MCD The Radioactives are a hard rocking band out of the mighty Emsland/Münster area! They sound like a mixture of those scandinavian R-O-C-K bands like the Hellacopters and Gluecifer! The titles say it all: „get down with you“ and „say yeah to hell!“ guarantee you a 100% sleazerock jouney about booze, parties and bitches! Three songs, hard rock, ok. Selfreleased. THE RED TYGER CHURCH | Free Energy CD Psyched out rock n roll music in the spirit of the FACES, ROLLING STONES and mellow STOOGES, nothing raunchy or raw, it`s nice and it has got a certain vintage character, even some gospel side swipes can be found. Although the name of the band evokes some hippie commune type-o-thing, this here is truely on the good side of rock! But I suppose they used the same drugs like those Joni Mitchell lookalike, tambourine armed, smelly kids… Alive. THE RIPPERS | s/t LP A primitive and fast paced Garage Punk Rumble with harmonica and a lot of influences from long gone era's, somehow you can hear a lot of old sixties soul / mod out of this, although it's not exactly comparable with bands like THE MAKERS, who also tried to mix this two styles. This band from Sardinia, Italy, is rougher and faster, maybe they should have put two or three slower songs on this pladder, but you know those italians, they are passionate and furious… Screaming Apple. RIVERBOAT GAMBLERS | Something to crow about LP / CD Another band that came out of nowhere and just blew my head away at the first time I heard them!!! Fuck, it's real rocking and real catchy shit that reminds me of CANDY SNATCHERS, THE HUMPERS and NEW BOMB TURKS at the same time, these guys from Texas are getting my legs shaking already… what will happen when they are finally on tour here in europe? I'm pretty sure that them GAMBLERS can turn every crowd into a dancing mob, drinks get spilled, girls grab onto the nearest guys ass, they steer everyone over the fucking edge! Can't wait to see them! Buy this record! It's the DESTROY-OH-BOY of this year! Gearhead. ROGUE | s/t CD Thankfully, my reference points for this style of music are almost nonexistant, as I don't hang out in artsy-fartsy cafes, smoke weed or frat houses, play hackysack, or consider Pink Floyd a viable musical force. www.rogue.at RUBBER CITY REBELS | Pierce my brain CD I thought Ohio Punk in the seventies was all about the PAGANS, until I heard about a band that`s coming around again who has also “invented” punkrock: the RIVER CITY REBELS. Never heard of them! Oh. I`m wrong. There's this RAYDIOS demos LP on Screamig Apple where they cover a song named “Kidnapped”… hm… okay, let's give it a spin: redneckish mid tempo [hey! These punks are old!] punkrock! Doesn't sound good, huh? Well, it`s funny [they even cover the MUSIC MACHINE classic “Talk Talk”!!], it`s retarded and it`s the perfect sountrack of a beer can party! Check them out on tour in may. Munster. THE RYCOJETS | Everything you ever wanted… …to know about Rock n Roll. Well, three tracks of rock drenched punkrock songs, like BONES with less singalongs and punk influence, I hear a lot of metal riffin', seems like these guys from Vienna have quite a hard rock collection. The chorus of “Addicted to Rock” keep in your brain for quite some time. This demo is coming out on

Brokenheart Records as a split with LOS DEEPEST. www.rycojets.com SCHROTTGRENZE | Belladonna LP Schrottgrenze. The cover looks like the first full length of a band from Seattle. The sound is Indiepunk with german vocals! They've got a video out on VIVA music television and it seems as they're trying to be the next big thing after "Wir sind Helden". A lot of teenie girls and boys with bad haircuts will love this because of the pathetic german lyrics and will say:"Das ist Punk!" We here at Choke Media Empire don't think so and Tom from Radio Blast put out a lot of better records in the past! Please release more of bands like the Plastiques and the Briefs and stop releasing stuff like Schrottgrenze! ayay! Radioblast. THE SEWERGROOVES | Saturday night, tonight we're gonna have some fun 10” What a surprise, this rock unit from Stockholm really got me with this release. I was afraid that this is just one more record for long haired guitar players, but at least six of this eight song ten inch are good rockin' tunes, especially the bass / drum parts are repetitive and trancelike, which makes every song soon sounding very familiar to you. Another above-average release from this great label from Kassel, Germany. Sounds of Subterrania. SICK OF IT ALL | Life on the ropes CD / LP The song remains the same, the band remains the same, their status in the hardore scene, too. Since more than a decade they are the best band around, and with this release Pete and co. determine that they are not willing to slip into retirement… great artwork as well! Fat. SKAFIELD | Smiling at the tragedy CD Ska Fans cannot do wrong with this album, perfectly played uptempo skapunk with a nice horn section reminding me a bit of MU330. Surely more than the average skapunk band, I'm sure the kids dance stupid to this tunes! Leech. SKALARIAK | Radio Ghetto CD Fine and laid back Ska music with a whole lot of latin influences, altough this bands is from the Basque Country. They're not so restless and stressed like most of the younger ska bands, it's that kind of music you would expect in a rather left café where you can read TAZ and sip their tea from the EZA shop. Why do spanish lyrics always sound so revolutionary? I dunno. But it sounds good! Leech. SMOGTOWN | Early Recordings 1995/1996 CD There's been tons of band out of Orange County over all these years, but one of the most interesting that came in the last decade are definitely SMOGTOWN. Raging and snotty old school punkrock, not anything like the clean and combed shite the stupid dumbfuck Musicchannel chicks call punkrock these days. More violent and dangerous, middle finger in the air anthems, needless to say that this is a great record. They've only been around for a couple of years, a pity that they called it a day after just two full lengths, until they got swept over to Europe. This here is a compilation of their earlier material ranging from 1995-96, and I'm quite sure that some of you will discover a new favourite band after they've already broke up. And for those who already own SMOGTOWN stuff, its essential too, cause this are the raw demo versions and stuff, plus great photographs and artwork. Disaster. SOMMERSET | More songs from last century CD This is a compilation of everything this band from New Zealand recorded before their “Fast Cars, Slow Guitars” album, which are 22 powerful and guitar driven songs with an emotional [ohoh] twist and tons of melodies. Let me throw them into that box with Kid Dynamite, Lifetime and maybe even Saves The Day, without calling them a lame ripoff of before mentioned bands. A good possibility to get the whole backcatalog of this emorockers. Rockstar. THE SPAMCHORDS | Bingo Royal CDR THE SPAMCHORDS | Fucked and Gone CDR Nils Westphal seems to be one of those crazy guys with access to recording equipment who releases records / CDRs primarily for his own amusement, and many of these releases follow a similar aesthetic. Since SUPERHELICOPTER, his main project, seems to be switched on -stand by-, he is in the DAMNATION KIDS and in THE SPAMCHORDS, plus he runs a demo label named “SuperhelicopterRecorder”. Now onto the Demos, “Bingo Royal” is a 3 minute 4 song CDR, trashpunk, as you can easily imagine, the first song “Get Ready, Get Down” is a short stop-and-go track, the second song is a straighter noisy punkrock song, the remaing two are again filled with various breaks, everytime you thing there is a song sneaking in, there`s a hissing pile of guitar noise and rumbling drumshots lurking behind the next corner… The second CDR called “Fuck and Gone” contains two songs… in 1:24 minutes… wow… beginning with tuning noises… a HC punk attack is what follows with a short verse / short refrain song… again some distorted noises… and the next HC punk smasher… very aggressive and direct. PFEW… be sure to check this out

if you`re into Superhelicopter… send some money! Write him at superhelicopter-recorder@web.de SPLIT | ALKALINE TRIO // ONE MAN ARMY CD Two years ago the ALKALINE TRIO had a split CD with HOT WATER MUSIC on Jade Tree, here is another one with San Francisco's premier street punk combo ONE MAN ARMY, featuring Ex-US BOMBS drummer Chip Hanna. It's number five of the BYO Split series, again each band has 6 songs. Starting with emo-eske melodramatic tunes by ALKALINE TRIO, cuts one and three are outstanding, an even the DAMNED cover is pretty good, surprisingly because after listening to their last album I thought the are on the way down… ONE MAN ARMY brings back fun into this CD with their uptempo punkrock songs that remind me of Swinging Utters sometimes. Recommended! BYO. SPLIT | Joey Cape / Tony Sly CD Not a very new idea, but a good record! Tony Sly from NO USE FOR A NAME and Joey Cape from LAG WAGON recorded acoustic versions of their songs, six tracks each, one of them is new. I always wondered why the LAG WAGON lyrics are so melancholy and dark, even though the music is happy skatepunk stuff, here with the minimalistic approach the songs get a totally other touch. The Tony Sly songs are very nice, too, although it's crystal clear that the Capster wins this battle. Fat. SPLIT | Mike Felumlee / Dan Adriano CD Seems like Matt Skiba is the *best* from ALKALINE TRIO, he released a pretty good acoustic split with Kevin Seconds. These two fellas we've got here also play in before mentioned poppunkrock band, but they are too unexciting to catch someones attention. Mike Felumlee does three uptempo but melancholic tunes, Dan Adriano plays 2 slower, more quiet songs plus one TUESDAY [his former band] song. Wynona. SPLIT |THE QUEERS // THE MANGES | Acidbeaters CD The last QUEERS release that really let me standing with my mouth open was the “Don't back down” album on Lookout back in 1996. Ok, albums like “Punk rock confidential” had some very good moments but stupid two chord songs like “Rancid Motherfucker” were a downer. Here they are back with six cover versions and thanks to god all of them are pop / bubblegum / surf style, they are even starting with “Chewy Chewy” by Ohio Express! Yikes! The other tunes include two instrumentals [“Wipe Out” and “Ft.Lauderdale”], one Velvet Underground song, one by Helen Love and one by The Troggs. THE MANGES only have got one cover, PSYCHOTIC YOUTH's “Surrender”, the other 5 songs are okay too, better than most of the songs on their sophomore release on Stardumb. Great split record! Stardumb. THE STAR AND KEY OF THE INDIAN OCEAN | Rock n'Roll Fiasco CD When I saw the cover, I didn't really know what`s the name of this band… I mean “The Star and Key of the Indian Ocean” is a rather atypical name for a combo, expecially for a surf band. The use to have names starting with “Surf-“ or at least some term from outer space. These four guys are frog eating frenchies and play mainly instromental surf tunes, with loads of reverb, lead guitar and rocknroll beat, played very nicely. It`s not a album that you can use to get your party started, it`s more like cooool background music. Due to the promo sheet this is their second album, released on the friendly greek GREEN COOKIE label. Be sure to check out THE MUTANTS “Deathrace 3000” CD also out on Green Cookie! THE STARLITS | Demo CDR Reminds me of L7 and BABES IN TOYLAND, and a little TEXAS TERRI, you know the direction? Good vocals and catchy melodies. Please send me more! Peephole. JOE STRUMMER AND THE MESCALEROS | Streetcore CD Buy this CD just to say goodbye to one of the last punkrock icons, just for the best song he ever released on this solo trips: “Coma Girl” the opening track, is a song that wil be a classic soon. The rest of the disc is okay, there are some great tunes like “Long Shadow” originally written for Johnny Cash, that are really really great and coming from the heart, but the cover version of the odd “Redemtion Song” remains me shivering, rolling my eyes. Still, the high points are undeniable. Hellcat. SUBHUMANS | Live in a dive CD / DoLP Whoa, first of, I didn`t know that they are around again, and secondly, they are not even on Fat Wreck Chords! Although here is a suberb 26 track live record of these early UK punk band, from 1980-85 they ruled the UK with snotty and highly political punk rock smashers. Most of you may recognize the voice, the SUBHUMANS singer Dick later had bands like CULTURE SHOCK and the well known skapunk band CITIZEN FISH who did 7 fulll lenghts so far, and still running. As always with the FAT live records, this comes in excellent sound quality and a comic booklet. Fat.

SUGARBOMBS | Tear their world down, build up our own Gosh, these two guys on the cover look stupid. The Sugarbombs are from germany, and you can definitely hear it. Yes, typical german English. BUT they rock, 14 storming and energetic punk rock smashers with singalongs behind every corner, plus a nice cover of “Oklahoma Hills”, originally done by Woody Guthrie. Guess the SUGARBOMBS are a pretty good party band. Rockstar. SUZY & LOS QUATTROS | Freak Show CDEP Very fresh and sugar coated Pop Punk with a female singer, reminding me of THE EXCESSORIES. The CD has one big failure: it only contains 5 songs. Let's hope those folks at No Tomorrow throw in some money for a full length of this band from Barcelona, Spain! No Tomorrow. SWINGIN' UTTERS | Live in a dive CD Volume 6 of this Fat Wreck Chors series of Live Shows by your favourite melodic punk bands, delivered in ultra fat sound, 23 Songs overall. I just love the Utters, I even like their newer stuff, but I'm truly addicted to their early stree punkish anthems on “Streets on San Francisco” and “Juvenile product …” The Cover artwork is ugly this time, but as always a comic strip is included [a comic book in the vinyl edition] plus there is even a track for your computer… two clips from the show at the Bottom of the Hill, and a interview. Fat. TEXAS TERRI BOMB | Your lips… my ass! CD/LP Whoa, that girl that looks like a mixture of James Osterberg and Marylin Manson is back!!! Licenced from TKO Records, PLY releases the second full length of Texas Terri, the first fukken awesome album has been released by Junk Records [RIP] and another label I don't know right now… well, still she'S up with some hard hitting punkROCK and snotty vocal works, catchy and forceful melodies and the right production between clean sound and punk rock sloppyness. Friends of early punk music and female vocal bands will run for this release! People Like You. THE THANES | Downbeat and folked up LP They are around since 1987 and I've never heard of them, which is no wonder though I'm not really a 60s beat addict. And as the title reveals, it's all about folk and beat music on this piece of vinyl, some faster ones, some really sugar sugar ones like “I'm a fool”, cut two on the side one. At first I thought this is something boring and uninteresting but after I gave this record a few more chances I begin to like it. Okay, if you don't have any affinity to before mentioned genres, keep your fingers off this, but if you like folk/beat music, check them out. They even have a Dylan cover for you… (“It's all over now, baby blue”). Screaming Apple. THROW RAG | Desert shores CD Brandmarked as “Sailor Rock” this six people from an area named Salton Sea, CA, are giving us 12 songs that remind me of ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, THE DAMNED and SOTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS, a very powerful mixture that makes this album diverse and entertaining, you got your bland guitar riffs, hokey lyrics and a ton of backup vocals PLUS a guy with a washboard. Good records, but if you have the possibility to see them live, don`t miss it! They are a AMAZING live band! BYO. TRAVOLTAS | PARTY! CD These guys from Holland are often brandmarked as punkrock version of the mighty BEACH BOYS, so it was inevitable that they pay tribute to their godfathers in music with this homage of an Beach Boys album: they recorded a bunch of their own plus some Beach Boys songs like if they sit around with some good friends, drink beer and sing plus all the handclappings that are annoying. Even the artwork is a perfect rip off of the Beach Boys “Party!” album. Sounds strange hm, BUT: this CD is just great, a perfect soundtrack for cruising around, and singing along! Get this, even if it is winter already. TG. Knock Knock. JACK TRAGIC & THE UNFORTUNATES | Coming down like a hammer CD Another grab into the vaults of punkrock by Dionysus Records Bachuus Archievs series: Dark and mean 77 styled punkrock from Connecticut. Their first single “I kill hippies” is a collectors item, and this very song is the first track on this compilation that sums up what the band recorded between 1983 and 1988. Reading the short liner notes by Jack Tragic himself, may give you an idea that the band's image was not made up or something, they have been a bunch of drunkards with drug problems. Bad guys, nice pladder! Dionysus. THE TREEBERRYS | s/t LP Ok, I admit it, I just L-U-V this record! Thank you, Sounds of Subterrania!!! Thanks for releasing this soon-to-be-classic album! Japanese Pop / 60s Beat at its best! These three boys bawl out melodies that you cannot sit still, the make you move and sing along. They look like 22 year old computer geeks, but they sing songs you wouldn't find better ones like 40 years ago. This is there third album, now my hunt for the other outputs, like the debut on 1+2 Barn Homes CHOKE 59

Records, begins. I cannot get enough. Gregor, bring 'em over here!!! Sounds of Subterrania. TUMBITAS | Unhuman League CD This spanisch band has a lot of CRAMPS and 50s Rock n Roll records a home, it's obvious, but it's good! Six well produced tracks that make me hunger for more! But please explain the term “Tumbitas” to me, okay? Rock Palace / Munster. UNITED MOVEMENT | dto CDR Pounding, screaming, grind your beans noisecore from the eastern part of austria, a experiment I'm not sure I understand, but worth a listen, nevertheless, definitely good for the bowels. Hard, demented and funny atr the same time. www.unitedmovement.com UP TO VEGAS | Voodoo Truckin' German Psychobilly, loads of chuga-chuga-chuga, and the typical clichés. There are a kabillion of bands like this out there. And you know it. I don't like the voice either. Better put in the new MAD SIN album. Crazy Love.

DIGGIN' FOR GOLD 21 - INSANE INSTROS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE CD Tjis compilation features Surf and Instro bands from all around the globe! There are great bands like The Kiluaeas an Speed Chicken from Germany, The Apemen and The Krontjong Devils from the Netherlands, The Incredible Sucki ng Spongies (What a great name!) from Belgium, The Metalunas from Canada and a variety of bands like The Dynotones for example from the U.S. The compilation shows the good taste of Double Crown and the coolnes of Surf music! It's the perfect Soundtrack for a day on the baggersee with beer, girls and Barbeque! Only the booklet could contain mor info about the bands! Dig this! Double Crown. GETTING' SOULFUL CD Ha! Finally.. .we are even receiving Soul records! Grrrrrreat! Back to Soulville! Released by a Munster Records subsidiary, comes a decent comp with 21 unknown soul bands, all from latino america o espana I guess. Why is it that soul music always makes me think of cool flicks? Its so slick and sexy at the same time, like those blaxploitations flicks, storyline: now sir? Sexy and coolness factor… YES! Check out this comp and if you like it, buy all the pladders of this label. Vampi Soul. IF THE BANDS ARE UNITED Vol.1 CD Nice Sampler coming from Wörgl, Tirol, released by Bands United, a punk collective whose organising shows and doing other punk stuff like drinking beer and do the weird dance called pogo. 12 Songs 6 Bands and one hell of a good looking booklet. The Music styles range from Ramones Core to Emo to Punkrock and 'surprise' Skapunk. My fave track is “A song for my friends” although I don't even like SkaPunk. Check them out on the data superhighway: www.bandsunited.org oki? TG. Bands United. IT'S NOT JUST BOYS FUN DoCD Wolverine Records is famous for a bunch of successful compilations, this one here should sell really well, too. The “concept” here was to put as many girl [or at least girl fronted] bands on two CDs, 46 are included here, some of them are well known [TILT, FABULOUS DISASTER, BAMBIX, FLIPSIDES, BOONARAAAS, SHE MALE TROUBLE] some you might have heard of [NY REL-X, VAGEENAS, TUULI, YUCCA SPIDERS, LULABELLES, CURLEE WURLEE, WHITE TRASH DEBUTANTES, HI-TOPS] and loads of unknown bands. Of course there are some fillers… but there are also a lot of surprisingly good bands I`ve never heard of, like the TITAN GO KING`S, HAND ON THE BOX [from China!], MUMMY THE PEEPSHOW or LOONY BRAIN. Very positive is the diversity of this sampler, from pop punk to riot grrrl rock to rockabilly to pop to german punk… its on it! But skip track 14 on disc one, the cover of “Under the Mango Tree” is a disaster. Wolverine. LIBERATION Songs to benefit PETA CD As the title suggests, Fat Wreck put that compilation out to raise some money for Peta [People For Ethical Treatment of Animals]. Organisation. Beside good [Propagandhi, Hot Water Music, Nofx, Anti-Flag, Good Riddance] and bad bands [Good Charlotte, Midtown, The Used, The Faint and of course Goldfinger], the've put some extra stuff on this disc for all of you computer geeks, including a very disgusting video in which you can see how animal are treated at slaughter houses and farms. 16 Songs, and I'm still carnivore. Fat. OLD SKARS & UPSTARTS CD It's the fourth volume of the Disaster Records Sampler, this time with mainly bands you might never heard of. 26 bands in more that 70 minutes, and I guess it's a cheapo CD too. The well known bands are BRIEFS, REVOLVERS, DISTRICT, THROW RAG, DIE HUNNS, UNION 13, the other ones are true underground punk bands, but hey, they are DEFINITELY worth to check out. Again, a great compilation that should be oon every punks cd shelf… if they own one… . Disaster. PEEPHOLE RECORDS Serving the best in Rock & Roll CD Debut Release from Peephole Records, St.Petersburg, Florida. As often the first release is a compilation, here we have not inly one but two CD`s packed with 50 bands, local ones, as well as better known bands from the US like THE QUEERS, TEEN IDOLS [with a nice cover version of Ronan Keating`s “When you say

THE WOGGLES | Ragged but right CD The seventh full length by this 60ties garage outfit from Altanta, Georgia, and its powerful and roaring! I don`t know which imprint is responsibel for the USA market, but it seems like the Munster Records subsidiary “Rock & Roll Inc. Records” is taking the duty for the european version of this fifteen track party pladder. I`m sure a lot of you have already had the possibility to catch the WOGGLES live since they are touring constantly, and you surely know everything about their live qualities, and with this recording, they managed to put all of this action packed, energetic tunes on a silver shiny disc, for every rock n roll loving, RnB infected and garage punk believer out there. This CD comes with an bonus video “Ragged but right” and a binus track “Go Go Thunderbird”. Rock & Roll Inc. ZSK | If liberty means anything at all CDEP Well done kids, although you look a bit like GOOD CHARLOTTE's lil' brothers… but these six songs are way more fun, fast songs and fat production make this a CD for your car stereo on the way to the next skatepunk show. As we can see with the TON STEINE SCHERBEN cover, they even learned the lessons. Send a full length! Bitzcore.

COMPILATIONS

nothing at all”!], GROOVIE GHOULIES, BEATNIK TERMITES and even a bunch of international combos like THE APERS and THE MANGES. Although there are some fillers, this comp is very diverse, containing not only sugar coated pop punk, theres some garage, rockabilly and even ROCK too! And: it's a bargain! Two CDs for like 10 bucks! Peephole. ROCK'N'ROLL HIGHSCHOOL THE COMPILATION CD Nice idea for a compilation: here are 20 Bands who played at shows organised by “RNR-Highschool” and STP collective of people who try to bring national and international bands into their area. What we've got here are 20 bands a major part of them are from Austria. Outstanding are of course the powerhouse called RODRIGUEZ, REDLIGHTSFLASH and SKEPTIC ELEPTIC, international greatness is coming from BAMBIX, the LOMBEGO SURFERS and HEROINES. Let's hope there's a second volume coming soon, or more important: keep on organising and strengthening your local scene! Rock'n'Roll Highschool. STILL STANDING A northern American Ska Uprising 4CD Oh my god, a ska comp in 4 [in words: FOUR!] CDs, who's gonna listen to this? Of course, you can find good and bad bands on it, like dozens of it. There are 88 bands on this! Check it out if you're a skaholic, otherwise you may run berserk. TG. Jump Up / Megalith. THE SOUND OF SAN FRANCISCO CD Detroit and New York are en vogue right now, with good bands like DIRBOMBS, WHITE STRIPES etc, and the pseudo alternative swell like STROKES and similar 5-car-garage rock bands. San Francisco has been famous for it's vivid scene, with many unique rock combos like THE MUMMIES, BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, TRASHWOMEN, FLAMIN' GROOVIES and many others. With this release, ALIVE Records is trying to put SF back on the map, 13 Bands of whom I previously knew one one [THE FLAKES] and 17 mainly great songs, of which some are really outstanding, like the 2 tunes by NAGG, angry rock music with female voices, or e.g. THE COACHWHIMPS who managed to come straight on my mixtape. The only thing I'm missing is some info on the bands and // or some contact addresses. Alive. SPACELINES CD / DoLP This one is subtitled “Sonic Sounds for Subterraneans”. 23 Tracks containing very diverse Bands / Artists, ranging from stomping BO DIDDLEY and a silent LIGHTNING HOPKINS to Soul and Gospel acts like THE STAPLES and EVIE SANDS, and even guitar rock [MC5], and first wave electronic groups [WHITE NOISE]. Why are they all gathered on one comp? Well, they have all been chosen by Peter Kember aka Sonic Boom, one of the band leaders of the 80s band SPACEMEN 3, who influenced tons of other bands [I never really heard a track of them, but still they are mentionend in many bands` biographies], here he picks 23 Bands / Artist who were a major influence into the music of SPACEMEN 3, BUT it's not only intended to be strictly for SP3 fans, it`s for everyone who`s willing to explore forgotten innovators of rock music. Munster. TRUCKIN' IN THE FREE WORLD CD Two songs by each of the following bands: FLAMING SIDEBURNS, THEE ULTRA BIMBOOS, THE MUTANTS, LEMONATOR, THE BLACK LEAGUE, HEAVEN'N'HELL. The first band should be well known, Thee Ultra Bomboos are a charming girl punk pop group, The Mutants [who have three songs here] are a very cool, and loungy instro group. And the other bands are no good. And: all bands are from Finland. Spinefarm. WHERE THE BAD BOYS ROCK DoCD A nice price compilation with 32 bands consisting of bad boys who rock, like MAD SIN, ADAM WEST, REVOLVERS, THE SPOOK, AMERICAN HEARTBREAK, THE SPITTS, … a perfect overwiew of PEOPLE LIKE YOU`s program, but not only for people who are new to the label / the bands, because most of these tracks are rare or previously unreleased! People Like You

APOLOGIES... HERE ARE SOME MORE REVIEWS As always, days before this zine is finished, new records are flooding my mailbox, and don't really have time to listen to them, not speaking of reviewing them they way I should… so this is more or less a namedropping… HOUSEHOLDNAME of London is a quite active label from the UK, maybe they are bigger than Fat Wreck over there. Every two or three months the throw new melodic punk / HC records at us as if it is forbidden shortly after. This time there are five new CDs in the parcel, the CD which looks more interesting than all others is broken, damnit. They are called THE FILAMENTS and the artwork and pictures inside the booklet suggests a fresh RANCID flavoured punk outfit, with trombone and sax, but as I wrote before… the CD is broken into 3 pieces. Next up are THE FOAMERS, 13 Songs that remind me of AFI circa “Very proud of ya” era, when Davey Havoc didn't worship the MISFITS 24/7. Nice stuff for Skatekids. FIVE KNUCKLE's “Balance” CD has a ugly cover, and the rest of the artwork is very poor too, the music is not your usual simple HC Punk music, its more diverse. And its darker. HOWARDS ALIAS is a strange name for a band, the music reminds me of early Millencolin, at least the voice. But this band here has non less than 16 songs with a massive horn section, I'm sure the kids go wild for this kind of music. Finally theres the new label sampler called “Breeding Disloyalty”, containing 17 band to check out. The great surf label from Greece, GREEN COOKIE Records seems to be more active than ever with two new releases: THE ULTRA 5 are a band from NYC, although they might have lived for a while in Cramps-ville… 24 (!!!) songs that are massively influenced by Lux Interior + his entourage. THE SURFACERS [Green Cookie 005] are [who would have thought?] a instro surf band from Argentina, playing nice and fast tunes to dance to, sounding a lot like some of the wilder bands from the 50s. If you dig Surf Music, check them out! LEECH RECORDS from Switzerland sent me a parcel with some CDs, but I only had eyes for the PEACOCKS new album “It's time for the Peacocks”, an amazing record of a great great live band. No wonder they are constantly touring. If you like the pop edge of psycho/rockabilly, with a bit punkrock here and there, buy this album. Your Rocket From The Crypt and Reverend Horton Heat are worn out and need a pause. Other new LEECH stuff, unheard as I write this: SUPERSPY CDEP, SCARAMANGA CD, MFS CDEP, NGURU CD. Chris Peigler of MY SO-CALLED BAND sent me their new CD containing 8 new songs. Read the review of the old one some pages before, this here is very similar to the predecessor, maybe I bit darker. www.mysocalledband.com THE PSYCHOS [what a stupid name] from Bozen, Italy have sent a Demo CDR with 4 songs, hard rockin' and sick stuff, partly punkrock, partly rocknroll. Song 4 is called “God Bless Victoria Silverstedt”, hm, I don't think she's a bomb. Another demo recording was given to me by THE MUGWUMPS from Tyrol, Austria, listening to their 5 tunes makes me think they live in the practice room next to THE APERS. Not bad for their first recordings, a raw interpretation of punkrock, if you danced naked to the first RETARDED album, this here is perfect for you!!! Two new CDs sent by Holm / The Heartbreaker Booking: KEVIN

K “Best of” [not really my taste] and DIGGER & THE PUSSYCATS “Young, tight & alright”, a great band from down under. Two guys, drums and guitar, with their version of punkrock, or maybe the punkrock version of THE IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS, 13 Songs including a cover called “Stab a motherfucker” which is of course SUPERCHARGERS “Sooprize package for Mr.Mineo”. 9 more minutes of HATEPINKS is delivered by UNITY SQUAD Records from Huntington Beach a must have for every no wave punk loving, striped shirt wearin', cocaine sniffin' romancateer! ONLY CRIME is the new band of Russ from GOOD RIDDANCE and Billyboy Stevenson from ALL / DESCENDENTS, aggressive and old school punkrock tunes that will find it's customers for sure. Forget all the boys of emocentral, this is real stuff. Hope they play live somewhen over here. [Fat Wreck] CLOROX GIRLS CLOROX GIRLS CLOROX GIIIIIRLS!!! Are great! Debut out on Smarguy Records, c'mon be smart, order it! Produced by Kurt Bloch, this three piece throws simple as can be punk [pop] rockets at you! Aaawww! CLOROX GIRLS! Not as good as THE HATEPINKS are MORTICIAS LOVERS from Italy, although they are very similar to thos fukken frenchies, modern, a lot of urgency and brevity, mixed with new wave punk silliness… hm, maybe it gets into my brain [and feet] after a few more rounds on the turntable. [Demolition Derby Records] KEN ROCK RECORDS! THANKS! For THEE MARVELOUS MYSTERIOUS ASTHMATIC AVENGER 10”!!! TMMAA is simply great whacky trash-country on helium… including yodelling and song titles like “Atomic Power in Nagazaki” and “LSD”, plus some covers like “Rock and Roll killed my mother” (Hi-Fi Guys) or “Jesus Walking” (Violent Femmes)… what can I say… this shite is hot!!!! Another 10” on KEN ROCK is spinning right now, SAFFRON is the name of the band, but I think I do not take enough drugs to get this music. THE PANIC BUTTONS “Alabamalama” album on the other hand is GREAT! Running on 45 rpm, this band from Huntsville, Alabama [of course], is surprising me with high-speed-mickey-mouse-lo-fi punkrock. Get this until Rip Off is releasing some quality stuff again. I also received more zines… how embarrassing… it looks like everyone does 2-3 issues in the same time I manage to put one single issue together… ROCKASS is here with number 5, and like always, they seem to like pretty much the same shit I do: LITTLE KILLERS, DIRTNAP RECORDS, CHIXDIGGIT, SONNY VINCENT, plus UK SUBS and more… great “raw and roll” zine, for just 1 euro plus shipping. rockass@web.de BAM MAGAZINE from Italy is on the run with issue number 5, it's a pity that Franz / Bam Head Honcho, gave me the Italian version of this issue, well, maybe I get the English version soon. Until then I can only look at the pictures of THE BRIEFS, LEG HOUNDS, THE DICTATORS, ANDY G AND THE ROLLERKINGS, DEKE DICKERSON and more action rocknroll. Comes with a CD including BEAT-MAN, LEG HOUNDS, BRIEFS, ATOMSMASHERS and BOMP POPS, and again outstanding artwork! www.bammagazine.it The PUNKROCK GUIDE is in its 8th round, packed with reviews, and interesting stories, like the one about the rise and decline of LAS VULPESS, the first all-girl punk band from Spain. Good readings on SUICIDE and TOY DOLLS, Charles Manson and much more. Cheap: 0,50 Euro plus shipping. 4skins@gmx.de DRACHENMAEDCHEN issue number 8 just in, too, and again it's a zine you cannot classify, sometimes the stories are typical for a emo magazine, but on the other hand side we've got interviews with bands like THE DEMONICS… hm… this time the stories take a big part of the zine, plus theres more interviews with MIAMI GOLEM, STEEL RULES DIE, one guy from the BEATSTEAKS (I hate this band.) plus the usual rants and raves. Note to Bölla: Better jokes next time please. This issue's gags were… not so good! magazine@myruin.de

THEE MARVELOUS MYSTERIOUS ASTHMATIC AVENGER CHOKE 61

UNEXITEDLY ENTITLED

Photo page

CLOCKWISE from top left: Cole / BLACK LIPS with a hand job Andy / LITTLE KILLERS + gloriole? Voodoo Doll dancer showin booty | Voodoo Dollz catfight Sara / LITTLE KILLERS tuning Olivier / HATEPINKS

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