Golf Sale Zine Issue 1 by Golf-Sale Zine

This Is Golf Sale @golfsalezine

This zine was brought to you by the Independent Creative Movement facebook.com/IndieCM @TheICM

Editor (if he edited much, we’re not sure) and writer of stuff. Dan Impossible facebook.com/d.impossible danimpossiblemustbedestroyed.blogspot.com @dan_impossible (This issue he’s mostly been listening to Jawbreaker, The New Pornographers and Wonk Unit and watching the Harry Potter films back to back because he’s hardcore)

Designer Nicola McConnell facebook.com/morebrainsvicar morebrainsvicar.blogspot.com (Has been enjoying some nice Psychobilly covers recently: ‘Bad Moon Rising’ by The Meteors, ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’ by The Pharoahs and ‘Happy Hour’ by The Griswalds, to name a few)

CONTEnTs

pondent American Corres Kate Désaccord way86 facebook.com/k.tread @katedesaccord lar, Nick Laura Marling, Holy Mo r: ove g ssin sse ob tly ren (Is cur Woods) Neko Case, Cursive and Cave, The Chinese Stars,

Contributors: Mark Warburton, Luna Kendell, Kate Hawkridge, Joel Harley, Nicole Adams, Robin O’Malley, Mark Coates, Aiden Quinn.

03 07 09 11 13 15 17 18 20 22 23 25 29 31

33 34 36 37 39 43 45

Dissociates Joel Harley on British Horror Panic Dance The Ladykillers Artist Profile - [SPAN] Carter USM Mark Warburton writes... The Beards Mug 10 Music Documentaries Lou Scannon - new Brit comic The Black Atlantic Radical Face

14 Car Pile-Up Artist Profile - Matt Harrower Otem Rellik Poetry by Robin O Malley Potter Dan Impossible talks about... Harry The Dauntless Elite Julie Christmas

Declan de Barra 47 Reviews

hello...

by someone trying to justify attending a ‘One mans rubbish is another mans treasure’ is a statement most often used excited about the concept of recycling. It’s not carboot sale. Or very occasionally it’s used as an attempt to get people an example, there’s nothing that divides opinion a terrible expression and it even has some merit... I mean, take music as I’ve known many fights to break out between quite so much as music. You probably think that’s an overstatement but dress and what they listen to - and I can’t groups of people and the only real difference between them was how they sporting a pair of socially acceptable slacks. for the life of me see any sense in punching someone because they’re not Although, thinking about it, I can’t see any sense in punching anyone.

Music divides people so much that people have been killed over it. At least I’d assume when a musician is murdered it’s because of the music. Was Marvin Gaye’s death because his old man didn’t like ‘Sexual Healing’? I can’t be sure but it’s a possibility. And I’d wager Mark Chapman wasn’t a big Beatles fan either. Tupac and Biggie got snuffed by people who couldn’t work out which remarkably similar sounding hip-hop they preferred, East or West Coast. That’s a problem we’re unlikely to experience in the UK, I really can’t see the gangs of Cornwall popping caps in their Kentish rivals but ask any room full of pensioners who was a better crooner out of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin and fists will fly (slowly)

Everyone I know takes pride in their music collection and stands by it - even under the harshest of criticism from their peers. This is a noble thing, especially when you consider that everyone has at least one album that can really only be referred to as ‘a steaming pile of shit’. Taste may be subjective but can anyone really argue a reasonable case for the existence of ‘80’s popsters Black Lace? I think not. The best part about music for me though, is finding that one song that you NEED to share with EVERYONE. You turn it up in the car and try and catch a smile on the face of those with you, you post the video on your profile, you even creep into your friends houses late at night, rig every alarm to go off at 3am with that very song at a volume that could literally explode a rhinos skull in it’s head and then ask excitedly what they think as they call the police and cry a bit. Ok, maybe not the last one so much but you get the gist. Sharing music is a huge part of my life and I’d bet all the money in my pocket that it’s a huge part of yours too. And that’s really what this ‘zine is about. Admittedly, not just music but other shit we find absurdly cool too but then we’re good like that. So take a little time out to flick through the pages, read the interviews with bands you know, read the ones with those you don’t. Go out and buy the CD’s where you can, download what you can’t. There’s an entire world of music out there and we’re only bringing you a fraction of it. Don’t be afraid to try new stuff, don’t listen to anyone that tells you your choice of music isn’t as good as theirs and try to remember ‘one mans rubbish is another mans treasure’. Most of all though, remember that Black Lace were shit.

sible

s dan impo

The book that the X FACTOR generation has been waiting for~ ‘QUAKING IN ME STACKHEELS: the pocket guide to preparing for and surviving your debut stage performance.’

Packed with invaluable advice on stage presentation; microphone technique; rehearsal strategy; audience control and confidence training from veteran coach, promoter and performer Paul Eccentric.

An absolute must read for anybody contemplating a career on the stage! ‘QUAKING IN ME STACKHEELS’ by veteran performer, coach and promoter Paul Eccentric is the ultimate pocket guide for the first time performer, offering the experience of his thirty years on the boards to anybody who has ever considered stepping up to the plate.

‘Invaluable lessons that will help anybody in any walk of life who would like to gain the self confidence of a seasoned performer in one easy read.’ ~Donna Ray, Director of The RRRANTS Collective. Paul has used the tips and anecdotes in this book to help teachers, auditionees, interviewees and victims of bullying, as well as a succession of poets and singers to find the confidence to sell themselves and their abilities. ‘It did exactly what it says on the tin. Easy to grasp and easily put into practice.’~ Stephen Patmore, singer and poet.

‘Definitely a workshop worth taking for new performers who may still be struggling with confidence!’~ Victoria Laxton-Bass, poet. QUAKING IN ME STACKHEELS is published by Desert Hearts (ISBN:978-1-89894897-1) on the 8th of July 2011 priced £6.99 and will be available to order from all good bookshops and online suppliers including www.rrrants.com. www.pauleccentric.co.uk

Dissociate! by Dan Impossible

that gap between they write everyman post-punk songs. They span The beautiful thing about the Dissociates is that that very few other haired lot gobbing off Camden Lock in a way er those media savvy Hoxton types and the spikey familiar city complete with grey buildings and grey too all an on Lond their t abou s song write y bands can. The depressing but, ls hit you there’s a bleakness that never becomes skies. As the angular guitars and distinctive voca drizzle. with little more than a nod in the early evening mate al cynic y overl an like you s greet it r, rathe why these lads Dissociates new EP takes seconds to remind you ‘Kick and Shove’ - the first new track from the sound, parts punk sensibilities and a radio friendly indie equal ting Boas now. right do they what at best are the this here is the heavy departure from punk rock in the ‘80’s this is what post-punk should be. Forget the synth mate propping you m section carries you through this track like a most natural progression for the genre. The rhyth be and the chorus is exactly what a chorus should them t abou cy urgen real a have ls voca the d, up whilst pisse wrong from ything about this song works - there’s not a step catchy, and with a genuine sing-along quality. Ever punk outfit e come to expect from this North London postwe’v what is This n. uctio prod the to ng writi the a higher quality of noise. and why about the new EP, their influences, writing style Dan and Ned bers mem s ciate Disso with chat I had a k it out. they want to play a gig on a freight train - Chec

You lot hold the dubious honour of being the first band to ever play an ICM show back in March last year, for those people that missed out, who are the Dissociates and how would you describe your sound?

Are your songs written collaboratively? Do you each bring very different influences to the table or do you find that more often not you’re listening to the same bands? Tell us a bit about your writing process.

We are Ned, Dan, Gabriel and Ju and we’ve been together since the end of 2007. Before that we were all in punk bands, from as far back as the 90s. We’re totally obsessive about the sounds that inspire us (Burning Airlines to Smiths, Arcade Fire to Jon Spencer) and pretty hard to pin down musically (we hope!) but obviously we’re gonna sound like 3 guitars and some drums when it comes down to it. We have a standard Clash-style set up in terms of instruments but ideas well above our station... we’ve just started working with a hip hop producer to try and inject some poison into it all. The challenge is coming to a compromise between all these influences whilst creating something that bounces.

Sometimes people turn up with whole songs. The Tide was one of those, but it’s usually more collaborative. Ned will turn up with a riff he can’t play cos it’s too complex. Dan will try to play it and end up modifying it and digging out the root chords. Then Gabe will have a Holsten or two, have a listen and come up with the perfect bass line straightaway... he’s spooky like that. Ju will then try to keep the beat interesting and get it to build properly. Melody comes next and then lyrics are last. Dan keeps a backlog of snaps that he fits into the melody any which way and tries to find a way in, a reason for the song. We’ll then play it out a few times and half the time throw it all away and start again! Main problem is that we’re all too busy so we struggle to give song writing enough time to be honest. It shows a bit - we’re only on our 2nd EP after 3 ½ years.

‘Waiting for the Backlash’ was one of my favourite releases of last year. This year sees a brand new release. Tell us a bit about it. Thanks! Well we were expecting to have a 5 song EP out by now, but the lead off single (Kick and Shove) sold out during our tour a few weeks ago, so we’re going to press up some more copies of that while we finish the record. The EP will be called “Drown this Town” and should be out by August. It’s a mix of old and new songs, recorded with minimal mixing and maximum microphones by our mate Ben “Standards” Standage (www.gotmics.com) You guys have always been very forthcoming with your praise for other bands on the circuit - As of right now, who’s on the Dissociates playlist? And who would you consider to be influences? Well we’ve just come off a tour of the Southwest so Bedroom Project and Damerels are on heavy repeat. The new Crazy Arm stuff is just blazing... an education really. The latest wonk unit album rocked. But it changes every week cos there are so many wicked bands out there. People whinge about how stale UK punk is at the moment but they must be going to the wrong shows, or hanging out at weak parties! The best place to find your new “FBF” (favourite band forever) is still at the merch table at the back of the room.

Our influences are diverse but the key is staying open to new ideas/sounds from each other. A Dexy’s record is probably the only thing that we’ll all happily listen to all the way through in the car without someone skipping it on. Your lyrics have always had a slightly cynical flavour to them - they’re very indicative of the time they are written and the places they are written about yet still manage to sound timeless - is this something you set out to achieve? (Dan) Yeah I suppose. Where I live there’s lots of 70s/80s graffiti, you know, immediate, “class war not trident” white emulsion paint type stuff, painted on railway bridges and walls. It’s really faded but you

Influences? Too many to list. Ned keeps us honest, playing us the latest stuff, tries to stop Dan zoning out on too much Refused and Gram Parsons... Julian is the quality control. Gabe is just the spirit, the vibe. Top tip for new music is SPEAKS - a bunch of girls out of south london that used to put on punk shows, now they hooked up some instruments and it is FRESH check out their band camp.

can still just about read it. I feel like we’re constantly forgetting yesterday’s struggles in this country, painting over the shit we took and moving on. Holding on to the thread, the beef, is something that as a nation we’re really bad at I think and as people we also tend to suppress it all, everything, so I do see Dissociates songs as a lines in the sand. A way of pointing out something or documenting something that hopefully won’t get painted over in 5 years. But if you can’t hear the lyrics and you can’t sing ‘em back then you may as well be in Zero 7, meaning that to me, melody and delivery are just as important as the lyrics. I spend a lot of time travelling, that’s where a lot of my lyrics come from. Just watching the UK fretting and fighting... Social commentary in music is something that can often carry with it a real stigma, what’s your take on the point where politics and music meet?

They belong together!

Politics is everything from your mate getting kettled to clicking “like” on a 38 degrees FB event cos you think you should. To just having the respect to listen to someone else’s point of view even if you think they’re a bocat. There’s no divide, it’s all the same - as long as the music can live up to the rhetoric it’s all good! Outside of making music, what do you guys get up to?

We’ve all got pretty full on jobs, so we’re either drunk or asleep if we’re not playing music together. That’s not true actually, Ned somehow found time to put on a festival in Shoreditch last week for Macmillan Cancer Research, Dan skateboards - badly - when his knee isn’t playing up. Ju’s a Spitfire pilot and Gabriel gives aerobic classes for the over70s... (the last two we made up).

You’ve played some very different venues - from dives to those that are considered quite trendy - where’s your favourite? And where would you love to play but haven’t gotten around to it yet? We’d like to do some shows at the OBL soon, and we loved this kind of youth community centre in a bunker in germany we played at last year. Also, we have this idea about playing a tour on a freight train. Just have our mates turn up at the stations and listen as we trundle past. Very eco... the songs will need to be pretty brief though!

nda? What’s next on the Dissociates age as an The EP’s gonna be out in August, probably just s own’ Capd ng e-release unless it kicks off. We’re playi to out homecoming gig in August then heading back in Germany for 5 shows with Longing for Tomorrow l see... We’l S? XMA for ens Gard September. Madison Square And finally, the floor is yours, give us a thought to end on. Don’t forget that a song can still change your life... and yes, they do owe us a living - still!! Peace out y’all...

ksal) Sally Newhouse (punkroc Live photo’s courtesy of om or to dissociates.wordpress.c For more Dissociates go om thedissociates.bandcamp.c

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE: DANNY DYER, POT NOODL E AND THE S TAT E OF MODERN BRI T ISH HORROR l movie, I took a moment to reflect. Then, I As the end credits rolled over We Are What We Are, the Mexican canniba eam Hollywood horror is all fine and well, but stepped away from the mirror and did some thinking about horror movies. Mainstr or original. That, and subtitles make me feel clever. I’ll usually go global if I’m looking for something a little more challenging

While Hollywood is producing mostly sparkling vampires, repetitive torture nonsense and childish remakes, there’s never been a better time to be a fan of horror, globally. Some of the best I’ve ever seen is emerging from around the world. France has brought us the likes of the incredible Martyrs, the divisive Irreversible and overrated Switchblade Romance. That movie’s Alexandre Aja went on to bring us two of America’s few good remakes - The Hills Have Eyes and Piranha 3D. Japan, meanwhile, has Takashi Miike, whose oeuvre speaks for itself. There’s also the likes of Grotesque, a silly torture movie that managed to get itself banned over here in the UK. Meanwhile, Korea produces some of my favourite movies, not limiting itself to torture like so many others seem to nowadays. Oldboy, The Host and The Chaser all come highly recommended. The less said about Ireland’s Shrooms the better. It’s the Jedward of horror movies. There’s A Serbian Film that you might want to watch (or not, depending on your tolerance for, oh, baby rape) and Sweden’s Let The Right One In is the best vampire movie of its century. Then what, I thought, has England brought to the table? It was with no small amount of terror and disgust that I realised that the answer was Danny Dyer.

Pop into your local HMV (please, it needs the business) and you’ll find the horror section populated with an overwhelming amount of Dyer movies. Only one of those movies is actually good. The only good things Dyer has ever done: Severance and that episode of Britain’s Hardest Men where he gets repeatedly slapped in the chops. Severance is an above-average horror comedy at best. It succeeds in spite of Danny Dyer and in no way because of him. On the plus side, he gets a good kicking over the course of the movie. Doghouse, which also stars Dyer, initially promises quality. It has Stephen Graham and Noel Clarke, and is about a zombification virus which only affects women. Quickly one realises that Doghouse is quite the misogynist. Its big revelation is that Graham needs to ‘man up’ and ‘kill anything in a dress’. Doghouse acknowledges the zombies as women (“zombirds”, yohoho ), Danny Dyer uses the phrase “remote control women” and at that point I gave up. Doghouse is probably Jim Davidson’s favourite movie of 2009. Too much British cinema seems like it was written by a round table of Nuts readers. I haven’t seen it, but the nadir lies in gangster/vampire mashup Dead Cert, starring not only Dyer but some ex-Eastenders and the poor man’s Vinnie Jones, Tamer Hassan too. There are a ton of laddish Brit horror movies, and it shows no abating, with Cockneys vs Zombies being released soon.

This, thanks to Shaun Of The Dead, which helped revitalise British horror and unwittingly unleashed a horde of imitators. Never mind that Shaun was affectionate, genuinely funny and well-written; that it starred two slacker best mates was enough. What its imitators fail to recognise is that Shaun and Ed aren’t supposed to be aspirational figures. Also, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are charismatic and likeable. Danny Dyer and Tamer Hassan are not. Ever. Nevertheless, Shaun Of The Dead is one of the finest zombie movies ever made.

jocular fun with a Queen Going on Shaun Of The Dead, you’d be forgiven in thinking that British cinema is all you’ve ever seen a Ken soundtrack. But more prescient are scenes of traumatic violence, bleakness and cruelty. If Much of it is inspired by different. no is Loach movie, you’ll know how depressing British drama can be. Our horror F, The Children, Cherry social issues and newspaper headlines. One recurring theme is a fear of our own children; g movies, depicting adults Tree Lane and Eden Lake all pit downtrodden adults against feral yobs. They’re depressin by the way, is called as ineffectual and weak, and children as little Deliverance bastards. The fear of children, paedophobia, which doesn’t mean what I thought it did. is in my top five horror movies of all time. Consistently producing good work is the director Neil Marshall. His Descent just a misguided sense of patriotism: The In fact, three of my top five movies of all time are British, and that’s not

Descent is a wonderful movie.

Amongst my favourite other b(r)its of UK horror lies The Cottage, which mixes black comedy with the gore and violence of a backwoods slasher movie. It stars Andy Serkis and Reece Shearsmith as a pair of bungling brothers who kidnap a foul-mouthed gangster’s daughter and then fall afoul of a disfigured psycho farmer. It’s funny without being laddish and violent without pointlessness. All that, and no Danny Dyer. Get offa my land indeed. Director Paul Andrew Williams started out with the incredibly miserable but critically acclaimed London To Brighton. Many said he was slumming it with The Cottage, which goes to show the sustained snobbery and prejudice against horror. I prefer The Cottage because, thanks, watching a gangster try to rape a thirteen year old hooker is too depressing even for me.

Williams’ peers - the likes of Shane Meadows and Danny Boyle - aren’t directors of horror per se, but their movies nevertheless tend to be some of the best and most inventive out there. Boyle reinvigorated the zombie genre with his 28 Days Later, but I find moments of horror in most of his pictures. And then there’s Shane Meadows, who directed my third favourite movie of all time; Dead Man’s Shoes. It’s an extremely downbeat and depressing piece, featuring a powerhouse performance from Paddy Considine’s beard as an ex-army man seeking revenge against those who wronged his learning-difficulties brother. Some of it plays like a thriller, others like a slasher movie and others comedic. It’s inherently British, its gangsters drinking tea and eating Pot Noodle. You don’t get much more English than tea and Pot Noodle. Dead Man’s Shoes is an utterly heartbreaking movie though; the Oldboy of British cinema.

What we do do, if you care to take a look at some of our finest films, is realism. Like queuing and cups of tea and Pot Noodle and Cliff Richard, whingeing is a very British thing. And that’s what we’ve contribut ed to world horror cinema - whingeing, grit and unhappy endings. Oh no, hoodies have killed my boyfriend. Oh noes, there’s a tooth in this pie. Well, let’s have a cup of tea, shall we?

If you dig a little beneath the surface, you’ll find some true gems buried amongst all of the crap. We no longer have Hammer as we knew it, but we do have a generation of simultaneously funny, depressing, versatile directors to rival any Takashi Miike, John Carpenter or Alexandre Aja. On behalf of England, though, I am truly sorry about Danny Dyer. Joel Harley Joel is the man behind Porkheads Horror Review Hole - which is handy as if he was in front of it you’d have to read it over his shoulder and nobody enjoys that. You can read more from Joel at porkhead.blogspot.com or, should you feel inclined, follow him on Twitter: @JoelHarley

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's kinda “Panicking and Dancing and thatsic what the mu is...”

Dan Impossible talks to Panic Dance about the state of the scene, how music still plays a role in politics and why no song should be safe from a new interpretation...

Cheshunt seems an unlikely place for a band like Panic Dance to come from. Don’t believe me? They named a block of flats after Sir Cliff Richard - It’s hardly the stuff of Punk legend. I managed to get Adem of Panic Dance to sit behind his computer long enough to answer some questions for the first issue of Golf Sale - no easy feat as the guy is busy. And I do mean busy. Gigs, radio appearences and just generally off being marvellous - he’s not an easy man to pin down these days. And with good reason, Panic Dance are in demand...

And rightly so.

So, first up, who are Panic Dance? Panic Dance is ADEM (vocals/guitar/beats and bloops and noises), FFION (epic female vocals) and LEMMI (vocals/bass). All the music is written and recorded by myself in my home studio. I say studio but it’s my bedroom.. I say bedroom but there’s no bed. I removed the bed to fit more equipment in (honestly.. I’ve slept on the floor for about 8 months now).

How would you describe your sound to get someone to listen to your stuff? It’s an amalgamation, its just as much punk as it is hiphop, just as much drum n bass as it is pop, just as much electro as it is classical. Lyrically it’s more punk than anything, we hit hard on social issues, politics, end of the world scenarios, that sorta thing. Our ethos are punk, we come from a punk background but aren’t afraid to dive head first into sounds that other bands would normally be too afraid to try. . Some bands mix ska and punk and the odd breakbeat here and there and proclaim to be bending the genres. We tear through the genres like paper walls in a Japanese hotel.

How do we do it? The drum beats, synths, samples and noises all run from a laptop using Ableton Live. Guitar and Bass use amp modelling so we have pedals but no amplifiers (i’ll get to the name Panic Dance come from? why in a bit) and everything runs through our own mixer live And where did on stage. This is how we can make sure we sound exactly as ntal one for me, no tissues or anything. Biwe wanna sound, all the sound-tech has to do is plug us in and Bit of a sentime Polar Disorder is something that runs my life, I can spend keep us LOUD. 6 weeks buzzing like a bull on steroids, happy as a kite that, for no reason I’ll drop. It’ll feel like We don’t use amps so we can keep it digital, we have our and then just like someone is reaching into my head and screaming at the top of own mobile sound system which we intend on doing gigs their lungs, all day everyday. Since Panic Dance was going with in the summer, just propping up on a street corner to be a solo thing I wanted it to mean something to me. It and starting a party. was originally going to be called “Beat Panic Dance” so the initials (BPD) fit with Bi-Polar Disorder, but I dropped the

Beat part ‘cos it just sounded crap. It’s like opposite ends of a spectrum, two extreme states of mind. Panicking and Dancing and that’s kinda what the music is too. It’s the extremes of whatever we can find and throw together.

Finally, last question in the easy bit, who are your influences? It goes without saying that my musical tastes would be nowhere without the following: The Clash, The Streets, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Balkan Beat Box, K’Naan, Notorious B.I.G., Anti-Flag, King Prawn, Capdown, Sonic Boom Six, NOFX, Sex Pistols, Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals, Aphex Twin, Prodigy, Bach, Brahms, The Specials, Gogol Bordello, Rancid, Koji Kondo, Bit-Shifter, Susumu Hirasawa... Jesus I could really go on forever!

What are your thoughts on the music scene today? Is it thriving or is every day a struggle for those bands that don’t have corporate backing? It’s thriving, definitely. But it fluctuates.. It’s both really. If you can figure a way to cracking your way in then you can get away with being in a band for as long as you’re willing to work, without having to get a real job. If you have corporate backing (and you’re hard working enough) then you’ll definitely have a much better chance at lasting than those without. However for those new bands, the ones who don’t know who to contact to get gigs or lack the friends to book the initial gig where every promoter demands X amount turn up, it’s definitely hell. The music industry is a cruel, fickle bitch and sometimes even if everything is perfect you’ll get nowhere. I’d like to see how Panic Dance turns out, hopefully somewhere, but who can tell? It’s a lawless land out there, there aren’t any rules or patterns to follow.

Tell us about your role in the scene - are there any bands you’d like to work with and haven’t gotten around to it yet? Do you have a good working relationship with other acts on the circuit right now? Who should we be listening to? Panic Dance’s role on the scene is still minimal, still early on. We have a growing following, don’t get me wrong but we’re a young band, we’ve not been around for long but we’ve done some phenomenal stuff. Our first ever booked gig (back when it was just me live) was as main support for Leftover Crack, that wasn’t from pulling any strings or anything. I didn’t know anybody back then, and really I still don’t. It was booked purely because the promoter loved the recordings I’d done and wanted people to hear them live. I emailed him and said “here’s me” and he straight away said “Here. Come and play with Leftover Crack”. That’s how I knew early on that Panic Dance is something special, something different. I have a pretty good relationship with Sonic Boom Six. Panic Dance is still yet to gig with them but they really like what PD is about. I’ve done a couple remixes of their track s and they’re going to be doing vocals on a track for a future Panic Dance EP. Bless them; they’re the nicest most harde st working band I know of and absolute heroes of mine. I really wish that the world would hurry up and turn them into the superstars they deserve to be. They should be on the playlist for Radio1, yet for some reason the mainstream won’t throw them a bone they clearly deserve. I’d love to play more gigs with the likes of Rand om Hand and Clay Pigeon, two really talented bands. To be honest we just love to play gigs, we don’t care where or when.

What are your thoughts on social networking s very It’s fairly safe to say that some of your tunes for bands these days? After Myspace’ book have an obvious political slant. What role do you public demise at the hands of Face with ship ner part and Youtube going into think politics plays in music these days? s do site whoever waves money at them, what Are the days when a song could affect the reach political landscape over or is there still life you recommend bands use these days to their audience? in the protest song yet?

I’d say there’s just as much, if not more room for political songs than there ever has been. When Tony Blair decided to take us to war with Iraq we had the largest protests in UK history. That screams something to me. I was there; sound systems were aplenty, people had speakers, guitars, drums, whistles, you name it. Music is what got me into politics and it’s the same for nearly every other protester I know. Music is what helps the protest scene thrive, that and politicians, an evil to unite against. If we weren’t singing about what affects our daily lives then we’d just be singing about love. Love has been done over and over again for over 2,000 years. Politics and social issues are current and give our lives meaning and a reference point in history. When people listen back to the music our generation made I’d rather they learnt what was going on rather than hearing Bieber saying “baby” over and over again.

one for Myspace has just pretty much died hasn’t it? I have g bands, Panic Dance but I don’t use it. It’s just bands addin bands. using reverb nation to send mass messages out to other we’re bands It’s crap. Facebook is where it’s at. Let’s face it, hear our or see to e and musicians and artists, we want peopl get and work so it makes sense to follow the crowd to try up over it as much exposure as we can. Don’t get too hung real fun is though, it’s not about the friend count online. The g is a orkin Netw e. when you play shows to rooms full of peopl ut witho necessary evil if you want to make it in todays world the backing of a label or management. efficient I’d recommend soundcloud, it’s great. It’s an easy, around on it share way to get your music online and you can After cks. facebook, twitter, whatever. Soundcloud is the bollo all that shit. that it’s just the usual suspects: facebook, twitter,

One of my favourite Panic Dance tunes is the re-working of War by Edwin Starr, it’s not strictly a cover as such but what are your thoughts on covers? Is there anything that you’d like to cover but haven’t - or perhaps a song that, in your opinion, should never be touched? The Edwin Starr tune is massive. Until I put the mp3 up I didn’t realise people liked it so much, I was so close to ditching that song forever. Now we’re re-recording it and it’s sounding huge! I think covers are a good idea in moderation, it’s all about the creativity for me. Take it and turn it into something different, leave your mark on it, show us that piece of music from your perspective. Don’t just replicate it. I think anything and everything is fair game, if you release something into the public then the public should be free to interpret it as they want to.

Finally, tell us what’s next for Panic Dance what’s top of the agenda? Top of the agenda is new songs, new recordings and new videos. The next EP is going to be a behemoth. Combining drum n bass, horror punk, electro pop, ska, blues, robot voices, you name it. The beats are hard, the guitars are gritty and it’ll have guest vocals from Sonic Boom Six, a soul singer called Fayola Timberlake and I’m even gonna break out the ol’ saxophone (not been touched since I performed Wembley with The King Blues). Aside from that we’re headlining the drop inn stage at bearded theory and doing a bunch of gigs over the summer, including guerilla street gigs on Death-Trap.. A big pink furry mobile sound system I built. There’ll be more videos, more everything. We’re coming in hard and fast this summer, or we’re trying to at least! We’re also looking into maybe starting a club night in London, depends if we have enough time on our hands!

Cheers Adem. Cheers indeed Mr Dan, it’s a pleasure as always!

You can check out Panic Dance on their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/panicdance And the video for ‘Party In Paliament’ is up on Youtube so go check it out now.

Ro ck ab ill y ba nd ...' 'W e ar e by no me an s a pu reKate ‘Clumsy’ Hawkridge talks to The Ladykillers About a year ago I met Rob, Drummer with The Ladykillers, in the car park of the Ace Café. A couple of months later I was at the Rhythm Riot weekender, and The Ladykillers were playing in one of the small er room s on Saturday afternoon. As we were prior acquaintances from our brief car park meeting, I felt obliged to go and see them play. Within two bars of the first song I was a Lady killers fan! They easily blew away all the other bands I saw that weekend, many of whom had been rockin’ since the 1950s! Since then the boys have graduated from the Saturday afternoon slot and played numerous dates in Euro pe and the UK, recently releasing their first EP on Rollin’ Records. I caught up with them to find out more...

How would you descr ibe The Ladyk illers sound ? It’s a modern take on Rock n Roll and Rockabilly music with plenty of Garage thrown in to the mix. you You are all in you r earl y twe ntie s. Do ran ce? thin k bein g so you ng is a help or a hind It’s definitely a plus. We’re constantly finding new influences and inspirations so we’re always evolving.

2011 has been an excitin g year for The Ladykil lers, what has the highlig ht been? Probably releasing our first 45 and our shows in Europe. We did some dates with Wild Records’ Luis & The Wildfires in the Netherlands and Germany. It really opened our eyes to what being in a rock n roll band is all about.. We loved the travelling and the audiences over there. We won the Rockabilly Rave Battle of the Bands last month, which was nice and means we’ll be on the main stage next year.

The Ladyk illers were toget her for a while befor e drumm er Rob came aboar d, how did his arriv al affec t the dynam ic? Even though we started back in 2009, we didn’t really kick off until Rob joined the band. Rob was the missing part of the puzzle. He’s a confident drummer and it rubs off on us when we’re on stage together. We’re louder than we used to be but at the same time a lot more defined. of a UK Do you con side r you rsel ves to be par t scen es scen e or wou ld you rat her tra nsce nd and genr es? for a We’ve been on the fringes of the Rockabilly scene lves ourse while but I don’t think we’ve ever fully integrated band within it. We are by no means a pure Rockabilly that her whet can, and prefer to cross over as much as we is playing to an Indie or a Punk crowd.

Do you have any music al influe nces that you think might surpr ise us? Collectively, I don’t think the bands influences would really surprise anyone. Lot’s of Rockabilly, 60’s garage, plenty of music with twangy guitars, surf, rock n roll. Individually though, our influences are vast and varied but when we come together as a band we’re very focused and clear about what we want to sound like.

to play So, wha t oth er even ts wou ld you like at in 2012 ? We’re already booked for High Rockabilly in Spain bill at and the Rave but we really want to get on the mainstream festivals like Reading and Leeds. You rece ntly rele ased a viny l reco rd. Any plan s for a CD? Yes, we are currently writing our first album, whic h we hope will be ready early next year.

Lastl y, what does the futur e hold for The Ladyk illers ? The plan for now is to go into the studio and record our first album. After that we plan to head back over to Europe to plug the record and see what happens! Rock N Roll bands like So, if you are a fan of all out Jim Jones Revue, check out The Hives, The Peacocks and be disappointed! The Ladykillers. You won’t k

www.facebook.com/ladykillersu

: E L I F O R P T S ARTI

[SPAN] Q&A on the art of k ic qu A ..’ s. ie mb sprinkling of zo ‘Skate Art with a

Hannah is an artist from Essex - we met a few years ago and she provided the awesome artwork for the first ICM compilation last year. We like Hannah’s Art and you will too... Honest. So, in your own words (as opposed to the words of other people presumably) how would you describe your style?

I have always found it hard to describe my style, usually because I have no idea why I paint these strange images, But if I had to, I would say that my style is a mixture of street and skate art with a sprinkling of zombies. Theres a recipe you dont see often! get your What influences you? Where do you ideas from?

have Most of my ideas come from doodles I draw. I s alway I’m so ), name a small attention Span (hense the will that sure I’m scribbling on things I’m not supposed to, the and art get me into trouble one day. I love skate board . When designs on boards are a huge influence to my work that think to y happ me painting decks, it always makes ed. paint have I somebody is cruising around on something

What’s on your playlist whilst you’re working and do you find that different music affects your work in different ways?

I have to have music on whilst painting. Creating artwork in silence is just weird. My music taste ranges from punk, to rock and acoustic. What I do choose to play is always guaranteed to be loud... It’s only a matter of time before the neighbours complain. I find that lyrics from some of my favourite songs do work thier way into my images. Tell us about some of your achievements... I have exhibited my work in a range of venues and I like to see the responses from different age groups. Its fair to say that a lot of older people just dont get it. I took part in the Essex Summer of Art last year to make the banner which circulated the county to celebrate each art trail and produced a collaborative piece with another local artist. I have just started to paint murals for my local council and designed posters and CD covers for bands etc. Oh and of course I have my BA in Fine Art, ironically it was because I was so bored doing it that I started to doodle which is how my weird images came about.

What kind of stuff do you work with materials wise?

I’m pretty open to painting anything - I have painted car doors, skate decks, surf boards, chairs, canvas and drift wood. I always find it more challenging when my work is not only about creating an interesting image, but about breathing life into a discarded item. r plans What’s next for you? What are you for the future?

more I have alot of plans for the future. Exhibitions, . designs, t-shirts and bigger work And finally, where can people find your stuff to look at/buy?

As the entire world is on Facebook, its only prope r that you can find my artwork there by searching “[SP AN]”. Alternatively you can find my website WWW.S PANART.CO.UK

Hello, good evening and welcome... to nothing much A Quick Q&A with Jim Bob of Carter USM fame.

Firstly, how are you and how is life treating you these days? Not too bad thanks. I’ve got back pain at the moment. Hopefully nothing

too Bono.

This year see’s Carter USM back and playing some gigs - how’s the preparation for ‘Norf and Sarf’ going and what can we expect from the shows in November? We’ve had one rehearsal so far and it went ok. We like to start rehearsing far enough in advance of the gig(s) for it to feel fairly natural to be playing the songs again. We’re concentrating on the Beautiful Days festival set at the moment. The festival and the November gigs should be greatest hits celebratory shows. I watched two Queen documentaries and decided I needed to up my game for the festival (seriously). for a ying music now la p en be e ’v ou Y ch u f inding that ea long time, are yo u yo nd e back arou time Carter com ds s in the crow see the same face ing a mix of dieor are you gett new, younger hard fans and a audience? young people There are definitely er reason - kids there. For whatev e - and also of fans for exampl o used to go a lot of people wh ys. back in the old da

Back around ‘02 (I think), all the members and their various bands got together for ‘Who’s the Daddy Now’Have there been any talks of anything like this happening again in the future? No, is the short answer.

Photo taken by Andy Hollingworth

One thing that was interesting to me after hearing ‘Ding Dong’, the release from that show, was just how different each band sounded - was this something you expected when you think back to the early days, was Carters unique sound the result of many different inf luences and styles coming together or do you think it was more that the bands formed later were an organic evolution of their respective members own style? I know when we started Carter I was listening to very wordy and quite old fashioned musical things like Tom Waits and Band of Holy Joy, while Fruitbat was in to hip hop. So we’ve always thought we combined the two to create Carter. It’s probably simplifying it a bit. I think whatever happened after Carter Fruitbat was always going to do something punky as that’s where his roots are. I change my mind about what I want to sound like from week to week.

Who are you listening to these days, any recommendations? Bright Caitlin Rose. Laura Marling. The Decemberists. the Don. Eyes. Eels. Tom Williams and the Boat. Akira Do you still get excited by new music, and do you still f ind that you can be inf luenced by things you hear? I am still excited by music but probably sadly less than I used to be. I think that’s because I’m quite old and have heard versions of things before. I also don’t go to many gigs any more, so I’m probably missing out on loads of great new stuff. I find myself listening more and more to the bands I was listening to when I was 18. I’m more influenced by books. There’s something timeless about the lyrics you wrote for Carter, and indeed for your solo stuff. Do you think that, given your tendency to write songs that are both cynical and funny, the fact that these songs are still as relevant today as they were at time of release says more about your love and ability for social commentary or, perhaps somewhat depressingly, that in 20 plus years not much has changed in the world around you? It would be nice to have nothing horrible to write about. I’ve always wanted to write great, moving love songs but have never quite managed it. There are a lot of Carter songs that were written about fairly specific unpleasant events that happened in the late eighties, early nineties, that could have been written this week and still been topical. That’s depressing.

f irst novel Storage And talking of writing, your ly) glowing Stories received some (justif iab y different reviews, was writing a book ver gs? Is there a from all those years writing son And do you s? much different thought proces ing you’ll return think writing books is someth to later? more excited about Writing books is definitely what I’m disposable nature of doing at the moment. The instant and a certain extent. I also music has put me off making it to e about. fear I’m running out of things to writ Where can people f ind out more about you rself, Carter USM and what you’re all up to? www.carterusm.com www.jim-bob.co.uk

Finally, what’s next for you? at the moment. I’ve I’m concentrating on the Carter gigs ing for a publisher written a second novel and we’re look I’m doing odd gigs for that. I want to write more books. blank page. I have here and there. Next year is a totally is either exciting or no idea what I’ll be doing. Which terrifying. Perhaps both. ester Academy Carter USM are playing Manch my 19/11/11 and 18/11/11, London Brixton Acade ful Days festival will be appearing at the Beauti urday night. 19-21 August 2011 on the Sat Stories’ is Jim Bob’s debut novel ‘Storage available from his website.

tes. .. M ark W arb ur t on w ri The masters were overtaken, but we still create REPORT FROM 3453xx- sector ???? into inner, The. Human. Is. Not. In. Control. ------- Aspirations to reach out Impersonal outer and cyber space; with tendencies to over reach its grasp------efficiency forces ravage the world. Exponential growth in technology, the profit gates virally in obsession of an aggressive capital â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it knows no bounds as it: â&#x20AC;&#x153;propa host organisms h throug so far as money communicates addiction, replicating itself incrementally whose boundaries it breaches, and whose desires it reprograms, it finance.1â&#x20AC;? credit of ion virtualises production: de-metalling money in the direct et), merely De-metalling to the point where purported anarchic systems (the intern flow of money. become multi-channelled mediums for advertising and the intensified our; they try to These processes are outstripping what is taken to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;humanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; behavi theorise, awkwardly looking through an evolutionary lens. e Western How can traditional ways of thought deal with an increasingly bizarr culture; trash culture? Such rates of change; the social impact of a retarded ls; the attention spans deteriorating from the explosion of information channe g nothin is There . computer/entertainment/work system blunting social skills are beginning to inevitable about all this, but it is certainly irreversible. They learn that the snowball effect never needed a helping hand... (fictional entertainment introjection â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or how not to live) are as â&#x20AC;ŚSome text is glowing on my wrist communicator. I look down - the words followed: en playing, Arrival at the substation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the station was built on a comet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; childr â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fear Cabal, homeless people being ushered out into the tunnels of the underworld Kill arity. singul l live Total Recall. Assimilate or drown. Accept technologica receive and romantics, level your own heterogeneous quarters. Breath silicone, submit until your eyes bleed into the image, reinvent the cyclone. ----.Burn and cleanse.---it comes from Our only redemption is our creativity. Art can be a commodity, but ntly longs to consta your hands and thoughts, from the core of a primordial will that band, sculpture, break out from the body (as seen in the shrieking of a punk/screamo â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;selfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (via tive subjec d performance arts, fire poy et al); or from out of a guarde post-modern the theorising/poetry/prose of writers; through to the avant-garde, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;selvesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, so h throug flow can graphics, painting etc.). If capital and technology can the ability to create. tional sex. All I also encourage the combination of intoxicants, drinking and recrea volume of Golf creative catalysts in the right doses and contexts. Hopefully in this . Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t zone butors Sale, you have been inspired by the creative nature of its contri in the UK. Pick up out to ITV2, or ride the wave of anti-intellectualism so prevalent another weekend being ied a pen, a guitar, a Frisbee, fuck, and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just feel satisf warrior. 1. Nick Land â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Machinic Desire, Fanged Noumena â&#x20AC;&#x201C; published by Urbanomics (2011)

U&70 .8 & _&7 <.(0 5489 , 7&) .3 X- .14845 -> [4 (.414, > P* 8 &184 & < 7.9*7 '14, , *7 +4 7 QLO K433 * (9 He lives in Surre y. 17

No Beard... No Good.

band in folk. An interview with the hairiest by Aiden Quinn

band called The Beards whose only aim in So it is no secret that I have a thing for beards, and to find a and to kick start a beard revolution had music is to spread the word that beards are bad-ass (in a good way), me like a little kid in anticipation for Christmas.

So who are they? The concept of The Beards is simple: A folk-rock band that exclusively perform songs about just one subject: Beards. .. Forming in 2005 to perform one show only in their hometown of Adelaide, South Australia, The Beards soon found their truly unique concept in hot demand and were booked to play more shows. Rising to the challenge, the quartet continued to grow their beards longer and longer, and continued to write more and more songs about beards. As they played around town, word spread, and their fanbase grew. By 2007, the band enjoyed a local cult following. But this was just the beginning. The advent of online social networking led to a global fanbase, and in 2009, the band traveled all the way to Alaska to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Beard & Moustache Championships. To date, they have recorded two full-length studio albums; a live DVD; received national radio play; produced a hugely successful film clip for their song If Your Dad Doesn’t Have a Beard You’ve Got Two Mums; and extensively toured Australia, gaining themselves a strong national fanbase. Members Johann Beardraven - Vocals / Sax, Nathanial Beard - Bass / Vocals, Facey McStubblington - Guitar / Vocals, John Beardman JR. - Drums

Influences ZZ Top, The Beatles (during their bearded era), Kram from Spiderbait, The Bearded BeeGee, Abraham Lincoln, basically anyone with a decent beard. Facey McStubblington was pretty darn amazing, I The fact that I got to put my beard related questions to the awesome still can’t stop giggling at what he had to say...

A person once said that you can tell a lot about a man by his beard, what does your beard tell people about you? My beard tells people I’m a proud par-ginger man.

Does having a beard give you special musical powers that will disappear when shaved off (ala Samson and Delilah)? It does, in that, if I shaved my beard off I would cease to exist, thus rendering me incapable of playing music. In The Twits by Roald Dahl, Mr Twit stores leftover food in his beard. What other uses do they have? Ah the genius of Roald Dahl, despite living the majority of his life as a beardless buffoon, he knew the benefits of a good beard. He only shaved so as not to jeopardise his childrens writing career. As you know most kids are afraid of beards because they are idiots. I like to keep other things in my beard as well as food, i.e. wallet, keys, change of clothes.

Does your music sound better if the listener has a beard? Of course, when you have a beard all of your senses sharpen. In particular your sense of looking awesome. What advice would you give to the beardless population and to young guys growing their first beard that are being pressured into shaving by their family and peers? Stay strong young people!!! Those who seek to keep you shaven do so only out of fear of how much better than them you’ll become with a beard. The amount of time an average man spends shaving is 3350 hours. What do you do with all that spare time not shaving? I masturbate while watching Chuck Norris films. Do your beards restrict you from learning chin and mouth related instruments like the Violin or Jaw-harp? I don’t care for those instruments, or music in general for that matter. We,The Beards, are only a musical group for the purposes of spreading the good bearded word.

Who are your bearded heroes? Gandalf the Grey and White, Kenny Rogers, Jesus, Charles Darwin and Osama Bin Laden.

Do you find, since growing your beard that you appeal to a wider female audience? What do you think women like about beards? No. Like children, women in general are idiots. They largely do not like beards and as a result we do not like them. There are exceptions to this rule however, and the women that do like beards obviously do so out of pure instinct for the man they’ve been conditioned to be attracted to throughout years of evolution. Is there a way that your beards could be used musically - say a a percussion instrument when it’s scratched on a microphone? Yes. We call it scratching. No one’s ever done it before so shut up about it.

Do you guys have day jobs, and If yes what are they, that allow you to grow such amazing specimens of beardage? We all have day jobs yes. Without getting into specifics, we were offered the highest responsibilities in all our respective proffesions because no-one without a beard would dare call themselves our boss. How would you rate bearded folk musos Marcus Bonfanti, Sam Beer and Pete Roe each for effort, manliness and overall impact/appearance? These men are all extremely attractive. They all receive 10 points for all categories because they have beards. There are no losers when you have a beard, just unemployed people. In fact, these men are so attractive, I need some alone time. Good day!

You can check out The Beards at www.thebeards.com.au or Facebook search ‘The Beards’ Alternatively, head over to their Big Cartel site for releases and other beard related merch. thebeards.bigcartel.com

and Steel - a folk and journalist. She writes for Timber Aiden Quinn - Artist, poet, freelance PR music blog in the UK a la Kraikos) and worked for a time on blog in Australia (under the alias Avie . ally founded, now under new management) called Chords and Candles (which she initi of Anglesey, North up in a tiny little village on the isle Hailing from southampton but growingic and has had Her main loves are painting, art and mus Wales, Aiden currently lives in London. an album ‘Sinatra’ artwork used in Seldom Party’s Australi

Who are you calling Müg? A few words from your new favourite Punk band.

Skate punk quartet Mug hail from Enfield. Or Leyton. Or possibly both according to their Facebook page. Either way, we like Mug, and so we asked them a few questions because that’s our way of showing we care. Honestly, it is. Ask anyone we know... they won’t mind, they’re used to it. First up, who is MUG, how did you come to be and, most importantly of all, how the devil are you? Mug is; Mark (M), Mikey (M), Mat (M) and Mike (M) (M): Mark is the center of the universe and through him we all came together to form this band. (M): Also... we are quite well, thanks for asking. MUG has umlauts above the ‘U’ - is it still pronounced MUG? And is there a story behind your slightly unusual name? (M): We pronounce it ‘Mug’, the umlauts don’t really mean anything. They were put there for a bit of a laugh but to be honest its become a bit of a running joke with people from other countries debabting the correct way to say our name. As for the story, the alternatives were Michael Jackspoon, Dead Goodies and Slippery Fist. After debating these otherwise brilliant names, we realised Mike already had a Mug tattoo so we pretty much had to keep that name.

How would you guys describe your sound to people that haven’t heard you? (M): We’ve all grown up listening to 80’s and 90’s skate punk and bands from that era such as Dead Kennedy’s, NOFX, Screeching Weasel, Descendants etc. We’d be happy with a comparison to any of the above really. Who are your influences and who’s worth a listen to these days? (M): Apart from the bands in the last question, there is a pretty varied musical taste in Mug. Mark’s been listening to The Bangers and The Arteries recently. Mikey’s been rediscovering his love for Bad Religion after seeing them the other night. Mike is still hooked on Mike Watt and Chingon and Mat is on the phone so cant answer this question...although it is usually something like Cheryl Cole or N-Dubz. He’s since come into the room and requested Neil Diamond. Who was your favourite Spice Girl? (M): Grumpy Spice (M): ‘the one that looks like she’s been hit in the face with a spade’ Spice (M): Old Spice (M): ‘the one that used to be fat’ Spice

state of the Who were better, the Pistols What are your views on the or the Clash? s Wa ? sic mu live (M) o : Clash - unanimous int s les scene? Are people ng live bands in there a golden era of catchi sed it? sweaty dives and have we mis If you could go back in time and write any smoking ban and (M): When we were kids, before the song, what would it be? e drinking, the venues bars being so precious about underag (M): King of the Hill - Minutemen me far stricter in would be packed. Things have beco (M): Africa - Toto all seen from playing the last 8 years or so which we’ve (M): Everything under the sun - Extreme very most part are in our previous bands. Bands for the (M): Close to Me - Cure but this doesnt really supportive of eachother at the shows Also the Milky Way song is also an issue with account for ticket sales. The money ing noth rge less or fewer accessible clubs willing to cha e but it is more like And finally, whats coming up from you guys, aliv still y at all. The scene is definatel a large collective. The what can we expect in the not so distant small pockets of local interest than future? golden era will return!!!! (M): We’re just recording our second EP now and can’t decide what to call it (suggestions welcome). Got some pretty cool gigs coming up, including a support slot with the Flatliners in September. Got a slot on a podcast in a few weeks. Filming a video and getting some merch together so next time we see folks we’ll be able to give out some cool threads and such. Pretty much looking forward to getting out and playing and having some fun. You can find out all the happenings from our facebook page. Also follow us on twitter @mugrocks. Cheers Mug Mug’s EP is available from mugrocks.bandcamp.com and there’s a review of it over in the review section.

What do you get up to when you’re not playing, any hobbies, interests, community service orders or such like? (M): Full-time jobs from all of us to support our film and drinking habbits. Football at the weekends, darts on the week nights. Pubs after work. The occasional Bunga Bunga do. on telly Did you watch anything good last night? asleep days at a (M): That show where the woman fell at was pretty weird. time - The Real Sleeping Beauty. Th (M): No I watched Judge Judy (M): Mystery Science Theatre 3000 (M):CSI - Gil Grissom’s last episode

10 Music Documentaries To See Before You Die Everyone loves a quick look behind the scenes, it’s human nature so don’t deny it, we all know you’re lying so shut up and listen. Everyone (you included) loves being nosey, especially if it involves a popular band, actor or sports personality. So with my vast knowledge of human nature and what interests it, I present to you, my top 10 musical documentaries that you have to see before you meet a grisly end.

1: Filth And Fury 2000, Directed by Julien Temple Filth And Fury is the tale of The Sex Pistols as seen from the viewpoint of the band themselves. It features interviews with the surviving members, footage shot during their era and outtakes from Juliens first documentary about them The Great Rock And Roll Swindle. It also features interviews with other stars of the time such as David Bowie, Alice Cooper and Bryan Ferry for some reason. It starts with their humble beginings in Londons Shepards Bush and ends, conveniently enough, at the end, with the bands disintegration in San Francisco. Seen as an opportunity for the band to tell their side of the story this documentary was a way for them to lay rest to many of the rumours that had always surrounded them.

5: We Jam Econo: The Story Of The Minutemen 2005, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron We Jam Econo is the story of influential punk band Minutemen, which features interviews with the bands surviving members and other stars who knew the band, such as Henry Rollins and Thurston Moore. It tells the tale of the bands beginnings in San Pedro, California, to their demise after the death of singer in 1985. Along with interviews the documentary also features concert footage and old interview footage of the band when they were still together and touring.

2: End Of A Century: The Story Of The Ramones 2003, Directed by Jim Fields and Michael Gramaglia End Of A Century documents the band’s history from their beginnings in the early 1970s to their 1996 breakup and the deaths of three of the four original members. It features interviews with each of the members along with friends, family members and other musicans who knew them, such as Debbie Harry and Joe Strummer.This documentary tells the tale of 22 years of touring and exposes what really happened in their final year together.

6: Urgh! A Music War 1982, Directed by Derek Burbidge. Urgh! A music War is a British documentary about Punk Rock, New Wave and Post Punk bands. Among the artists featured are The Cramps, Echo & The Bunnymen , The Police and Devo. Several less famous acts are featu red but lets face it, it’s all about the ones we know of, right? This documentary isn’t so much a documentary as one massive gig made up of lots of little gigs and put together into a 2 hour film reel. There’s no narration or text, just the performances which were filmed mainly in England the USA although some clips were recorded in some other countries.

3: Another State Of Mind 1982, Not directed as such but made by filmmakers Peter Stuart and Adam Small 7: Dig! Another State of Mind is a documentary about punk bands 2004, Directed by Ondi Timoner Warhols and Social Distortion and Youth Brigade as they embark on Dig! is about two bands, The Dandy they started out how and e their first international tour. Along the way they meet The Brian Jonestown Massacr due to artistic and up with fellow punk band Minor Threat. At the time of as friends but gradually grew apart 7 years worth of from filming there was a lot of misinformation and rumour about personal differences. It is compiled bands. the of the punk movement so this documentary was made really to footage and interviews with members gs thin can either go try and explain it to worried parents and frightened Dig! is really a story of how quickly ibly terribly wrong. pensioners. Along with concert footage and interviews with so right or how things can go so terr the people involved with the tours, there is much footage of the hardships of life on the road. 8: Joe Strummer: The Future Is 4: Hype! Unwritten 1996, Directed by Doug Pray 2007, Directed by Julien Temple America in scene grunge the of story the Hype! Tells about during the early to mid 90’s, starting from it’s beginnings The Future Is Unwritten is, as the title suggests, shows film the into The explosion mer. it’s to Strum in the basements of suburbia the singer of The Clash - Joe ed mber reme genre still is grunge the he , mainstream music industry. It shows how, 4 years after Strummers death how ly attempts exact and s from the viewpoint of those within the scene fondly by fans and peers and it also show ring to dispell the myths propogated by the media at the time. much he influenced the world around him. Featu iews with Hype! features interviews with a lot of great grunge bands footage of The Clash in performance and interv such as Soundgarden, The Melvins, Nirvana, Pearl Jam friends and family, of a man and Mudhoney.This documentary shows how grunge became Temple manages to paint a very emotional story achieve. t to out movemen set artistic an but nally genre, origi musical he more than just a who almost achieved what culture. and society fashion, with a massive effect on

9: American Hardcore 2006, Directed by Paul Rachman American Hardcore shows the birth and evolution of the hardcore punk scene from the mid to late 70’s into the late 80’s where it became fully established. It has interviews with bands such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat, The Dead Kennedys and Black Flag and features nearly 5 years worth of concert footage. It doesn’t set out to show or prove anything, it’s just a nice little documentary about a few good bands enjoying what they do.

Words by Luna Kendell

10: Punks Not Dead 2007, Directed by Susan Dynner. Punks Not Dead is basically a film trying to prove the point of the title - that punk isn’t dead, that it is still in fact very much alive and thriving. It features performances from 1980’s hardcore bands right up to the skate punk acts of more recent years as well as interviews with members of bands such as Green Day, Bad Religion, Stiff Little Fingers, Uk Subs and Pennywise. Punks Not Dead shows that punk is one genre that will never truly die, even in todays corporate and conformist MTV culture.

Dan Harris talks to Golf Sale about new Brit comic Lou Scannon...

You’ve just brought out issue 1 of your new comic Lou Scannon - it’s looking pretty sweet. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Well Lou Scannon is a Space Pirate/Merc/Smuggler/Miscreant trying to get by in a galaxy ruled over by the oppressive Galactic Coalition Police Force (Or GCPF for short). He’s put together his own crew of outcasts and all sorts of hilarity ensues in their quest to make a buck. Along the way Lou tries to learn more about his past of which he has no knowledge but doesn’t realise that in finding the key to his past, he’s also unlocking something that will change the galaxy forever. Or at least a couple of weeks. The comic is a comedy but will have the occasional dark element to it.

So you were responsible for the art for this title, who else was involved?

Truth be told, even though I created the Louniverse (As we’ve taken to calling it...) and devised how the story will ultimately go, I didn’t do THAT much for the first issue. I pencilled four of the pages and the cover. Other than that, my role for the first issue is mostly editorial. I said what could apply to the comic and what wouldn’t and chipped in ideas. The rest of the work (Writing, pencilling, inking etc etc) was done by Kris Carter (Who has worked as a colourist on such comics as “Transformers” and “Dr. Who”). He loved my idea and gave me a kick up the arse to do something with it. Hence why I’m writing it along with Kris and another friend Jim Bampfield from issue 2 on. Then I pencil it, Johnny Luu digitally inks it and Kris Greyscales and letters it. It’s a lot of work to fit in around real jobs but it’s a lot of fun too. We meet weekly in a pub to discuss it.

How much input did you have with the story? Was the idea a joint effort?

Well as I said, Kris wrote the first issue but he had to do it within the constraints I had set for the story overall. For example, it’s not set in our Galaxy so any terms that would specifically refer to anything from this planets pop culture etc, couldn’t be used. When we write it, the guys can throw in any ideas but ultimately they know if I say something wouldn’t work they’re happy to drop it as they know there’s a bigger story to be told in the long term. This has been my baby for over ten years and it’s finally nice seeing it come together the way I hoped it would. I suppose the way you could look at it is the story is by me but it’s written by Kris, Jim and myself. I really do owe a BIG thank you to Kris though because without him I don’t know if this project would be where it is. He really, REALLY gave me a big kick up my backside.

Do you listen to music whilst you’re drawing? Who’s on your play list and does different music affect your art in different ways?

I do indeed! It helps stop me being distracted by things around me! Gives me a bit more focus. On my play list at the moment there’s Snot, 36 Crazyfists, Enter Shikari’s early stuff (Don’t like the new stuff- sounds too much like the Streets to me), How to Destroy Angels, The Dropkick Murphy’s, Billy Talent, NIN, Bloodsimple, Earthtone9, The Lonely Island and Brett Domino. I wouldn’t say that music necessarily effects my art. I have to specifically be in THAT mindset for that to happen. With comics, I generally like the music as something to stop me being distracted by the world around me but if I’m painting, I play music that would directly help with the mood. Like if I’m angry then Metal or aggressive music works better. If I’m painting something more chilled out then comedy music like The Lonely Island or relaxed music, maybe orchestral by Hans Zimmer or something would really be what I played.

way you draw? Who are your influences in terms of thethoug h my style looks nothing

like his. If it hadn’t been for him I Even Well here I would have to say Michael Turner. the drive to try and do to comics when I was Sixteen and really gave me in back me got He now. am I e wher be n’t would from cancer is a great loss to the world. something comic-wise eventually. His death at 37 only be a good thing! to Humberto Ramos. As a big fan of his, that can I’ve also been told I have a style not too dissimilar series of the ated’ out him we wouldn’t have had the ‘Batman: Anim I also think Bruce Timm is a walking God. With ing. early 90’s and he has such a retro style, it’s stunn

What are you reading at the moment comics wise? Did you take anything from other titles we might know?

I wouldn’t say we took anything from any other comic titles as such. Other than Star Wars, I don’t think there is much in the way of space-based science fiction in comics at the moment... Maybe some of the humour has washed from other sources though. For example Kris is a MASSIVE Red Dwarf fan so he brings a good element of the old school British humour to the comic. I’m a big fan of writers like Garth Ennis so the darker humour in the comic is most likely from me. Anything that seems Monty Python esq will be from Jim. Comics wise I love anything by Garth Ennis and Mike Carey. I’m re-reading “The Boys” by Ennis at the moment, which is hilarious and I’m also loving Carey’s “Unwritten”. It’s a nice spin on the sort of Harry Potter style storytelling.

Who’s better at making comics, the UK or the USA?

UK these days. USA. Without a doubt. There are only a few comic companies really making any sort of impact in the comics that American the on working talent the The rest are based in the States. What I will say though, is that a lot of British give They come from the UK. That’s what I like about the Brit companies like Panini or Rebellion/2000AD. working on the talent a chance to make an impact and get noticed by the Big guys Marvel and DC. My favourite writers all British. American comics are mostly British. Garth Ennis, Mike Carey, Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore,

Who is going to dig Lou Scannon most, what’s your target audience?

Anyone with a good sense of humour or love for Science Fiction really! We’ve got a bit of bad language in the comic so maybe not small children... But teens onwards! We’ll be incorporating all sorts from traditional humour to a time paradox to a homage to some of our favourite films and comics. So far the test audiences have all loved it and they aren’t necessarily what you would class as comic book geeks either. I say geek affectionately too. I hold my hands up and say I’m one of the worlds biggest. Basically we hope that if you like to laugh, this will make you.

What’s next for you guys?

Well we have the first story arc planned out for six issues so we’re going to keep on with those whilst sending copies of the comic to the bigger publishers in the hopes that maybe one of them will pick it up. Fingers crossed. Otherwise we’ll just carry on ourselves and hopefully build up a solid, loyal fanbase. It’s a big ask with an independent comic but hopefully people will like what we’re putting out. If it does well enough, we’re hoping to collect the comics into graphic novels eventually too.

Where can people get their grubby little paws on a fresh copy of your

fine book? Right now you can get a copy at www.LouScannon.co.uk and Kris will also be selling copies at this years AutoAssembly. If you’re there pop over and say hi to him! Other than that, we’re hoping to pimp it at comic conventions and I used to work for one of the UK’s biggest comic shops so hopeful ly through them at some point. 24

tic Crossing The Blac k AtlaAnninte rview with Geert van der Velde

by Kate Désaccord

As with most teenagers, I went thro ugh a rebellious phase. You know the one; all black clothes, constant scowling, angst as far as the eye could see. Loud, screaming music just seemed to come with the territory. Now that ’s not to say that I ONLY liked music that could (and probably was) described by some as ear-shattering, but it has to be said that I was draw n to metal and hardcore. One of my favorite ban ds was Shai Hulud. With songs like “Whether to Cry or Destroy” and “Ending the Perpetual Tragedy,” the punchy, emotional lyrics went han d-in-hand with a lot of things I was feeling at that time. Years have gone by and, unsurprisingly, I’ve mellowed out. I still do (and probably always will) love metal, but I’ve also expanded my musical horizons. These days I have found a love in the form of Indie-Folk music that I have to admit I didn’t see coming. If you had asked my opinion on Folk before, I wouldn’t have bashed it but probably would have said something along the lines of “Not for me.” Recently, however, I find myself enjoying soothing, beautiful tunes just as much (if not more) than the angry, thrashy songs that graced the top of my playlist during my teenage years.

When I first heard The Black Atlantic, I was extremely surprised to find that it was fronted by former Shai Hulud vocalist Geert van der Velde. On both their first EP (released in 2007) and their debut fulllength album (2009), the songs are simple yet beautiful. Unlike the complex and dramatic riffs of Shai Hulud, the acoustic guitar compliments the poetic lyrics rather than drawing attention away from them.

The two bands’ styles are like night and day; the emotion is still there, but it evokes an entirely different mood. The dark, aggressive lyrics of Shai Hulud are a complete 180 from the calm and rather uplifting songs of The Black Atlantic. It’s interesting to see the effects that time and age have on a person’s taste; like myself, Geert seems to have gone through some changes and mellowed out himself. Recently I was fortunate enough to get ahold of Geert and have him answer some questions...

ly First of all, would you mind telling me and the love readers a little bit about yourself? ningen, the

Gro My name is Geert van der Velde from butter in large ut pean and Netherlands. I like whiskey band The Black doses. I play music for a living in the king out and listening Atlantic. I spend a lot of time chec news articles, and to new music, reading chess-related or names on wikipedia checking out the meaning of words a lot of hours and other such websites. I also spend hter of one and a entertaining my restlessly energetic daug happily married to a half years old. I am fortunately and designer. lovely and beautiful seamstress / stuff

A lot of people, including myself, may know you from your time as a member of Shai Hulud; that seems like so long ago! How, if at all, would you say your musical style has evolved since then?

It is a while ago! I can’t really say I really evolved from Shai Hulud because while I was in that band I was working within the musical confines of an already established band with an already established musical palette. I also wasn’t the main songwriter in that band. The Black Atlantic is my first real attempt at writing music while being the main songwriter. So far my evolvement seems to be comparable to the movement of a pendulum. I sway between wanting to write perfect pop songs and wanting nothing to do with pop music. I can’t really say if I got better at it, or worse.

Do you have any little quirks or specific routines as a musician?

Lots. But, I couldn’t tell you what they are exactly. You should ask the other guys in the band. They could write whole chapters on Geert-specific behavioral traits. One thing I do tend to do before an important show or something, is get up early. Not very exciting, but it is a specific routine I tend to maintain before “big” gigs.

Who or what influences you the most, both in your life and musically?

My family life. My reading. Other musicians and bands. My friends. My parents.

I’ve heard your new project, The Black Atlantic, described as “minimalist”. Do you think that’s an accurate assessment?

Yes and no. Some songs on our debut album are fairly minimalistic in the sense that we don’t use a lot of instrumentation. But, there is a lot of attention to small details and (small) arrangement. The new songs that we’ve been writing as a band also contain that attention to detail but the approach is not very minimalistic at all. I guess, our first album was just mainly an attempt of mine, mostly, to write an album as if a band. And, I tended to do so from a singer-songwriter’s perspective. So, if you stripped the songs to a voice and the lead instrument they would still stand. But, having toured and played with a steady line-up for over a year a half - two of the three have been playing with me for over 2 years - we have let go of that approach. We write and work like a full band. A lot of our new songs don’t really work if not played as a band.

So how did you all meet?

That’s kind of a long and not a very interesting story. I think it suffices to say that we were all involved in different projects and eventually found each other through playing in different bands. We weren’t really friends before we started playing together. And, we’re not really friends first, in that traditional kind of way, now. We do all get along very well and do see each other outside of the band setting from time to time. It’s a weird kind of in between friends and colleagues kind of situation. We’re friends-as-a-band is maybe the correct description. And, because we tour so much and do so many band related things, we probably see more of each other than we see of our girlfriends and wives...hehe

It seems to me that your first EP, Send This Home, has a somewhat different sound than your most recent album, Reverence for Fallen Trees. What were the differences, if any, in the way that they were both created?

The EP literally contains the first 4 songs I ever finished writing and arranging by myself ever. It’s almost more like a demo than a true release, I feel. It has a bunch of different contributions from various acquaintances and friends. When I wrote and recorded it, I had not yet taken to listening to indie, folk or experimental music. So, the songs on the EP tend to be a fair amount more straight forward and alternative pop oriented. “Reverence...” took about a year to be written and recorded, and it was almost 2 1/2 years down the line from when I recorded and wrote the EP. By the time I started writing for “Reverence...” I mostly wanted to make an cinematic-atmospheric album in the vein of Bon Iver or Sigur Ros. The idea of an ambience for the songs to reside within really permeated my whole songwriting process. So my register of influences and the songwriting approach because of my musical influences are the two main things, I think. Oh, and especially my approach to the vocals/ singing.

I found Reverence for Fallen Trees incredibly beautiful. Was there anyone in particular who wrote the songs, or was it more of a group effort?

Thank you very much. It’s still so nice to hear that people, like yourself, find out about our music and like it. I started work on “Reverence...” by myself but when Kim (Janssen) started playing with me (we operated as a duo for almost 6 months) he really helped contribute a lot to the songs and co-wrote our opening intro “Baiulus”, and the songs “Heirloom” and “Old, Dim Light” with me. Matthijs, who re-joined the band sometime after the recording of the album, is actually responsible for a lot of studio work on the album. So, both those guys have had an important impact on the writing and making of “Reverence...”

Speaking of Reverence for Fallen Trees, you released it as a free digital download; what made you decide to do that? How do you feel about it now?

There are a lot of different reasons why we chose to release it for free. Part of the recording of the album were done as a part of the (then) free recording project called In A Cabin With. At the time they released all of their recorded projects for free. So, the songs we recorded with them were always intended to be freely downloadable. And, then the later recorded (or rerecorded versions of the In A Cabin With sessions) were added to those songs to complete the album. It made, and still makes sense to me to make our music as readily available as possible. I feel that it’s really helped us reach our audience. I like the fact that anyone, anywhere in the world can just download a copy of the album and try it out. If they really like it, they can come back to us and support us. And, in my experience that does happen. I have faith in our listeners and audience’s loyalty. I don’t have to “sell” them our music right off the bat. I want a connection and a relationship, if you will, with them first. Then, if they care enough, they’ll support it. Also, this way people in the “poorer” (i.e. non-Western) countries can still have access to our music through the world wide web, without them having to pay what is to them a steep price for music. People in, say, South America or China tend to be forced, in a sense, to download Western music illegally because they cannot afford our Western-centred pricing of albums. Of course, most Western bands will argue that they don’t go to these countries anyway. But, The Black Atlantic actually does. We recently toured China for example and it was an amazing experience for us. I want to travel the world with this band. See places I’ve never seen before. Meet people from all different cultures. I feel that as artists we are perpetuating that Westernbiased cycle by charging these outdated , old musicindustry prices for albums. We could chose to have a very low price for the album instead, of course. But, I don’t see the point in doing that. We just ask for an e-mail address in return for the download and this allows us to keep them informed on our whereabouts and doings. If people have the money someday and want to spend it, they will. That’s how it should be. There’s enough music lovers out there for us to still make a living. I don’t have to get rich off our music. I just want to make a living and keep doing this until I’m old and forgetful. And, that is why this album will remain freely downloadable, forever.

Do you have anything in the works as far as new albums go right now?

We’ve almost finished writing 4 new songs for a new EP entitled “Darkling, I Listen”. We’re going to start recording that at the end of this month (July, 2011). We should be finished by mid-August. Our tentative release date for the EP is set to November 11th, 2011 (11.11.11). We plan to keep writing and recording in 2012 after we’ve taken a break later this year, and release a new full-length album in late 2012.

Your website says that you spend most of your time on the road; my curiosity has gotten the better of me and I have to ask, what’s the weirdest experience you’ve ever had while gigging?

I can never think of anything when asked that question. And, again, I draw a blank. Sorry.

Do you have any favorite songs to play?

The new ones. Always! But, as far as the old ones go: I really like playing our new arranged band-version of “Walked-on Wood” live (it’s on the re-released version of our album) and I love playing “Old, Dim Light” because at the end of the song I get to bang on the floor tom!

Where do you see yourself and the band in a few years’ time?

Myself: a house in the countryside with my wife and kids (we have a second one on the way); just trying to be a good and involved father to my kids and a loving husband to my wife. Maybe learn some patience. The band: touring worldwide like we do now but in even more countries, writing and recording a new album every two years or so, collaborating with other interesting artists, hopefully still making a living off of music. I’d really like to also write a movie soundtrack someday!

Well I really appreciate you answering my questions. Anything you’d like to add?

Thanks for your patience and thanks for your interest in our band.

You can check out The Black Atlantic at www.theblackatlantic.com, www.myspace.com/ theblackatlantic, or follow them on twitter at www.twitter.com/blackatlantic. So what are you waiting for, go!

romise’ ‘You Don’t Have To CoKatemp Désaccord talks to Radical Face

Ben Cooper, also known as Radical Face, is best known for playing in the band Electric President, as well as his solo music. He is also a member of various other projects, such as Iron Orches tra, Mother’s Basement, and Patients. He is from, and currently lives in Jacksonville, Florida.

Hey Ben, I appreciate you talking to me. First off, let me say that your music is amazing. How long have you been at it? Thank you. And I’ve been playing music since early high school. Almost 15 years now. But I didn’t set out to really write songs and record them until 8 or 9 years ago. Everything previous was mostly just playing in bands for fun, or occasionally making tapes on 4-tracks with friends. A lot of people may recognize your song 'Welcome Home, Son’ from the Nikon Coolpix commercial. How did that opportunity come about? I’m not entirely sure. From my perspective, I just get an e-mail from someone with interest in the track. I see what it’s about, and then decide yes or no. But I rarely know how it gets to that point. I guess it was either pitched by someone, or a person working on the campaign just liked the song. Hard to say. Worked out well, though. A lot more people are aware of the music now. I’m certainly not complaining.

So you do solo work (under the name Radical Face) and also play with a band (Electric President). Do you prefer one over the other? What are some differences in the creative processes of each? I like both for different reasons. The nice thing about working alone is that you don’t have to compromise. You can get exactly what you’re going for, or as close as you’re able to within your abilities at the time. But the nice thing about collaborating is it can push you to do things you normally wouldn’t. It’s less predictable, and sometimes more fun because of it. Collaborations feel more carefree to me. As for process, I separate them pretty early. If I’m writing a song and I already have a strong feeling about how it should end up, I save that for a solo project. There’s no need to collaborate if you already know what you’re shooting for. But other times I’m working on something, and it seems like it’d be more interesting if someone else was involved to shake things up, or mutate it into something new. Or maybe there’s just not as clear a picture of what it should be in the end, and it’d be more fun to explore that with someone else. Those songs I take to Alex [Kane, of Electric President] and just see what happens when we both start working on it. What have you been up to lately, musically? I’m about to release my next Radical Face record. It’s been finished for a while now. It’s the first record in a 3 part series called “The Family Tree.” I’m self-releasing it this time, so it’ll be available in September through my website. Beyond getting that prepped, I’ve already started recording the second album in the set. I hope to be done next spring. But I take a long time to finish records, so it’s hard to say. I’m also getting together a show for some small tours in fall, which will be the first time I’ve gone out for any length of time in almost 5 years. I don’t play a lot of shows.

I love ‘Doorways’ from your new EP ‘Touch the Sky.’ Your songs are really emotionally striking. Are there any particular songs that are close to your heart? I’m not good about relating to specific songs when I’m done recording an album. I always see them as complete records, with all the songs making a larger picture. I have songs that are more personal than others, sure, but even those just kinda fall into the whole. So I guess I just don’t think in terms of singles or standouts. I’m often that way as a listener as well, though, so maybe it’s just the way I take in music. I realize that’s a crappy answer. Sorry about that.

I noticed this with ‘Ghosts’ especially, but a lot of your albums seem to tell stories. Would you call them concept albums? Where do you come up with your material? Yeah, I love storytelling. Both in art, and just in general. These new records are even more directly driven by storytelling than anything I’ve done previously, so I guess I’m going even further down that road. I do consider them concept records. I need some kind of driving force to keep me organized and focused, so I do it with concepts. Pretty much every record I’ve done in the past 6 years has had one - just some are more dominant and others are more vague. Most often I come up with the concept before the material. Once I find an idea I’d want to write a lot on, and it seems exciting, I’ll start writing for it. The writing sometimes goes on for years. I started working on material for these Family Tree records in 2007, and I’m still adding to it even now. I tend to let these things stew for a really long time before I have a finished product.

In addition to music, you also do other forms of art, such as illustrations, right? What would you consider your favorite medium? Yeah, I’ve been drawing and painting since I was a kid. But these days I more work on visuals when I have a specific reason to., like designing shirts or records covers, or something of the sort. It’s not something I do for recreation as much. I actually wanted to be a writer before getting into music. After high school I quit my jobs, lived on my mom’s couch and wrote every day for over a year. I took part in online writer’s workshops, joined various fiction groups, eventually became an assistant editor for a workshop. I amassed two books in that time, then one day, out of the blue, my hard drive crashed. I hadn’t backed any of my work up. Like that, most of what I’d worked on for over a year was gone. The books were garbage, but it was still quite a blow. Not knowing what else to do with myself, I started making music again. I’d been in bands a lot during high school, but it turned out to really work for me the 2nd time around. I focused more on recording and less on shows and bands and found myself enjoying it a lot more. These days music is definitely my favorite medium, but one day I want to focus on writing again. I have a lot of stories I want to tell. What do you like to do in your spare time, when you’re not playing shows or recording? I got into strength training about 3 years ago. So I lift weights 3 nights a week for about 2 hours. It started as a way to overcome my sleeping problems and correct the issues with my lower back from an old skateboarding injury, but I’ve come to really enjoy it. Somewhat to my surprise. I also love reading, and go through a book every week or two. I like to play Street Fighter when I have the time. It’s something I’ve played since I was a kid, and I still go to tournaments and compete when I can. I go to the beach a lot these days, too. I like swimming in the ocean.

It seems like there’s a pretty good music scene in Jacksonville. I’m a fan of rickoLus, who’s a friend of yours isn’t he? Are there any other artists from your area that you can recommend? I actually know very little about the music scene here. I don’t ever play in town, and I rarely go out anymore. But I like a lot of what my friends make. I’ve known Rick/Rickolus since I was 5 years old. So yeah. One of my oldest friends. We actually just finished a record together about two months ago called “Clone”, which will come out early next year. Another friend of mine, Jeremiah Johnson, makes really cool stuff under a project called “Wudun.” I’m also friends with Owen Holmes of “Gospel Music”, and Jack Ringca who now plays as “Jackie Stranger.” I don’t think he has any recordings done yet, though. So yeah, I guess there’s a good amount of stuff here, but it doesn’t feel like a music scene. These are just people I’ve been friends with for a long time now. What can we expect from you in the near future? I’m releasing a free Radical Face EP in August. Then the new full-length record in September. Also working on some music videos, and then some touring in fall. Clone will be released early next year. So a whole bunch of new stuff, I guess.

Anything you’d like to add? I think that’s it. Thanks for having me.

Ben’s music (from various projects), as well as news, can be found at his website www.radicalface.com. He can also be found on facebook at www.facebook.com/RadicalFace and www.myspace.com/RadicalFace.

Breakout Interviews by Nicole Adams

s. She’s an Pile-Up to ask them a few question Car 14 of lads the with sit to time as well her own Youtube Our newest recruit, Nicole, took the Facebook page ‘Breakout Interviews’ own her has and er aph togr pho and aspiring music journo them... and this... out. channel where she posts them. Check piece from Watford. 14 Car Pile-Up are a pop-punk 5

Parsons on guitar, Max Howard on bass and Joe on ker Par m Ada and l Hil n Rya Featuring: Ryan Adams on vocals, drums. Day, Blink 182. Sounds like: You Me At Six, Green

Can you tell us a bit about your band? Ryan H: There’s 5 people in it Ryan A: 14 Car Pile Up is the name, that’s the main thing Adam: It’s pretty modern Max: Yeah, Its Pop-Punk but modern! (All Laughing) Ryan A: I hate you all, you know that? Who are your main influences? And as a band who do you base yourself on? Adam: Blink 182 Max: It’s a mixture to be honest, we all like different style Adam: We are so... Justin Bieber Joe: Travis Barker Ryan H: Billie Joe Ryan A: Josh Franchesci.

Can you describe your music and gigs in 3 words? Max: Jumpy, Loud... and Banter. Adam: Nah Nah Nah! We just stand still, you know? Max: Yeah, sometimes we just sit, you know, when we get tired.

So how has your music evolved since you first began playing music together? Ryan A: It was a lot different to what we have now, we’ve come a long way Joe: We were just like, a school band Adam: We weren’t taking it as seriously Ryan A: Yeah it was just a school band. We played stuff like... Ryan H: ...We played stuff like Arctic Monkeys and what’s that song called? Ryan A: Chelsea Dagger. How did you get your band name, ‘14 Car Pile Up’? Joe: Scrubs! Adam: Max? Max: There’s an episode of Scrubs where JD says to Turk that 7 Car Pile Up would be a good name for a rock band... Joe: So we doubled it! What’s your ultimate direction for your band, are you seeking fame and fortune? Ryan A: We just all wanna bit of recognition Joe: We don’t just wanna be called a school band Ryan A: I think it’s getting a name for ourselves. And everyone not just saying “Oh yeah, they’ve played a few gigs and made it”.

So how can fans-to-be gain access to your music? Do you have a website with any tracks or an EP on sale anywhere? Or maybe somewhere they can keep up to date with the band and yourselves? Ryan A: Facebook Joe: Definitely Twitter Max: We don’t have any fans on Twitter! Adam: Fans, add us on Twitter because we have like, hardly any! Joe: @Joe14cpu or @14carpileup Ryan A: I hate Twitter, Facebook search us. What animal best suits your personality and why? Adam: Can we phone a friend? Well I want to! ... the Max: You know in Madagascar, the little thing whiny one? Adams like that! Ryan H: The Bush Baby? Max: Yeah! Ryan H: A fish tionate Ryan A: A Dodo. Because they’re stupid but affec Joe: Awkward Turtle Max: The Mighty Orca (Its a Killer Whale).

Would you take a bullet for anyone in your band? If so, who? Max: Probably Not, Nah... I’d take a bullet for everyone Adam: I’d actually dodge the bullet. Then beat the guy up! Joe: I’d take the person down... Ryan A: Are we agreeing we’d actually take a bullet for everyone in the band, Yes? Max: Yes Ryan A - Ryan you’d be like ‘Is that a gun? Am I dead? Why does it hurt?’

What advice do you have for people who want, or have just formed, their own band? Ryan A: Good stage presence Max: Yeah, Cos that’s key, you see bands that are really like, still. Any last words? Max: Banter Adam: Justin Bieber.

Photos by Rachel Sadie

: E L I F O R P T S I ART

r tist Matt Harrowe Ar th wi A & Q ... d’ ki y saw the sun as a ‘I don’t think I reall

Tell us a bit about your style? Well I wouldn’t say I have a particular style, I just draw things the way I see them and go from there. When I sit down to do some work, I never really know how it’s going to turn out. I kind of go with the flow of what’s happening on the paper.

And what influences you? Any artists in particular you dig and Where do you get your ideas from? Well I have to say it all started from reading comics and watching Saturday morning cartoons. They are what got me into drawing from a young age and then wanting to take further and pursue a career in it. When I started to do my degree course I literally fell in love with work by Bill Sienkiewicz, Jim Mahfood, Tin Salamunic and obviously the KING of comics, Jack Kirby, no one will ever be as good as he was! Another major influence is my old tutor and now friend Marc Laming, he’s worked on all kinds of stuff, from comics and magazine spreads to concept design etc. He taught me everything I know. I have to give him the biggest shout out of anyone. As before my ideas are from my childhood and pop culture. I think that’s a great source material for my ideas. I remember what I used to on a Saturday morning was eat my cereal, watch cartoons and films, then draw or make comics all day. I don’t think I ever really saw the sun as a kid. Haha Do you listen to music when you draw? If so, who’s on your playlist? I listen to music all the time when I work, it’s something I’ve always done. It just depends what mood I’m in. If it’s late at night and I’m still working I usually listen to a bit of soul, especially Otis Redding or maybe De La Soul. During the day it’s totally different - right now I’m listening to a lot of Buzzcocks, earlier Offspring stuff like Smash and Ignition, and a band I’m getting into is TV On The Radio. They do some really chilled out stuff and then come at with absolute mental stuff. My fave bands would have to be At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta.

Do you find your music choice will affect your art or vice versa? Yeah, that happens a lot, like when I listen to a bit of punk or whatever I tend to do some over the top stuff, with paint, spray paints, inks... Go a little mad and experiment a lot. Then when listening to more chilled out stuff I tend to concentrate more and be focused and that’s when I usually do most of my commissions.

Can you tell us a bit more about you, other than art, what are you into? That’s a hard one really, obviously I love music and go to gigs. Am a big big movie buff too and have far too many dvds to count. Also I play a lot of football. 3 to 4 times a week if I can. It runs in my family on my dads side, he was always winning leagues and player trophies and my cousin used to be a pro so that’s where I get that from. st And finally, where can people fea their eyes on your doodles? I have two sites hpmatt.blogspot.com or hpmatt.deviantart.com I update them a lot and put up everything I do.

Circuit bending and keyboards llik re em ot h it w w ie v er t in an

by Kate Désaccord

Kate Désaccord, originally from Tacoma, Washington and now living in Terre Haute, Indiana, has had a massive love jones for music since as long as she can remember. Among other things close to her heart are retro video games and…um, that’s all really. Everything else is touch and go. Toby Hendricks, also known as Otem Rellik, hails from Fort Collins, Colorado. His music, which he describes as “hip hop(ish),” is a slightly unsettling yet still rather amazing mix of raw, emotional lyrics and beats coming from his portable “studio” - a hollowed out suitcase full of circuit-bent toys and keyboards. He’s played gigs around the U.S., Canada, Germany, and France.

First off, how long have you been making music? Officially and unofficially. Well, I put out my first musical thing in 2003. Probably played my first shows in the couple years that followed. And did you always go under the name Otem Rellik? What’s the story behind that by the way? I’ve always wondered. Otem Rellik is just a weird name I came up with to throw people a bit. I didn’t want people to assume anything about my music from the name alone so I just wanted something strange. It’s kind of inspired by the name Odd Nosdam (from Anticon Records). When I first heard his name I just had a reaction of “That’s a fucked up name, I wonder what this dude does.”

Haha ok, good call. Well ok, I know a lot of your music is inspired by some of your life experiences, can you tell me anything about your songwriting process? I try not to really have a process. It’s more fun when I approach songs in new ways every time. I used to just write all these little ideas and one line things and then try to connect them somehow. But these days I usually have a rough idea of what I want a song to be about. I’m always making music so the music usually comes before the lyrics. Elephant Graveyard had like 50 rough songs started and only like 15 made it to the lyrics stage. And what decides whether or not a song makes it into the lyrics stage? Pretty much depends on if I get a feeling from the music, but yeah, it’s a fine line because sometimes I don’t get anything from the music until I start adding some vocals.

Sounds awesome. I dig Astronautalis. Yeah, definitely an inspirational dude for me. Well I’m gonna end this with one last question: what do you have going on in the near future? Any new albums in the works? We need our fix you know! I have no idea what the future will bring. I’m working on a bunch of new songs and they are really different than anything I’ve done in the past. I’m mostly singing and not rapping, and the songs are more personal than usual. So yeah, I’m not sure what folks will think of it. It has been really cathartic for me though so that’s what’s up. Not sure if I’ll do a full album or just an EP or something. I’ve also been thinking of releasing it on cassette/digital download type thing. Sounds great. Keep us posted. Thanks a ton for your time. Any last words? Recommendations, philosophies, random bits of trivia, anything? I have a one eyed cat named Peepers on my lap right now. You should get one of them.

Yeah I hear that. So I know you make a lot of your own....instruments I guess is the right word haha, how does that work? I’ve seen some of your creations, they’re pretty gnarly looking (in a good way of course!). Thanks, yeah I really like circuit bending. I just got this toy robot yesterday from a thrift store and opened it up. Got some cool sounds out of it already. Basically I just buy shitty keyboards and toys and try to rewire them to make them sound cool. I never really know what I’m doing, but I like the chaos and uncertainty of it all. There are some amazing circuit bending dudes out there, I’m definitely not as talented as a lot of these dudes out there but I have fun with it. Oh yeah? Who would you recommend? I guess I don’t really know any names off hand but I’ve seen lots of cool stuff on youtube. I’m not really part of that culture but I’m definitely a fan. I really like the idea of homemade instruments. Just unusual instruments in general. Totally. It’s amazing the sort of genius that some people can come up with using the most random objects haha. So you have a tour starting Friday, any place in particular you looking forward to playing? Rubber Gloves in Denton, we are playing with Bleubird and K-the-I??? whom are both friends of mine and super dope dudes. I got that connection from Astronautalis who tells me it’s a super cool place.

Check him out at www.deadspacevolume.com or www.facebook.com/otemrellik

poetry by Robin O Malley Visiting Rights . The estate agent knocks at our door walls of ts men sure mea He has come to take some couple. to on it s rent And flooring before he if As he paces up and down I ask him far There has been much interest so In our Superbly located ideal dwelling.

“No, nothing yet” is the reply. s day How nice of him to visit on a summer e. hom ry pora tem As solar light fills our

Autumn Journey On the train to Southend In this autumn sunshine. Voice of Christy Moore still Ringing in my head after Last nights celebration. Outside the window, scrubland and forestry Under a promising blue skyTravelling south to see my nephew In his adopted seaside home. West Ham, Barking, Upminster; St Georges’ flags draped in Working class gardens, harking back To bygone victorious days. Are these the people who drown Belgian beer stacked by migrant workers In German discount stores patrolled By Indian students ? Arabic music bleeds from a mobile phoneSad sounds of displacement Backed with a commercial beat. The melody feels warm and strange As we edge towards the coast Away from shopping malls With Christmas trees that look perverse In the yellow and brown of autumn. Glowing lights that jeer us With their every blink and sparkle.

his glossy ad, A few items might be missing from : Before he pawns it off to another fool , erly prop e clos ’t The front door that won ls, wal bare the Winter mildew that greets a hint of wind, A bedroom window that leaps out with promise. t grea A crack in the ceiling that yields Measurements, walls and potential! ce They could spin a hovel into a pala it. dece With their charm and

ard residence, Tenant wanted to live in damp substand of humour e sens and close to all amenities. Patience y. appl may s are essential. Terms and condition

Lost in Bishopsgate

From my neighbourhood I can look Over the financial centre of London . Skyward buildings of glass and chro me, A ring of steel that protects its own .

Day and night it ticks away, Busy boardrooms, late night calls Rows of computers and plasma screens. These hallowed buildings, accessible to few, Cordoned off, a law unto themselves.

A false oasis lying by the docks. Dollar, yen , sterling deciding our fate , Downsizing, cutbacks, market closures . Lives become statistics, placed aside on the scrapheap While the numbers keep rolling on…

Through the glass reflects emptiness, Endless figures, automated responses, House repossessions, redundancy. The market gives and takes it away. Tough on the exterior, fickle on the interior How can a handful wield such control ? Modern day prophets in their sky faci ng towers As towns and cities fade to wasteland Beneath their spell. Austerity measures, bonus on hold, Don’t protest, do what you’re told. These self-appointed seers will Guide us through, using inner powers Beyond our means. Surrender to them-charlatans and spiv s. Our destiny is well within reach. Such cautious well- meaning plans can Only help us escape the abyss.

Robin O Malley was born in Dublin. A language Teacher for twelve year s, now living in London. Interests incl history, rock music and conversation. ude Dream is to spend two weeks on the Cam ino de Santiago walk in Spain, preferably with a Spanish princess. Has previously had poems printed in Big Issue magazine.

Hold my invisibility cloak, man. Shit just got imaginary... A look back at the phenomenon that was Harry Potter.

Everyone knows a Harry Potter fan - you may even be one yourself.

Last I heard one in five people is a Potter fan... Or perhaps one in five people are Chinese? One of the two is an actual statistic, you choose.

Regardless, there’s no shame in it, is there? I mean, it’s just a harmles s bit of fun. A tale of a schoolboy wizard and his mates (the nerdy girl and the ginger one) and their battle to save the world from an evil bloke with no nose. And when you sum it up like that it’s no real surprise that it’s now the most successf ul franchise of all time. More so than ‘Star Wars’, ‘Lord of the Rings’ and the entire ‘Debbie Does...’ series.

Fourteen years, seven books, eight films and enough Potter related merchandise to choke a dinosaur to death and as a result we’ve seen the world go mad for adolescent magic makers. From silly bastards in pointy hats queueing outside bookshops at midnight to read their copies before anyone else, grown men arguing the rules of made-up broomstick based sport ‘Quidditch’ to casual speculation regarding the sexual orientation of key characters have all added to the rich tapestry that was ‘Potter-mania’ (my second favourite ‘mania after Hulkamania in the early 90’s). at Hogwarts than I have the best team in the Over the last few years I’ve heard more people argue over the best house the type of people I associate with than Premier League although, thinking about it, that probably says more about mores the pity.) I’ve read more status updates anything else. (Plus transfers are rarely done by use of a sorting hat passing away and I’ve witnessed people I care about the death of Dobby the house-elf than I have about actual people Rickman in the films) unrequited love for about shed real tears when Severus Snape’s (played rather well by Alan what is, ostensibly, a story aimed at children. Harry’s mum is revealed. These are grown-up people shedding tears for

Or is it?

Looking at the books, the first thing anyone with an ounce of size related awareness will notice is the difference in length of the early volumes to the later ones. A simple exercise to try in order to demonstrate this point is this: grab a copy of the first book ‘Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone’ and clout a loved one round the head with it. Chances are they’ll be annoyed but not badly hurt. Now try that same thing with the final book ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ and you’ll be apologising for weeks as the recently clouted drinks their dinner through a straw. Was this simply because author J.K Rowling had more to say as she went along, or was it because by the time she had started writing the last few books she’d become more aware of the audience? Both seem feasible. At one time I couldn’t get a train into London without seeing at least one copy of a Harry Potter novel being read by a commuter. The books were even released with two sets of covers for this very purpose, the kids edition and the somewhat swankier adults edition with their far more brooding dust jacket images. It stands to reason that an author would want to make the story appeal as much to the reader as possible and, lets be fair, adults have more money to spend on books than kids do. The films followed a similar pattern too, the earliest being light-hearted fantasy affairs that the family can enjoy together on a Sunday afternoon, the latest ones having a similar level of blood and menace as a Hammer Horror film - in some cases more so. There’s a scene in the very last film that made me so uneasy I began to question the sense in giving it a 12A certificate - a scene in which we see Voldemort (the noseless swine that’s been murdering wizards and muggles alike and played by the already slightly disturbing Ralph Fiennes) strolling barefoo t across a blood soaked floor. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of and hardly smacks of a tale meant for the pre-teen market. Ultimately though, does it matter? Like so many other fads before it, Harry Potter captured the late-nineties Zeitgeist and held onto it for the next decade and a half. Not bad for a kid who lives in a cupboard with an owl eh? The simple morals expressed in the series and the likeable characters all made the books (and films) a staggering success and the authors own rags-to-riches tale didn’t hurt the press they got either. Now the dust has settled, the final film has been shown in cinemas around the world and legions of Potter fans ask ‘what’s next?’ Regardless of how you feel about Harry Potter, (and let’s face it, you do feel something, even if it’s just mild bemusement at how your otherwise sensible mates can become emotionally involved in a story with so many potential ‘wand’ gags) you have to admit that the world is a slightly less magical place without Harry, Ron and the one that grows a pair of knockers just in time for the last film and their adventures in wizardry. There’s certainly a Harry shaped hole in the world these days and nothing seems to have filled it quite enough yet. I mean, admitting to liking Harry Potter is one thing, but Twilight? That really was shit...

Words by Dan ‘He who shall not be named’ Impossible

Dauntless Elite. Perhaps they’re DIY... perhaps they’re lazy. All we know is they’re The

by Kate Désaccord

The Dauntless Elite are a punk 4-piece from Leeds. The band consists of Joe Alderdice, Lee Wall, Steve Hastwell, and Andrew Jackson. So, can you tell us a little about The Dauntless Elite? JOE: First off, thanks for inviting us to do this. I got these questions through email first so I’m just gonna answer them my way then forward them to the others, so expect a lot of contradictions. The Dauntless Elite is primarily an excuse for four friends to get together once a week and eat crisps. We’re comfortable enough being called a punk rock band but not especially attached to the term and all that comes with it. We don’t have a manager, a booking agent, a press-pack, a Myspace, promo shots, a street team or a viral flash game. Perhaps that means we’re DIY, perhaps we’re just lazy and unambitious. I often hear bands claiming to be ‘just some good friends making music together’, yet they have a bizarre collective alter-ego when they get near a stage. I don’t have a problem with aspiring rock stars, but there’s a lot of false modesty out there that makes any claim on our part to be four grounded everymen seem cheesy and false. I’d like to think that our actions back up that claim though. So to bring it back to the question, The Dauntless Elite is four friends making music together and nothing more. Our stubborn efforts to keep it that way might explain why not a lot of people know about us, although a simpler explanation may be that we’re not very good! LEE: I feel obliged to contradict Joe now……though to be honest he’s probably summed it about up. ….that said a collective alter ego does sound fun…..provided it involves some kind of post apocalyptic costumes a la Duran Duran in the Wild Boys video!

How long have you been playing music? JOE: I think we started this band in early 2003. We’d all played in other bands with each other and toured together before, so it really just formed out of the friendships we’d formed through the Leeds punk scene in the late 90s. Personally, I’ve been making music in some form my whole life. My Dad taught me my first few guitar chords when I was ten, but my Mum tells me that I sang in my cot before I could talk. When I was eight I’d experiment with recording tiny snippets of records to cassette in sequence, making these crude mash-ups of Michael Jackson and nursery rhymes. I was a weird kid. LEE: Hah... Too bloody long. STEVE: I started playing drums in high school when I was around 15 or 16. I learned the basics from a drum teacher and then taught myself how to play along to Ash & Manic Street Preachers records! I’d been brought up on good music thanks to my dad who was also a drummer, so musically I’d always wanted to learn how to play the drums at an early age and would often try & work out how to tap along to songs with felt tip pens! To further embarrass myself & Joe, I first met him when he was in a band with my then girlfriends sisters boyfriend!?! They were called Vic Vega I think, and I ended up joining in with them to play a cover of Screamager by Therapy? The rest is history haha!

Do you think there’s a particular message your music conveys or is it more just a bit of fun? JOE: It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of humour in what we do; laughter is an act of defiance. We’re well aware of the ills of the world, many of which are referenced in our songs, but you won’t often find us whining or ranting on stage. That’s not to say that we don’t take things seriously, rather that we make a serious commitment to laugh in the face of despair. There are a few themes that run through a lot of our songs. Most of them are ‘political’ in the purest sense in that they explore balances or imbalances of power, the forms those power relationships take and attempts to resist and subvert them. We don’t go out of our way to create a particular message though. Some songs are just love songs. Some songs are just about being pissed off. LEE: Most of my songs seem to be about being a miserable, old, half dead, bastard these days. That said, as Joe points out, it’s all with a sense of fun. I think there are a couple of keys things for me when writing stuff. I think firstly it’s important to not put your self on a pedestal and be super soapbox preacher guy (or girl). That’s not to say that there is nothing political in the songs but I think it would be remiss to not put some kind of context in there about how actually the things that you’re pointing out and saying are bad you probably don’t always manage to avoid being part of yourself. I’m not here to judge anyone (though I’m sure I do unintentionally). I think the second key thing is to really just try to get across the baby steps message. I don’t believe that one day the revolution will come and that the world will be utopia but I do think that if more people stop to think a little, do what they can and try to stop ignoring or being part of the bad stuff more often than they don’t, that we’ll make progress

How would you describe your sound? JOE: Drums, bass, two guitars and two men singing. We don’t often break three minutes or five chords. We’re definitely not retro but we’re not exactly progressive either. Hopefully after eight years we’ve grown into our own sound but we’ve never been eager to challenge genres, as most bands who do that end up just stitching together cliches from different genres anyway. I’d rather be good than original. Obviously it’s nice to be both, but if we have found our own sound then it’s something that’s happened naturally rather than out of desperation. People have said before that we’re straight-ahead sing-along punk rock. I’m happy with that. LEE: I’m going to try to answer this question with some level of seriousness and push that self depreciating humour of mine to the back of my mind. I guess I would say that we’re a band who play with distorted guitars and drums and bass and basically work with that. I guess it would be easy to say punk and I would be happy with that but I get a bit lost these days with what punk is? Is it a sound? Is it an ideology? Is it an underground scene that you use to piggy back yourself into the main stream? I guess we just try to write good songs that we like. Don’t think we’re too bothered about being wacky and experimental but I think we try to change things up a bit just to keep it interesting for ourselves. I guess the best thing to say is that we write whatever we like without any boundaries other than making it the least shit that we possibly can. STEVE: With a twist of lemon.

As far as song-writing goes, does any one of you contribute more than others, or would you say it’s pretty equal? JOE: Lee and I write all the lyrics. We all write the music. Usually the basic seed of a song comes from me or Lee, but there’s always something of everyone in the end result. I can get a bit bossy in the process though, because I can hear every part in my head before I even take an idea to practice. I have to force myself to let the others do their thing sometimes, even if IT SOUNDS WRONG!! LEE: As Joe says us singer types write all the lyrics but the music is definitely a band effort. It’s weird actually as I can play drum and bass and do have a inkling about what the song would go like when I bring it to the table (so to speak) but I’m generally pretty relaxed about it and I’m often surprised what the other guys do with the ideas… …...Joe on the other hand is a total song writing megalomaniac! On our first ep he even had a track named after him, “I don’t want to be a melody fascist but…..” …Hah…ok maybe he’s not that bad but he’s definitely got a more focused approach than me. Steve and Andrew could well debate whether that’s because Joe is actually a bit of a dictator about songs or if it’s really because I am superhumanly apathetic about existence in general. STEVE: As Joe & Lee mentioned, the seeds of a song will come from one of those guys, and then all 4 us will beat it into a Dauntless style shape. From my point of view, it’s just great being in a band with 2 really really good songwriters. Having been in different bands with both of them, I know that they have a knack of writing awesome songs.

So you guys are releasing your second album on Bombed Out Records pretty soon here. Would you say there are many differences with this album, as compared to “Graft”? JOE: Yes, we’re very happy that Bombed Out are doing the CD version of the new album. It’s four years on from Graft so things were bound to evolve, but it’s still us. Sound-wise, it’s a little bit more refined, the guitars are cleaner, the drums and bass are deeper and the vocals are less shouty. There are zillions of bands now with that raw, ‘gruff’ sound. Most of them pull it off better than we could, especially those from across the pond, so we’re glad that it’s turned out sounding a bit more classy and a bit more British. We also got the best out of Mark, who recorded it, by doing it this way rather than battling against his techniques. There’s a big difference in the lyrics, certainly in mine. I used to approach subjects in quite an abstract way, writing about ‘war’ or ‘work’ or ‘the media’. Now I write mostly about people, often individual people, but using them as a lens to view the world through. A couple of friends have said the new stuff is more ‘personal’ and in some ways it is, but I think I’ve managed to deal with some bigger and more complex subjects by bringing them down to an individual scale. LEE: I guess the first thing to say is that I am a lot

happier with my contribution to the new record. It’s obviously cool being in a band with Joe as he’s one of my best friends (as are all TDE) but because I genuinely think he’s a fecking song writing genius it puts a lot of pressure on me (self imposed mainly) to make sure I don’t ruin everyone’s party by shitting on the carpet (not sure where I’m going with that metaphor). With this record though I think I just relaxed a bit more and stopped worrying so much and then the songs just seemed to flow more easily in terms of melodies and structure. I guess the lyrical these probably are more personal as I think that there’s only so many times that you can be angry about things in enough different ways to be interesting. That’s not to say that it’s a bunch of power ballads but that the insights *if there are any) just feel less forced and contrived than maybe they would have been in the past. Musically I don’t really know - I think it sounds like “us” but I guess it is a bit different from Graft. As Joe says it’s intentionally not shouty, thrashing about as I think our appetite for doing that in general has diminished but also there seems to be a myriad of interchangeable bands out there now doing the whole “Gainsville” thing (is that even what it is)? I’m not in any way anti those bands but to be honest I was always more into UK stuff and I guess it’s hard to stand out from a crowd unless you really are on top of your game. STEVE: We definitely spent a lot more time working on the sound of this record than our previous outputs, which I think has paid off well. I think drum wise it helped that Mark had moved his studio to his garage in his garden! So instead of recording the drums in an old disused mill, they were recorded in a small cozy room which makes them sound nice & warm! We also used “More than a feeling” by Boston as a drum sound reference! Song wise, I think there might be 1 or 2 songs that might surprise people in that they don’t sound like “Classic” Dauntless Elite songs per se. As Lee mentioned, there’s a lot of stuff out there at the moment that sounds the same to us, so we wanted to distance ourselves from that a bit, plus we all listen to some crazy music which eventually rubs off in our songwriting I guess. Except Lee, he only listens to Snuff or Leatherface! The album is called “More Bloody Bad News” by the way, and as well as Bombed Out releasing it on Cd, Yo Yo Records will be releasing it on vinyl. Who or what influences your music the most? JOE: When we first started, there were a handful of bands we all loved (Snuff, The Clash, The Police, Leatherface, Dillinger Four) and listening back to our early songs you can hear some of those influences loud and clear. We’d also been playing in other bands for a few years before that to some of those old habits leaked in too. Since then though I think we’ve found our own sound and a lot of influence as come from within. No doubt we are still have external influences, but those operate on a more subconscious level these days and I don’t think I could pinpoint any of them. Often at least one of us will eat a veggie sausage roll at the start of a practice, which probably has some sort of effect.

LEE: I think Joe’s done a good job of summing it up there. I think for me as much as there are bands that I love that will always influence me, it’s probably now as much about song writing habits as it is about being inspired by new bands. That sounds bad as though we’re going through the motions but I guess what I mean is that we’ve been doing it so long that it’s probably second nature for me and Joe to write now, but whereas I used to be inspired by new music, etc I’m now inspired by things going on in my life or the world and just kinda write a song. It’s liberating in a way as I used to hear something new and think “wow - I want to write a song just like that”. Now it’s more like I feel like writing something so I just sit down and see what mood I’m in and see where it takes me. Hmmmm - obviously the process is a touch less transcendental than it sounds. STEVE: Yeah Joe nails it on the head there I think. I think also we all started playing punk gigs in a bit of a golden period for UK punk & DIY. There were a lot of people & bands in the scene that gave us more than a helping hand when we first got going in our old bands Fig.4.0 & Joe Ninety. So for me personally, being involved in UK Punk rock at that period of time was a massive influence for me. This past weekend we had Out Of Spite XI festival in Leeds, so it was great to see lots of faces from all over the UK that have been involved in all that & are still involved. Wish I’d booked today off work though!

with gigs. If anyone reading this wants us to book us, we’ll play for petrol and pizza. LEE: I think doing some more gigs might be on the radar - our low gig output has been the target of some sniping by friends so I think they’ve bullied us into getting out a bit more. We’ll probably eat a lot of curry in the future too as it surely is the food of the gods! Thanks a lot for talking to us. If any of you are involved in any other creative ventures (side bands, artistic things, and the like) now’s the time to tell us all about them. Go for it! JOE: Where to begin? Lee plays in a street-punk band called Homebrew, Steve is in a mod-hardcore band called The Facts and I’m in a three-chord-pop-punk band called Offshore Radio (although that’s pretty much on ice these days). I do an electronic solo thing called Billy Wood. Lee also has a new three-piece band called the Long Nines, who should have played their first gig by the time this goes to print. Andrew might have something secret on the go too and a couple of us are contributing to a ‘virtual band’ that our friend Marc is coordinating. My brother and I are talking about starting a nasty power-pop concept thing where he plays the role of an angry toy-shop manager losing his grip on reality. LEE: At some point I aim to destroy the world in a Godzilla style rampage but I need to do quite a bit of working out before then. That’s the only project of note I have on the horizon.

What can we expect from the band in the future? JOE: Not Shy of the DIY have just put out a 4-way split 7“ with us on it. We haven’t seen it yet though so that’s kind of in the future still. We have a couple more songs recorded that there wasn’t room on the album for, so they might see the light of day in the next year in some form. There’s talk of us collaborating with our friend Greg, who is hopefully going to use one of our tracks in a short video. Most importantly, we’re getting a bit more active

to For gigs and other various info, go them out on facebook. www.thedauntlesselite.co.uk or check m, “More Bloody Keep an eye out for their second albu . You can listen Bad News,” on Bombed Out Records n it’s available) to the first track (and pick it up, whe r 7” split with at www.bombedout.com. Pick up thei at Mayflower/Rumspringer/Calvinball www.notshyofthediy.co.uk.

‘Big lungs in my family, lots of temper...' An interview with Julie Christmas by Kate Désaccord

than one word, does it really matter? Her vocals Julie Christmas is, in one word, a goddess. Ok so that’s actually more Brooklyn and makes rather nice music indeed. In range from soft whispers to tough-as-nails metal screams. She hails from has a book in the works. addition to her solo work, she fronts the band Made Out of Babies and

First off, thanks so much for talking to us. Can you tell us a little about yourself? What makes you tick? Well I grew up the only white girl on my block, except for my sister of course. Grew up in a rather unorthodox family, lots of rowdy partying Irish. Big lungs in my family, lots of temper. I’d say that if you take a look at my upbringing it’s a little different than most. How long have you been active in the music scene? I’ve been making music- well screaming, since I could speak, and that was early unfortunately for my parents (laughs). I remember I walked by a place the other day I still live in the neighborhood I grew up in by the way - I walked by this building and I just had like a flashback. This place used to be like this three-story Haunted house thing. In Brooklyn, Halloween was hardcore, razorblades were just part of the party package you know? I remember being in this haunted house and leaving with my dad, and this lady said “My God that kid’s got some lungs on her.” So you released your first solo album, The Bad Wife, last year. Would you say the experience was much different than when you release works with your other bands? Which do you prefer? Yes it’s very different. I mean, umm making the [solo] record, the process was way different. There’s a different set of people on each track. The process is different in a few ways; when you make a record with a band it’s pretty much that you have to collaborate and sort of compromise on a lot of things. When you make a record that you’re in charge of, it’s not like that. With my record there was a different set of people involved in different songs, aside from a core group: John Lamacchia [of Candiria] and a few others. There was a shift every time we did a new song. People were chosen because it was thought they’d do a good job but I knew that in the end I could have the last say. In a band I could fight for what I wanted to happen but in the end it’s about collaboration and compromise.

Thanks to Seldon Hunt for the photos. www.seldonhunt.com

on a train ride home. It’s sort of a children’s book for adults. It’s with Nix Turner, she’s doing the illustrations, I’m doing the sounds and stuff. It’s kinda like where you hear the sound and turn the page. I’ve never done anything like this, you have to pay attention to a lot of details. Singing the songs to go along with this character you’ve created is really interesting- she’s got a sort of rough home life and so she just sort of tries to escape it in rather violent and unusual ways. this is a Another question about your projects, and Your vocal range is amazing; would you say you’re draws that g thin any e sorta random question; is ther mainly self-taught or have you had any formal ct proje you in or makes you want to do a certain training? more than others? They say that if you start singing from an early age then se to I would say the thing that makes me wanna choo you start singing properly. I started singing really early, with work to work with someone is, well it’s exciting even just singing along to my drunk uncles. I’ve been starting new people. Whether they’re lesser known or just singing since I could talk. I went to a music high school established out doesn’t mean anything. Like working with and I went to Juliard for a while but I dropped out. So I be someone to has It ians doesn’t mean a thing to me. guess I’ve had some sort of training but it’s really something music who’s not who’s passionate about what they do and someone I’ve been doing my whole life, screaming and stuff. full of shit. Yeah I know what you mean, I imagine screaming is What can we expect from you in the future? harder than it seems. Well, Made Out of Babies are doing our 4th album, so Oh definitely. Not everyone would think so but either you can I’m working on that. There’s a lot of work to do on do it or you can’t. Some people try and it just sounds wrong! the book still. In the fall I’ll be releasing a compilation that’ll be out in Europe. Part 2 of The Bad Wife, that’s What inspires your songwriting process? something I’m really looking forward to! I listen to the song first. Usually I don’t start the melody, I leave that to people who are talented enough to make Anything else you’d like to add? them. Occasionally I’ll start a song and ask for help as Umm everyone should tip their bartenders (laughs). Yeah I need it. Usually a guitar riff starts it and I can hear it tip your bartenders, support Independent music, check out and I listen to it about 100 times and usually I get some my facebook. There’s actually a few, but only one is real. kind of feeling about what should happen. I rarely go into It doesn’t really matter though, I check them all to make a song thinking about how it should go. sure I see what people are saying to me. Thank you, of course, for doing this interview. Make me sound good! ts projec of sorts all I hear you’ve been involved in (laughs) tell you lately, such as a book and an Indie film; can us anymore about that? Check Julie out at www.myspace.com/juliechristmas, www. Yeah I did some work on this Independent film soundtrack. risingpulse.com/juliechristmas, You can purchase her And the book, well the book is happening right now, it’s albums or other merch at risingpulserecords.bigcartel.com. taking kinda a long time but we’re excited about it. The Made Out of Babies’ music can be found at book is called The Scribbles and Scrapes of Amy Anyone: www.myspace.com/madeoutofbabies. A Multiple-Personality Autobiography. The story I wrote

Are there any particular songs that are near and dear to your heart? There are a few songs on The Bad Wife. Secrets All Men Keep- it has to do with Salt Bridge, a Battle of Mice song. When I heard the melody written by John [Lamacchia] in its first form, it brought out the same set of regrets. And I just set out to write. A lot of the songs are a way for me to express something, to get something across that I’m too clumsy with words to express.

A fire to scare the sun

Kate Désaccord interviews Declan de Barra

then. He’s played with numerous bands and Declan de Barra was born in Ireland and has lived in several places since lives in Los Angeles, CA. released countless albums, both as a group and on his own. He currently Thanks for talking to us, Declan. I’ve loved your stuff since the Clann Zú days. I’m sure you often hear about how powerful your voice is; I’m just curious, have you had any sort of training or were you just born lucky? No training at all, still don’t have a clue what key I am singing in, which makes it difficult when I get asked by musos when they are improving to one of my songs. I just over time found what worked for me, if it hurt I was doing something wrong. So little by little I built up power. Singing from my diaphragm rather than throat. I figured out quickly being on the road what worked too - sugar, alcohol, acid juices, wheat, lack of water and sleep all wrecked my voice. The fitter I am the better I sing, I am doing a lot of fight training now, which really helps with lung capacity. All very boring non rock stuff.

Can you walk me through your song-writing methods, if you have any? line will stick in my head, or I have notebooks full of one liners or full pieces and everything in between. Sometimes a to match it. Sometimes I a phrase, and before I know it I have a melody and then I try and find something on guitar messing on an instrument am I times see the whole little film play out in my head and I translate it into a song. Other trying to figure out how to play it and I will fall on a note or chord and it will suggest a line or a word or a vocal melody. There are so many ways it can happen. I always have a notebook with me, because lines always happen when I am on a bus or train or walking. How did you first get involved in music? Everybody had a song to sing where I grew up in the country, a party piece, usually a rebel song, as that always worked on the girls. I spent a lot of time by myself walking, following rivers etc and I would sing to entertain myself. I always loved punk and metal music but never thought about becoming a musician until I moved to Australia and started at university, painting, which should have been brilliant. But I found it elitist and full of shit, so I joined a band that advertised for a singer. Tech math metal stuff. And that was it.

Your newest album, “Fragments, Footprints & the Forgotten” was released on an Independent label, Black Star Foundation, but you’ve worked with major labels in the past as well. What would you say are some of the pros and cons of working with each? With a major you get tour support (costs covered) to go out and tour, plus you get a push on radio and magazines and get to tour with great bands. But those days are dead. I have never received a cent from being on a big label. Being independent is the only way to be. Right now, no one really knows what’s going on in terms of selling records.

People don’t buy them. Which is fine if you are touring all the time, you can still eat and pay rent. But it’s tough for anyone who doesn’t want to tour all year or can’t because of family etc. Now you make music because you love it. not because you may make some money from it. Those days, for most musicians, are gone.

One of my favourite tracks on the new album is “Fuck the Begrudgers.” Can you explain a bit more what that means to you? It is a favourite saying of an Irish Writer, Brendan Behan. I love the sentiment - I am doing what I believe in and fuck the people who list a million reasons why it is a dumb idea or not practical or “wrong.” It is about getting off your arse and walking in a different direction if you think that is the direction that means most to you, despite the crowd walking in the opposite direction. I read on your biography that you’re influenced quite a bit by old photographs; as a collector of old photos myself, I can relate. What are some other things that really affect your work? People I see, I live in Los Angeles at the moment and there is a massive homeless population, the great unseen, everybody ignores them. They are invisible. I want to write music based on that right now. Anything can trigger a piece, a sound of a pot banging, rain, conversations overheard, bits of paper found on the street with half a sentence, decay...there are a million things. Before your solo career, you worked with a number of other bands. Do you have a particular favourite? Anyone you might like to work with again if the chance arose? Every band I worked with was great fun and had great musicians, the music I would be proudest of would be Clann Zú, it was closest to the sound I imagined and I think it stands the test of time. My days in bands per se are done though. Although for certain projects I can imagine working with musicians over a period of time.

of time off from music since the album and I think I am almost recharged. I have the hunger to write and I think the EP might be the way to go for me from now on, small projects frequent releases. I would love 3 or 4 a year, ones where I am challenged and trying new things.

Do you have any memories you’d like to share? Any favourite gigs or odd experiences that come to mind? Ha, being so tired and sick I forgot what country I was in and what I was doing there. Tearing, ripping, bleeding from shows where I got carried away. Nearly losing an arm to an infection from stage carpet graze, someone throwing their artificial leg onstage. Always replying to any requests to sign breasts with the following “This is a mammary gland primarily made up of sebaceous tissue.” Playing a 17th century theatre for my first ever show in Paris. Looking over at musicians onstage with me and then out to an audience and thinking, “I am the luckiest fucker alive.” Thanks again for your time. Anything you’d like to add? Just a thank you for your support and to everyone who listens to me, shares or comes to shows, ye have made all of this possible. Oh and if you come to a show, please come up afterwards and say hello, especially if you follow me on twitter, etc. Thanks so much.

Declan can be followed on twitter @declandebarra. His website is www.declandebarra.com and his newest album, “Fragments, Footprints, and the Forgotten” can be purchased at declandebarra.bandcamp.com.

Each of your albums seem to be slightly different than the last, but in my opinion your music consistently progresses. Would you say that there have been many changes in your musical process between “Song of a Thousand Birds” and “Fragments, Footprints & the Forgotten”? Yes, a process of reduction. I think I have taken that pretty far with this new album. I am currently trying to figure out how to record the next one, I think it may be a series of EPs, one with harmonium, one acapella, one with electronica, etc...maybe 4 or 5 songs. A collection, maybe themed. I think I want to try new instruments I can’t play and see what happens. What are your plans from here on out? I have never been more unsure than now, I feel like I can go in any direction. I am writing scripts for TV which pays the bills, so in one way there is no compulsion for me to tour anymore outside of the joy of sharing music. I think the rest of my music may be for free. I would like to work with a quartet if I can raise the money. I have taken a lot

reviews elve EP Silent Smiles - Quarter To Tw (Dan Impossible)

darlings doing the circuit. The backing vocals add to the timelessness of this track and the chorus has that fantastic quality of getting stuck in your head long after the songs over. The third track, ‘Witches Coven’, was the only track that didn’t grab me immediately. Whilst musically the track is very clever, the change in vocal style didn’t sit well with me on first listen. It was a grower though and whilst I wouldn’t skip to this track, I wouldn’t skip past it. ‘Peach Creek (As I Fall)’, the fourth track on this EP is quite American sounding. Much bigger sounding than the earlier tracks in terms of production it’s one of those songs you hear and are immediately transported to the last night of a festival. It’s road trip music - the soundtrack to something vast and open... And a great counter to the claustrophobic grimy feeling of the first track.

Taste is subjective, and taste in music doubly so. One of my favourite things about hearing something new is playing it to my friends to gauge their reaction or to find out if they can hear the same things in a song that I can. The same influences, the same emotions. The list of bands I got back after playing people the new Silent Smiles EP was a mixed bag. Some were miles away from those I’d come up with on my own but, after a few more listens I could see where these people were coming from.

The final track is one I’ve heard many times before and, I have to admit, I love it. Kicking off with the drums, bass and vocals only it takes you straight to a time where you were more likely to be hanging out with your mates in a park than the pub - a feeling that’s mirrored perfectly by the lyrics themselves. As the guitar comes in you’re left with the taste of cheap fags, cheaper lager and a longing for another 5 tracks from these lads.

Pink Narcissus - Block Your Ears/Shield Your Eyes EP (Dan Impossible/Kate Désaccord)

Some of the bands listed included: The Cure, Editors, Undertones, Arctic Monkeys, Dirty Pretty Things and The Enemy... Which is a pretty impressive list of bands to be compared to in just 5 tracks. But don’t get me wrong, this EP is no homage to those listed above - It’s a well written, well played and well recorded EP that’s far more of it’s time than a lot of things I’ve heard recently. The opening track ‘Quarter to Twelve’ has that distinctive guitar sound that XFM cream themselves over... And rightly so. It’s by no means the most uplifting track on the EP as it evokes images of late night clubs in London back streets and nights better off forgotten. Like the best nights out it leaves you feeling slightly dirty but craving more. Track two ‘Roulette’ has a much more classic feel to it. The riff could sit as well in the Undertones back catalogue as it would any of the current Indie

Finding that perfect sound is something that can take a band years to do. Some, unfortunately, never get to that point at all whilst others do in a real ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ sort of way (which can be even worse) but every now and then one comes along that just gets it right from the off. Brighton based Pink Narcissus are one of those bands.

Although I hadn’t heard any of Pink Narcissus’ songs before listening to their EP, I approached it with an open mind. As someone with fairly diverse tastes, I thought to myself that any band that cites the likes of David Bowie, Sonic Youth and Minor Threat as influences must have something I was bound to like. And I was right.

Usual Players - Volume 1: Street Ska (Dan Impossible)

The first track, “Days,” is a great choice for the opener. I was immediately lured into the track by lead singer Oli Spleen’s distinctive voice.. It drags you in like the promise of a quickie in an alleyway. The tune’s upbeat, catchy, danceable, and left me pumped and sweating - eager for the rest of the EP. The next track, called “Come Crawling,”, is a slowerpaced affair, and while I didn’t enjoy this track quite as much, it wasn’t by any means a disappointment. The tune still kept me interested and I found myself continuously humming along without thinking about it - it just lacked the instant gratification of the previous song. Track three, “Masquerade,” had my ears perked up like an excitable puppy from the get-go. The guitar and drum work, especially in the first 45 seconds or so, were easily the highlight of the song for me. It didn’t so much ooze class as have warm class spurting all over a nicely polished wooden floor. The fourth track, “Doomed,” was by far my favourite song of the EP. Despite the name of the song and the lyrics (which all too matter-of-factly reminded us that “we’re all doomed”) giving a not-so-subtle hint of bleakness, the tune was fast and infectious - my favourite type of contradiction. Next comes the amazingly titled “Syphilitic City.” As this song immediately followed my already decidedly favourite track, it had a lot to live up to. Much like having a child later on in life when one’s already won a Nobel prize... With some bands, the bassist just seems to sit in the background, carry the tune through and is rarely given an opportunity to truly shine. This is definitely not the case with Pink Narcissus, and I’d say with no doubt that it’s the bass that really makes this song. The closing track, “Thundercloud,” is appropriately enough, the opposite of “Days” in nearly every way. Slow and mellow, the tone of the song winds the listener down just as the first track pumped them up... Like a post-coital cuddle after a particularly frenzied shag. And with that, it’s over. And you know you’ve been listening to a band that just gets it... right from the off.

If you don’t believe we called this one months ago then you’re a mug, simple as that. We told you back last June (on the ICM blog page) to keep an eye on Watford’s own Usual Players... and now, a year later, we’re telling you that their début album ‘Volume 1: Street Ska’ is probably one of the most important albums to come out of the scene for longer than anyone probably cares to admit. Taking this album at face value, it’s 10 tracks of brass laden, North London Ska. A little punchier than original ska - maybe even more so than 2nd generation ska too but it’s roots show through like a ‘blondes’ the week before pay-day. The cover, and disc itself, are designed to look like a record. To say it’s been done well is doing it no justice whatsoever - it looks the business. And as the album starts there’s the crackle of a needle on vinyl and straight into track one ‘Soul of Rock and Roll (is Dead)’... The songs on Street Ska are honest, catchy and cover just about any aspect of modern life you’d care to think about - drugs, women, the state of the music scene and Facebook all get the Usual Players treatment. The playing is second to none, the lyrics are sharp and the production is top quality. Highlights for me would have to be the insanely catchy ‘Fancy a Facebook’ - boasting one of those choruses that just makes you want to sing along and dance until you’re sweating the beer out, ‘Bad Pills’, ‘Lie, Cheat & Steal’ and the track that, were there any justice would be played through loudspeakers outside every bar in town on a Friday night, ‘So Whatford’ - but there’s something on here for everyone. You can’t help but be swept up in the vibe when this album’s playing. You want to get suited, booted and grab a can of lager. This is music to dance to, to listen to in the motor on the way to the pub and for those messy nights with the lads. This is ‘Volume 1: Street Ska’ and it’s about as good as it gets.

The Casket Hecklers - Phoenix Rising (Luna Kendell)

Judging by the lyrics they seem to write about situations and positions they’ve personally been in and the songs are very easy to identify with. On more than a few occasions I sat here and just thought “yeah, I know how you feel, I’ve been there too.” I think it’s important for the listener to be able to relate to the material and by writing about situations anyone could find themselves in The Casket Hecklers make it easy for the listener to do that. But even if you’ve spent your entire life living in a cave in the back reaches of darkest Uzbekistan and haven’t seen another living soul in the past 20 years I’m certain that you would still enjoy the album on melody and tune alone. I really can’t criticize this band at all, they set out to be what they wanted to be and achieved it so perfectly that I can only look at them with envy and admiration. Who can’t love a band who do what they do because they love to do it? I think the thing I like the most about this album is that it’s the first time I’d ever heard of The Casket Hecklers and I wasn’t really expecting much - a few catchy tunes, maybe something to have a bit of a dance to, but I have actually been blown away. They’re talented, they enjoy what they do and they write bloody good songs. I advise everyone reading this to listen to them, listen to them with an unbiased opinion and I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.

This is my first ever review so please be nice! I have to say - this is easily the best album I’ve heard all year, I tend to get swept away by new songs and I’m the type of person who will listen to a track over and over again until I get sick of it. Its happened so many times that there are now entire bands that I just can’t listen to anymore because I love them too much. I’m afraid The Casket Hecklers might go the same way if I don’t stop listening to them immediately.

Mug – Self-Titled EP (Dan Impossible)

Ska-Punk is easily my favourite sub genre of punk and these guys do it oh so very well but you can also hear that a lot of other genres have heavily influenced the band and how they play. I don’t want to compare them to other more well known bands but if you listen to the likes of Less Than Jake, Spunge, Reel Big Fish and/or Sublime then you’ll like these guys. Lots. My personal favourite tracks are Man Down and Fires Within but the entire album is just brilliant, the perfect way to lift a shitty day. From soulful melodies to bouncy happy beats, each track brings a different story and a different emotion so wonderfully clear that the listener can’t help but relate to the song and the situation it was written about. On a technical note the band are very together and not a beat is out of place or a note played wrong. They clearly love what they do and that comes across in the music as they so easily go from pirate based banter to rockabilly style heavy bass driven chords and then back to ska fused punk again so smoothly, that I’m left with a sense of jealousy that none of the bands I’ve ever been in have been this musically spot-on.

r in the If you’ve read the interview with these lads earlie ut witho So, ‘zine you’ll know all about them already. EP. further ado here’s a few words on Mugs self-titled

I’ve no Track 1 ‘Deadbeat’ starts off with some talking. offtly sligh It’s idea what about, a rapper or something. r guita kilter to say the least. Once that’s over with the ing comes in and we’re off. This track has that amaz the were really 90’s 90’s Skate Punk feel to it. The

glory days for American Punk and Mug here seem to embrace that so fully it’s like being back at Reading in 1997 watching the Warped Tour. Good times indeed. Love this track, it’s catchy and one listen gives you that feeling that whilst you’ve heard it before, you want to hear it again. Track 2 ‘Can’t Keep Control’ and that drum sound makes me think of The Dead Kennedys. It’s short lived though as once it gets going this song is much more reminiscent of Bad Religion. I actually prefer this to the first one. It’s the sort of tune I’d have played loud enough to kill passers-by when I was younger and more prone to that sort of behaviour. It also has one of those ‘easy to shout along to’ lines that happens to also be the name of the song and everyone likes those. Track 3 ‘Amnesia’ - and with a name like that the temptation to do a not being able to remember it joke is almost too much. I won’t though... This song has a really sleazy rock and roll feel to it whilst still very much keeping one foot (or maybe even an entire leg) in it’s 90’s influences.

The closer (or track 4 for those of you that enjoy continuity) is a live cover of Youth Brigade’s ‘We’re In!’ - and hats off to whoever recorded this, it sounds great. The guitars are nice and crisp, the drums aren’t too heavy and the vocals sit just right and aren’t lost the way a live track can often do. It’s a blinding cover as well in case you wondered. It’d be all too easy to dismiss Mug as simply a sum of the bands that have clearly inspired them but to do so would be doing them, and yourself, a huge injustice. There’s much more here than a few cobbled together homages to NOFX or ‘Smash’ era Offspring (You remember... before they were shit?) these songs are polished, well-rounded and instantly likeable. The way Punk songs used to be. They ooze fun and sunshine and a beer in the afternoon whilst watching people fall off skateboards. And that’s never a bad way to spend a day. Go grab a copy of this EP from the bands own bandcamp page and experience something you thought you’d lost all over again - maybe even better this around.

Reasons to be cheerful AN IMPOSSIBLE from D

As I sit here, gazing out over the magnificent vista (well, I’m facing a wall but let’s just run with it, it’s poetic) I can’t help but think of just how lucky we are. I mean, sure, there’s a lot of reasons why we should feel put upon but no matter how bleak the outlook, there’s always a glimmer of hope on the horizon... like a breeze causing a discarded newspaper to open up and reveal a pair of breasts as you walk past it or free label samplers when you can’t decide what to listen to. And really, how can you be glum when there’s a new Wonk Unit album on the way? The second this year no less. (As if ‘Trolleys Thank You/Wonk Unit Saved My Life’ wasn’t enough to satisfy our greedy little earholes) Truth is, we are a spoiled bunch indeed. Apparently it’s set to be acoustic and somehow heavier than the last offering - colour me suitably intrigued already.

If that’s not enough for you, (and why it should it be? After all, you’re young, carefree and have the world at your feet - why not demand more?) Allow us to bring to your attention a few other things you have to look forward to inbetween casual fornication, drunken fistfights and Pot Noodle consumption...

Observe. (That means look)

August see’s releases from the likes of Fountains of Wayne with their new album ‘Sky Full of Holes’ - it’s been streaming on their Facebook page and it’s quite, quite beautiful. Psychobilly leg-ends Nekromantix ‘What Happens In Hell’ drops too and a new EP from Tim Kasher ‘ Bigamy: More Songs From the Monogamy Sessions’ - which will be exclusively available from his live shows and online via the Saddle Creek webstore. If it’s anywhere near as good as his last album then this is set to be well worth hunting down.

There’s also releases from Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (he used to be in Pavement), Bon Iver, Blink 182 and Laura Marling coming out so that should keep you from sitting, hand in pants in front of the ten minute freeview. pictures to accompany the sounds you hear. I’d There’s a load of films out to get excited about too if you need moving bothered to explain why seeing super smart recommend you watch The Rise of the Planet of the Apes if I could be ... And ten quid. The sad fact is though, I can’t chimps basically fucking shit up is an awesome way to spend an evening be bothered. Let’s just all move on and pretend this never happened, OK?

Everything will be OK in the end. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not OK, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the end.