File Under Pop

dc space

2006-04-16T14:54:00.000-04:00

My running joke on this project of seeing what has happened to important, former underground music venues, is that they would all now be Starbucks. In the case of dc space, at 7th and E Streets, the joke proved true.

This location is only about a block away from the Verizon Center (the DC sports arena where Washington's professional basketball and hockey teams play) and a few blocks from the old 9:30 Club. This area has undergone a complete transformation since the arrival of the Verizon Center. In the early 80s, the area had been pretty much abandoned. When I lived in DC over three years ago, the area was quickly gentrifying but still had gaps of boarded up or decrepit buildings. In other words, you could still see the past if you looked around. Today, the redevelopment of the area is almost complete with restaurants, shops, bar, and expensive apartments. It always surprised me that this area had fallen into disrepair since it was the historical business center of DC and so close to the modern business center of DC.

dc space, formally District Creative Space, opened in late '77. Originally hosting jazz, poetry and performance art, it soon became an important place for DC's growing punk scene. According to Dance of Days, Bad Brains was banned from playing the second floor performance area because the energetic dancing of the crowd threatened the collapse the 19th century floor.

dc space shut its doors '91.

2006-03-14T00:03:00.000-05:00

For a while now, I have been thinking about finding the locations of famous sites in New York punk history and photographing what has become of them now. I just don't have a real sense of where places like the Mudd Club or Max's or the The Kitchen were, and it would help me to better understand the music and the city to locate them. However, I have not gotten a chance to start this project.

On a related note, I was recently on an extended business trip in DC, so I decided to figure out where a number of the venues for early DC punk were. Above is the location of the original Madam's Organ at 2318 18th St., NW. There is a bar by the same name today, across the street about a block and a half up, but the original Madam's Organ was formed by dissident students from the Corcoran School of Art. It later developed into a sort of Yippie collective. The Yippies let the punk kids put on shows, and it was about the only place bands like Bad Brains could play. The collective shut its doors in 1980.

I will be posting pictures of other DC venues: the 9:30 Club, DC Space, the Wilson Center. It is a study of the fast gentrification of DC. I lived in DC a little over three years ago, and on the recent visit I was surprised by the fast pace of gentrification. The whole city seems like it is under construction/renovation. However, this strip of 18th St. is little changed from when I lived there. Bars, restaurants and shops. It is nice to see and independent record store in the basement of the old Madam's Organ. Presumably, the neighborhood was a little different in '79-'80. However in Mark Anderson's and Mark Jenkin's "Dance of Days, Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital", they note Madam's Organ was evicted because the neighborhood was gentrifiying and the rent was raised to $350 a month (for the entire building).

You will notice my dog Seven tied to the stairs.

Tragedy, DMBQ

2005-11-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

I went out for the DMBQ show tonight at Club Exit in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a couple blocks from my house. DMBQ are a Japanese noise-psych band that has been around since 1988, but their first US tour was this spring.

DMBQ's live show, which I witnessed on their last tour, mixes equal parts musicianship and amazing showmanship. Playing guitar with their teeth. Climbing on top of the PA. When they played last year, this effect was intensified by the venue, which was also Club Exit, a rented out Polish disco with over the top design, a great PA, dance club lighting, and a smoke machine. It was truly the best show I attended last year.

Tonight's show was at Club Exit again, and I have been looking forward to it for a while. I recommended that friend's in other cities go out to their shows on this tour. When I got to the club, there were signs stating that the show was cancelled. I spoke to the promoter because DMBQ was supposed to play again tomorrow at a different venue in the neighborhood. I was intending to go to both shows. Todd P said that DMBQ had an accident today on their way up from their gig in Baltimore. Their van crashed in Delaware. The drummer Mana "China" Nishiura, who had previously also been the drummer in the longstanding Japanese punk band Shonen Knife is dead. A number of the band members and the US manager are in the hospital but should pull through.

This is a terrible tragedy. We don't often think about what a difficult life it is as a touring indie band. There is no real money in it for the band, they are doing it for the love of it and hope to make gas money. A short, concentrated tour means a lot of driving without a lot of sleep (although this does not appear to be the cause of the accident here). Today this ended in tragedy.

Sympathies and prayers go to China, her family, and the band.

Photos from April Club Exit gig
Photos from April tour in Boston

UPDATE: article from the Gloucester County Times:
http://www.nj.com/news/gloucester/local/index.ssf?/base/news-1/11311893433080.xml&coll=8
Posted on Sat, Nov. 05, 2005

Turnpike crash kills 1, injures 4

CARNEYS POINT TWP. – A three-vehicle accident on the New Jersey Turnpike Friday afternoon left one person dead and four others injured, state police said.

Police said at 12:51 p.m. Friday a black Mitsubishi Eclipse driven by Sara Jacobi, 22, of Mount Vail was headed northbound on the turnpike near mile marker 0.3.

For an unknown reason Jacobi, who was driving in the left lane, went onto the left shoulder of the turnpike, cut back to the right and went into the center lane, police said.

Police said Jacobi struck the left rear side of a Ford Econoline van.

The van, with five people inside, slid and tumbled several times landing in a clearing to the side of the turnpike, police said.

Police said one person was ejected from the van and pronounced dead at the scene by the Salem County Medical Examiner.

Three of the passengers were sent to Christiana Hospital in Stanton, Del., and one passenger was sent to The Memorial Hospital of Salem County police said.

One of the passengers was in serious condition and in surgery Friday afternoon. The other three passengers had minor to moderate injuries, police said.

Police said Jacobi sustained no injuries.

Police said after the van tumbled it hit a truck that was stopped on the side of the road but, no injuries and little damage occurred from that impact to the truck.

Police were unable to release the names of the victims in the van until next of kin had been notified.

The accident remains under investigation.

2005-10-25T00:46:00.000-04:00

Ari Up at CB's benefit.

2005-10-25T00:07:00.000-04:00

A lucky kitty spotted on the subway on the way to a new home.

2005-05-09T23:34:00.000-04:00

Lady Liberty through the branches of an orange tree in Red Hook.

2005-04-20T01:16:00.000-04:00

Spring time in Brooklyn.

In New York, War Is Indeed Hell, but Only After 10 PM

2005-02-22T22:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight's installment of Frontline on PBS featured military personnel in combat situations in Iraq. Not surprisingly, they use colorful language in certain situations. PBS sent stations a heavily edited version and required that they sign a waiver acknowledging that PBS could not protect them from the FCC if they wanted to receive and transmit the unedited version. This differed from the normal PBS policy where they would simply send out both versions and permit the stations to choose which to play. Editorialists have cleverly labeled the edited version the "War is Heck" episode.

I am glad that the New York PBS station didn't fully capitulate to this censorship by playing the edited version. They did, however, move Frontline from its normal 9 pm slot to 10 pm. This action got them out of the FCC's indecency guidelines. While obscenity is prohibited at all times, the Supreme Court has ruled that indecency in broadcast can only be prohibitted when children will be listening or watching, so indecency is only actionable from 6 AM to 10 PM. Indecency is "language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities." In clear contrast to the plain meaning of this language, the FCC has ruled that in interpreting the "community standards for the broadcast medium", "The determination as to whether certain programming is patently offensive is not a local one and does not encompass any particular geographic area. Rather, the standard is that of an average broadcast viewer or listener and not the sensibilities of any individual complainant." Thus different standards don't exist between New York and Mississippi.

The three prong test for obscenity is: "(1) an average person, applying contemporary community standards, must find that the material, as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; (2) the material must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by applicable law; and (3) the material, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value." See Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15 (1973).

The third prong prevents just about anything mainstream broadcasters would broadcast from being considered obscene. While I was a DJ at WQFS and was fighting for a safe harbor from 10-6, I tried to explain this to the management, but they could never understand the conjunctive nature of the test. All three prongs have to be met. The 1st Amendment ensures that material with artistic or political merit can be broadcast when young children are not likely to be listening. The FCC doesn't like this, so it tries to intimidate broadcasters. With small operations like WQFS it succeeds. They have to worry about periodically having their license renewed and can't afford to upset the FCC. WNET was willing to play the episode after 10 but still has to worry about retaining federal support in these days of reduced corporate underwriting.

2005-02-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

And yet more again.

2005-02-22T22:08:00.000-05:00

And yet more.

2005-02-22T22:06:00.000-05:00

Photos from Christo's Gates this Saturday.

A Historical Comparison

2005-02-01T08:15:00.000-05:00

This NY Times article from February, 1960 provides an interesting comparison to today's coverage.

Greensboro's Proudest Moment

2005-02-01T07:41:00.000-05:00

I moved to New York from Greensboro, NC in October, having lived there for two years. Greensboro is an interesting town with vibrant institutions, and one of those is NC A&T State University. 45 years ago today, 4 A&T freshmen went down to the local Woolworth lunch counter and demanded service. While they succeeded in integrating Greensboro's retailers, their greater significance is in helping spark the wider civil rights movement. This is one of Greensboro's proudest moments (but also one of its shames for how the students were treated by the community for years after the sit-in). The New York Times has an article (free registration required) on the sit-in and a documentary on PBS's Independent Lense which focuses on the 4; Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Joseph McNeil and David Richmond. On channel 13 in New York, it airs tonight (Tues.) at 10 and again on Mon., Feb. 7 at 12:30 am (which is really Sunday night).

New Photo Capacity

2005-02-01T01:03:00.000-05:00

I just got a digital camera which should prove very exciting for the blog. The first thing I did was post pictures of the set lists from the Mission of Burma show a couple weeks back. Go take a look under the Jan. 19 post. Expect more photos to come.

Don't Tell My CD Player

2005-01-30T23:09:00.000-05:00

Lately I get the sense that my CD player is having trouble starting up. Once it gets going, it is fine. But sometimes I have to press play a couple times before it starts. I think this may be getting worse than it has been, but I am not sure. While it isn't news that a CD player might break down, I've had my Pioneer CD player since 1987. The dirty secret is that I am sort of hoping it breaks. I don't have the heart to replace it as long as it is working, but I would kind of like a modern CD player with a remote. I'd also like to get a CDR so I could record onto CD straight from my turntable. It would be much easier than running vinyl through the computer and then burning a CD. But I won't replace it as long it is still working.

My CD player is the only piece of real stereo equipment I bought new. At first I ran it into a cheap integrated turntable, cassette, receiver. That stereo was a Christmas gift, but I had to buy the CD player myself. Integrated stereos did not, at the time, come with a CD player. Instead, they had a cheap turntable that would eat your records. I had to buy the CD player as a separate component and run it into the auxiliary channel. I was convinced that the future was in CDs although they were not yet universally accepted, so I thought I would invest in the CD player instead of buying vinyl records (the funny part is that now that my belief back in 1987 has proved correct, I now prefer vinyl, but that is just further proof of my anachronism). I forget what I paid for the CD player (I think it was approaching $200), but nearly 20 years ago it was certainly more than an equivalent new CD player would cost today. More importantly, it was a small fortune for a 14 year old. About as much of an investment as me buying a new Jaguar today.

My current stereo consists of said CD player, a 90s cassette player (JVC TD-W106 . . . that I hardly ever use) I bought at for 5 dollars at a yard sale, and the rest of the components are cast away 70s components I picked up from an ex's aunt and parents that were high level consumer components when they first came out (JVC VCR-5521 amp/tuner, Pioneer PL-A45D turntable, Infinity POS 1 speakers). I am pretty happy with these. I've thought about replacing the turntable with an audiophile turntable, but I probably won't get around to it for quite some time. A good turntable is really pretty expensive, and the work of researching them is pretty daunting. I've thought about buying an even older amp . . . a 60s tube amp (a Scott or something like that), but I'll probably never get around to that either. I like the sound of my stereo, and I love the retro aesthetic of the tuner (with the backlit part with the stations, all the heavily weighted knobs, and the faux wood case). But I would kind of like a new CD player. And of all of these changes it would be by far the cheapest. The one thing I prefer on CD is compilations because I almost never want to listen to them straight through and it is much easier to skip around tracks with a CD. This would be even easier if I had a remote and didn't have to get up to do it. But i've had my CD player since I was a kid . . . since I seriously got into music. I don't have the heart to replace it until it gives up on me.

So if you meet my CD player, please be nice to it. Don't tell it that I have mixed feelings about its longevity because it has been a good companion. I felt guilty enough already about harboring these feelings. Hopefully coming out with them will insure at least another 20 years for my CD playing friend

2005-01-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

Here she is.

Mission of Burma Set List from Fri., Jan. 14

2005-01-19T02:55:00.000-05:00

Burma's first set. This was Roger Miller's set list.

2005-01-19T01:59:00.000-05:00

Burma's second set. This was Peter Prescott's set list.

A Great Show and a Terrible One

2005-01-19T01:23:00.000-05:00

I saw Suicide Saturday night at the Knitting Factory. It was without question the worst show I have ever seen. And that includes every bad high school hardcore or Pavementy band I have ever had the displeasure of witnessing. I was originally curious to see Suicide when I saw an advert for the show because my thought was that this is music that would not age well. To me Suicide is very much a project of its time. Minimalist, electronic nihilism. I had no idea how that would translate to today or age along with Vega and Rev.

To start with, cut out the rock star posing. Martin Rev hardly played anything all night. He turned on the pre-recorded bad disco beat and occasionally one-handedly struck the keyboard in a random manner. The rest of the time he posed and pouted. While I think anyone of any age has the right to rock, in older age musicians have to rely more on chops than charisma. Martin, no one wants to see you pout. And the poses and kicks are just silly. But not as silly as that patent leather jacket you were wearing. Alan Vega no longer has the understated voice of the records. Maybe he never did live, I don't know. Now he mostly scream-sings or goes into a bad Elvis impersonation. And Alan, Specialized bicycle gloves just do not spell rock and roll. But the worst part was the music. Suicide was beautiful in its minimalist, rhythmic approach that didn't sound like anything else. An Elvis impersonation over a bad disco beat is just painful.

The amazing part is how much some people were really into it. I was stuck next to this crazy flailing lady and this really smelly guy. I tried to leave, but I was up front and it just seemed like too much work to escape. And then there were lots of indie kids who seemed into it. Standing on line I also notice many Europeans. Did these people really love the music for what it is, or are they just relying on the legend. It occurs to me that this could really be what Suicide is doing. They were always confrontational. It would be a clever final act to see how incredibly bad they could be and still have people worship them and come out to shows.

Thee Majesty opened, featuring Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV. I can't say I understand this whole pandrogeny thing. But it was interesting to see him live. Almost a weird combination of industrial and twee. I still have that Throbbing Gristle story to share with you.

Mission of Burma were great on Friday night. Two long sets and a two song encore, including the Wipers "Youth of America" (which is a really long song as every DJ knows, great for putting on if you have to go to the bathroom). I strikes me that Youth of America is an appropriate song for Burma to cover as it has that same anthemic quality as great Burma songs. It is also on the new I-Tunes only live album that I have to get around to downloading. I snagged the set lists after the show. I'll have to try to get them digitized to post. Burma struck just the right balance between old and new songs. Peter Prescott is a really inventive drummer, and I guess that is why I always loved the Volcano Suns so much. And he was even funny in his between song banter. There is one thing I don't understand. In everything you read about Burma, the terms "avant" or "art" are thrown around. I realize that their structures aren't always conventional. They manipulated tape loops before it was popular. Some of the members had actual musical training. Also, I am listening with modern ears. But they had less conventional contemporaries in the US (no wave) and the UK (some of the post punk bands). I am not meaning this as a criticism in any way. But to me they aren't an art band. Just a great and interesting ROCK band. And very few of their contemporaries rocked like Burma.

He Doth Protest Too Much, or, An Upcoming Weekend of Retro Show Going

2005-01-13T23:15:00.000-05:00

Mission of Burma Friday night at the Bowery Ballroom. Suicide Saturday night at the Knitting Factory. And, as a late add onto the Suicide bill, Thee Majesty, featuring Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV fame. From my coming weekend of show going, you would think I am old. Well, for general show going, perhaps I am - - but I'm not that old. I really am into new music. I love collecting old vinyl, but I buy new records all the time too. I go to shows by current bands. I am not a jaded "back in the day" kind of person. I think that now is a great time for indie rock, and I think tomorrow will be too.

You are going to accuse me of being a little too defensive, the old he doth protest too much thing. It isn't that. It is that I am generally against reunions by old bands, but in the past year or so I have gone to my share. Rocket from the Tombs and the MC5 being the most obvious. Both were good shows but didn't seem genuine. I don't have time now to write about my aversion to reunions. I'll save that for a post next week.

I do want to say that I don't consider Mission of Burma a mere reunion. At first I did, and I was somewhat skeptical. Then, I heard the great reviews, but I didn't live near any of the cities they played. I thought about driving up to DC from Greensboro, but it didn’t happen. At that time, it was still a reunion though, even if the reviews were universally glowing. Then they came out with a great new double lp last year, and now it is no longer a reunion. It is a vital, ongoing concern. Then Burma came to Chapel Hill a couple weeks after I moved to New York. Wouldn't you know it. Then they opened for the Pixies here in NY, but I wasn't that interested in the Pixies. After all, they are just a reunion. And I didn’t want to see the greatest band ever to come out of Boston (except for maybe the Girls) open for an inferior Boston band. Plus, the show was in a stadium. That isn't the way to see Burma for the first time. Well, the short of it is that I finally get to see Burma this Friday, three years after their first "reunion" show, and I am very excited.

Suicide I am not so excited about. I don't know what to expect. I heard Martin Rev's latest record when it came into WQFS last year. I remember thinking it was OK, I played a track, but it wasn't memorable. I haven't heard Suicide's 2002 effort, American Supreme. But I love old Suicide and I figured what the hell, it should be fun. A reunion is fine if you go in with that attitude. It is dangerous if you mythologize the band, and then, 25 years on from their peak, they inevitably don't live up to the myth you have built up in your head. Then, to some small degree, your experience of the records is spoiled. I don't think that will happen with Suicide.

As for Genesis, that should be fun too. I have a great Throbbing Gristle story to share with you, but I'll save that for a later date.

A weekend of retro show going. I am looking forward to it, but I doth protest too much.

New Name, Same Great Taste

2005-01-11T01:32:00.000-05:00

Long time, no post. I know. I have moved to Greenpoint, Brooklyn. While my new job is many more hours than the old job, that isn't my only excuse. It just took a lot of time to get unpacked and settled in. I am pretty much at that stage now, and I have promised myself to keep up the blog in the new year.

Let me explain the name change to "File Under Pop". This blog used to document my radio show at WQFS in Greensboro, NC. The blog and my show were, in turn, named after the underground rock show at WHRB in Cambridge, MA, where I was a DJ in college in the early and mid-90s. I did this because I found myself having to choke back from saying "you're tuned to the Record Hospital" when I was first at WQFS and decided I might as well nick the name because who would know the difference. Now that I am radio show-less for the time being (although I would love to start up an MP3 based internet radio program at some point in the future), I hope to make this largely a music criticism site. You can expect record reviews, show reviews, and the odd historical piece. I will not, for now, change the address because I would lose my accumulated linkage.

File Under Pop was a band that put out a great little noise/industrial 7" on Rough Trade 11. Two of the tracks on the 7" were recorded live at Heathrow Airport. Otherwise, I don't know much about the band. There is no other information on the sleeve and the labels are blank. A web search doesn't show much about them. The International Discography of the New Wave only lists the one 7". People are going to google "File Under Pop" (as many have), my site is the first hit, and they are going to think I am an expert on the band. Unfortunately, I'm not. Though I do have the feeling that it may have been a one-off sort of thing. Hopefully I can learn more about the band/record and publish it here.

Mainly, I just think it is a great name for my mostly-music blog. First as a record collector, I give too much thought to how to organize my records and have changed my mind several times as my collection has grown. "File Under Pop" tells you exactly where to put the 7". It also identifies the nature of my blog. It is about pop music. However, just like the 7", the music I care about isn't pop music in the normal sense of whatever they are playing on the radio or even "indie pop." I was a punk rock kid, and although my tastes have mellowed some, in other ways I have come to embrace noise more over the years, so I still don't have a pop sensibility. But in the end, who are we kidding; it is still popular music. Thus, this is the blog of a person who collects vinyl records, goes to shows, and listens to new music. The blog will mostly cover these pursuits. Expect about a post once a week. Flog me if I don't live up to that.

Peel Sessions No More

2004-10-26T22:28:00.000-04:00

The most influential punk DJ, John Peel of the BBC, has died of a heart attack while on holiday in Peru. Until this sad event, Peel was still going strong over at the BBC, but he is best known for hosting the show to get played on for UK punk/diy bands of the late 70s/early 80s. A band could press a thousand 7"s themselves, send one to Peel, get enthusiastic play on his show, and that would mean they could get a distribution deal with Rough Trade or Cartel; and their indie cred of the day would be established. They could even get called in for a live radio show, and they would have a Peel Session to add to their credentials. Maybe they could even get signed to Rough Trade. Those were the days.
No one man's taste was more influential than John Peel's. He championed bands no one would give the time of day to (think of the Television Personalities), and he often made their careers. If you look at the International Discography of the New Wave by B. George and Martha DeFoe, most of the UK 7"s in there come from John Peel's collection. So, in a sense, a band doesn't exist if they didn't send their record to Peel. God speed, John

My Blog in French

2004-10-24T10:51:00.000-04:00

While looking through my sitemeter hits, I found this page. Apparently, Google has the ability to do some sort of automatic translation, and someone had my blog translated into French. I am now published in two languages. I just got my high speed hook-up at home, so I should get back to substantive blogging soon. In the meantime, practice your French. The best part is the band names, which just really get messed up.
Erase Errata=Effacez Les Errata
All Girl Summer Fun Band=Toute la bande d'amusement d'été de fille
Fat Day=Gros Jour
Magnetic Fields=Champs magnétiques
Teddy and the Frat Girls=Nounours et les filles de Frat
Beep Beep=Signal sonore de signal sonore
Fiery Furnaces=Fours ardents
I really thinks some of the bands should consider the change.

Hold on a Little While Longer

2004-10-06T08:16:00.000-04:00

I have moved. I have no home internet service (or phone for that matter, and I only just got power yesterday). I live in a new building, so the cable company says it may be a couple weeks before I can even get a hookup. I am still largely living out of boxes. In short, the blog won't start back up again for a bit. You will, however, notice the new name (although I am keeping the residual address so as not to lose all my google linkage). If, in the comments, you can explain what the new name is referencing, you will win nothing but have my admiration.

Fat Day is Coming!, Fat Day is Coming!

2004-08-25T20:01:00.000-04:00

Boston art-hardcore veterans Fat Day are coming to the Werehouse (the former PS211) in Winston-Salem on Thurs., Aug. 26. As a matter of full disclosure, I must admit that I was in college radio with these gentlemen a decade ago in Boston, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they put on an intense, intelligent show and have many great records. I fondly recollect many Fat Day shows in the basement of Fat Day house in Somerville, MA; opening for national acts at the Middle East club in Central Square; in the basements, common rooms, squash courts, and residence rooms of Harvard; and down in the old Mem. Hall basement studios of WHRB. They have been together for going on 12 years now, and they now have out a new collection of all their singles on their own 100% Breakfast! Records called Snarl of Pulchritude. They also have a new record coming out on Load Records in September. I understand that they still have quite a following among the kids in certain hardcore circles, and they are big in Japan. Certainly catch them if you can because it isn't every day they make their way down to North Carolina. Other North Carolina dates are:

Wednesday, August 25--Asheville, NC at Vincent's Ear: www.vincentsearcafe.com
Friday, August 27--Charlotte, NC at Queen City Underground: http://www.solidgoldempire.com/

The Final Installment of the Record Hospital on WQFS

2004-08-25T19:51:00.000-04:00

This Sunday from 10 to 12 PM is likely my final show on WQFS. Summer air is finishing up, I am moving in September at some point, so I won't have a show next semester. I have been on the air for about two years at WQFS, and it has been a lot of fun. It gave me something to do in a new town and helped me connect with the local scene. I did radio in college in Boston, and it has been completely natural getting back into the swing of it after over five years off the air. I am moving to New York and I will be busy in a new job, so it is not very likely I will do radio there; but I would like to get back to it someday. There is always the possibility of an internet based show in the future. The technology is easy enough; it is just a matter of paying rights.

I will be maintaining this blog (I will probably change the name but not the web address) as a mostly music blog after I move. I will probably review shows and records. I may even branch out into other cultural matters and more personal things. We will have to see what develops.

For my probable last WQFS show on Sun. night, I will be doing a Record Hospital greatest hits show. I will be playing my favorite songs by some of my favorite bands. But most of the songs will also have some sort of emotional importance. They may, for me, represent a time, a place, or certain people. So, some of my favorite bands will be left off in favor of a one off song that I love. It should be fun. I'd really like to record it to CD if anyone can help me with that technology.

Sun., August 8, 10-12 PM

2004-08-12T00:16:00.000-04:00

It was a fun, high energy show this week. I even got a number of requests, but I couldn't find any of them back in our depleted, mis-alphabetized stacks.

1. Vibrators, "I Need a Slave," CBS Records, 1977.
2. Dicks, "Dicks Hate the Police", Alternative Tentacles: Reissue of track originally on Radical Records.
3. Avengers, "Car Crash," Dangerhouse Records, 1977.
4. Cosmic Psychos, "Crazy Woman," Mr. Spaceman Records, 1985.
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5. Threats, "Pacivity," Playlist Records, 1981: From the Scottish 7" comp Backlash!
6. Chronic Disorder, "I See Red," Self Release, 1984: From the Fred 7". Great Connecticut punk/hardcore. Nothing funnier than listening to Connecticut boys say, "Oi! Oi! Oi!"
7. Damned, "Feel the Pain," Stiff Records, 1977.
8. Metal Urbain, "Panik," Cobra Records, 1977: Wild French synth punk. If you like this, check out the comprehensive Metal Urbain retrospective on Acute Records.
9. Fat Day, "Lil' Things," 100% Breakfast Records, 2002: Check out Fat Day at the Werehouse on Aug. 26. Each tour is different. Two years ago they wore and played home made synth helmets and did songs mostly composed by fans of the band (who sent in a write-your-own-song postcards included in their last record). This time is sure to bring something else. They now have out a singles retrospective and soon have out a new album.
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10. Chris Knox, "Song for 1990," Flying Nun Records, 1990.
11. Clean, "Billy Two," Merge Records, 2003: Originally from the Boodle, Boodle Boodle ep.
12. V;, "Wardrobes in Hell," Self Release, 1980.
13. Frogs, "I don't care if u disrespect me (just so you love me)," Homestead Records, 1989.
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14. Reducers, "Let's Go," Rave On Records, 1984.
15. All Girl Summer Fun Band, "Down South, 10 Hours, I-5," k Records, 2003.
16. Alternative TV, "How Much Longer," Deptford Fun City Records, 1977.
17. George Harrasment, "Calvary," Hyped to Death/Messthetics/Morphius Records, 2004 (new release): A Homosexual side project from the just out Homosexuals retrospective three cd set.
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18. Erase Errata, "Walk Don't Fly," Troubleman Unlimited Records, 2001.
19. Feelies, "The Boy With the Perpetual Nervousness," Stiff Records, 1980.
20. Split Enz, "I See Red," Mushroom Records, 1979.
21. DNA, "Blond Red Head," No More Records, 2004: From the retrospective cd.
22. Mud Hutters, "Danger," Defensive Records, 1979.
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23. Magnetic Fields, "Long Vermont Roads," Merge Records, 2004 (new release): From the three cd comp in honor of the Merge 15th anniversary.
24. Homosexuals, "Prestel," Hyped to Death/Messthetics/Morphius Records, 2004 (new release): From the same retrospective set as the George Harrasment tune above. Originally from the second Homosexuals 7".
25. Bailter Space, "Grader Spader," Flying Nun Records, 1988.
26. Teddy and the Frat Girls, "Clubnite," Alternative Tentacles Records, 1984: Florida band. They originally self-released this on a 7".
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27. Pere Ubu, "On the Surface": Originally from the Dub Housing lp. I took it off the box set.
28. The Ex, "Fashionation," Homestead Records, 1988.
29. Liars, "We Got Cold, Coughed and Forgot Things," Hand Held Heart/Sound Virus Records, 2000.
30. Beep Beep, "I am the Secretary," Saddle Creek Records, 2004 (new release).
31. Dow Jones and the Industrials, "Can't Stand the Midwest," Hardly Music, 1980: I took this off the Bloodstains Across the Midwest comp from 1994.
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32. Scissor Girls, "Atomic Boys/love-Sick," 1994.
33. Fiery Furnaces, "Straight Street," Rough Trade Records, 2004 (new release).
34. Sister Ray, "Feel Like This," SAD Records, 1988.
35. Lyres, "No Reasons to Complain," Ace of Hearts Records, 1986.
36. Blitz, "Someone's Gonna Die," Get Back Records: Originally from 1981 on No Future.
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37. An Albatross, "Electric Suits and Cowboy Boots," Ace Fu Records, 2003.

The End of an Era

2004-08-11T06:09:00.000-04:00

In three issues, Glenn McDonald is ending his weekly self published (mostly) music column, The War Against Silence. He will end with issue 500 (to state the mathematically obvious, that is almost 10 years of work). His homepage says that will end the "weekly run", so maybe that means we can look forward to an occasional column. However, we can no longer count on a fresh column when we wake up every Thursday morning, and that is a sad thing indeed. Go to this post to see what it takes to write the column, and you will understand why he is leaving the grind behind.

I don't always agree with Glenn's analysis, sometimes I am not even familiar with the bands he writes about (I know nothing about Japanese rock), and sometimes his tastes are too mainstream for me, but the column is always well written and thought provoking. Plus, I like reading other Harvard grad music geeks.

Sun., July 25, 10-12 PM

2004-07-29T00:55:00.000-04:00

Its been a while since I have updated this site. For that I apologize. I still have all the playlists, so I will get to filling in all the missed shows at some point. Meanwhile . . .
This week my friend Jeff joined me in the studio. We alternated song choices with the first being my selection. I have listed more information on my songs, but if Jeff gives me more on his choices, I will fill them out.
This alternating songs format presented some challenges. I usually try to create a show that flows, with sets that work together. This is an art and certainly not a science. It doesn't mean that songs in a set are necessarily similar. It just means that somehow they work together or reference each other. While I tried to follow Jeff's tunes with something that flowed, I think Jeff was often purposefully doing the opposite. That's fine; in the end it worked, and it was good to mix things up.

1. Homosexuals, "Collapsible You", Hyped to Death/Messthetics/Morphius Records, 2004 (new release): The long promised, three CD reissue of everything the Homosexuals put out along with many side projects by band members and previously unreleased tunes. Legendary UK diy that has long been mostly unavailable. I am still working my way through the three CDs, but they are truly impressive. I have owned the twenty year old, itself collectible, Homosexuals lp that reissued some of the original recordings, and that material appears here, but most of these CDs have never been put out except in extremely limited pressings. I highly recommend this reissue. It is also the first glass mastered CDs on Chuck Warner's Hyped to Death CDR reissue label.
2. Thermals, "No Culture Icons".
3. Dead Kennedys, "Kill the Poor", Cherry Red Records, 1980.
4. Ryan Adams, "To Be Young".
5. Desperate Bicycles, "The Medium Was Tedium", Refill Records, 1977.
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6. The Sea & Cake, "Lamont's Lament".
7. Chills, "Doledrums", Creation Records, 1984.
8. Kid 606, "I Forgot to Finish", 2004 (new release).
9. Y Pants, "Favorite Sweater", Periodic Document: Second generation New York no wave originally issued in 1980 on 99 Records.
10. Tilt, "War Room".
11. Wipers, "Wait a Minute", Sub Pop Records: Originally on Park Avenue Records, issued in 1979.
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12. Comus, "Drip Drip", Get Back Records.
13. Chain Gang, "Son of Sam", Kapitalist Records, 1977.
14. Jim O'Rourke, "Ghost Ship in a Storm".
15. Ism, "I Think I Love You", S.I.N. Records, 1983: I had nothing that I thought went well with Jeff's last choice, so I decided to picked something that contrasted stridently. This New York hardcore cover of the Partridge Family song seemed like just the thing. Also, Jeff mentioned that his last song had his favorite album cover. Well, the cover on this Ism 7" is one of my favorites. To keep everything family friendly, I won't explain why.
16. Bad Religion, "I Want to Conquer the World".
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17. Raincoats, "Fairytale in the Supermarket", Rough Trade Records, 1979.
18. Dag Nasty, "Circles".
19. Asta Kask, "Ringhals Brinner", Rosa Honung Records, 1984.
20. Dump, "Pop Life".
21. Prats, "Disco Pope", Rough Trade Records.
22. Centro-matic, "Huge in Every City".
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23. Oneida, "Fantastic Morgue", Versioncity Records, 2002: From the split with the Liars. Oneida is coming to the Werehouse/PS211 on Tues., Aug. 17.
24. Need New Body, "Show Me Your Heart".
25. X, "Suck Suck", Amphetamine Reptile Records: Originally released in 1979 on X Records. The Australian band.
26. Manitoba, "I've Lived on a Dirt Road".
27. Crispy Ambulance, "Deaf", Factory Records, 1980.
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28. Weakerthans, "Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist".
29. Plastic Idols, "I.U.D", Vision Records, 1979.
30. The Baptist Generals, "Going Back Song".
31. Fat Day, "Stub Billy", 100% Breakfast Records: Inventive hardcore band from Massachusetts. I was in college radio with these guys in Boston in the early/mid 90s. They have a singles collection out now and a new record in the fall. They are on tour in late Aug. and will play the Werehouse/PS211 on Aug. 26. Check them out if you can.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<
32. ELO, "Standing in the Rain".
33. Zero Boys, "I'm Bored".

#1 Radio Station

2004-03-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

I got a call from someone doing a phone survey. The question? What is your favorite triad radio station? Of course, I gave my vote to WQFS. I gave my second place vote to WUAG. Truth be told, I couldn't name a local commercial radio station if I had to. I don't listen to commercial radio. They did ask if I worked at a radio station, and I disclosed my conflict. However, the tele-surveyor seemed to think that work meant "get paid", so apparently I wasn't disqualified.

Fri., March 5, 10-12 PM

2004-03-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

I'll be on again Wed., March 10 from 8-10 PM playing all British post-punk and then again Fri., March 12 from 10-12 PM doing a regular show.

1. Gaunt, "Spike", Anyway Records and Datapanik Records: I have sought to acquire all of the issues of Columbus, Ohio's Datapanik label. It was essentially a limited issue 7" punk label of the late 80's, early 90's, releasing predominantly Columbus area bands. The label was obviously influenced by Pere Ubu, what with the name (named after the Ubu ep Datapanik in the Year Zero) and the layout of the label which is an obvious homage to David Thomas' Hearthan Records. The most important bands to get their start on Datapanik are Gaunt and the New Bomb Turks (which happens to be the best punk show I've ever seen . . . Gaunt and the New Bomb Turks upstairs at the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square at the height of their powers in 1992 or early 1993). I believe Anyway Records was run by Columbus' Used Kids Records. I recently acquired this 7" and the next one I played on tonight's show. I now have all the releases except Big Red Sun, New Bomb Turks/Gaunt split, v/a Cowtown Volume One. I should be there soon.
2. Girly Machine, "O.K.", Datapanik Records: From the Girly Machine/Pica Huss split 7".
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3. Rocket from the Tombs, "Muckraker", Smog Veil Records, 2004: From the record of new recordings of old Rocket tunes by the (non)reunion line-up.
4. Nervebreakers, "My Girlfriend Is a Rock", Wild Child Records, 1978.
5. Undertones, "Family Entertainment", Strange Fruit Records, 1986: From the Peel Sessions recorded January 1979.
6. Blondie, "X Offender", Private Stock Records, 1976.
7. Kind of Like Spitting, "We Are Both Writers", Barsuk Records, 200?.
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8. Antelope, "Crowns", Dischord Records, 2004 (new release).
9. Frances Gumm, "Mercy", Sweet Portable Junket Records, 1991.
10. Killing Joke, "The Wait", EG Records, 1980.
11. No Trend, "Reality Breakdown", self-released, 1984.
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12. Sorry, "Listen", Radiobeat Records, 1984.
13. Deerhoof, "Milk Man", Kill Rock Stars Records, 2004 (new release).
14. Mountain Goats, "Home Again Garden Grove", 4AD Records, 2004 (new release).
15. Cul De Sac, "Doldrums", Nuf Sed Records, 1992.
16. Numbers, "Disease", Tigerbeat6 Records, 2004 (new release).
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17. Demob, "No Room for You", Round Ear Records, 1981: Supremely anthemic OI.
18. Mission of Burma, "That's When I Reach For My Revolver", Ace of Hearts Records, 1981.
19. Stereo Total, "Lunatique", Kill Rock Stars Records, 2004 (new release): A reissue of material originally from 1997.
20. High Risk Group, "Flag", Harriet Records, 1989.
21. Electric Eels, "Refrigerator".
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22. Scissor Girls, "Atomic Boys/Love-Sick", TSG Records?, 1994.
23. TV on the Radio, "Bomb Yourself", Touch & Go Records, 2004 (new release): Playing Thurs. the 11th at Ace's Basement.
24. Stranglers, "Hanging Around", A&M Records, 1977.
25. The Casual Dots, "Mama's Gonna Make Us a Cake", Kill Rock Stars, 2004 (new release).
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26. Village Pistols, "Big Money", Nylon Records, 1981: Greensboro's first "punk" record (the Flies were earlier but not pure punk). I took this off Killed by Death #7. See this site for more on the Village Pistols, this site for more on first generation North Carolina punk in general, and this site for a discography of first generation Carolinas punk. If anybody could hook me up with a copy of this 7" (or the Flies or any of the other NC records), I would be eternally grateful (and would pay a fair price). I collect original punk from the places I have lived, so I need this record.
27. Fire Exit, "Time Wall": Scottish band.
28. The Jam, "In the City", Polydor Records, 1977: The Sex Pistols ripped off the riff from this song.
29. Pylon, "Driving School", Armageddon Records, 1980.
30. Olivia Tremor Control, "Memories of Jacqueline 1906", Flydaddy Records, 2004 (new release): Re-issue of the first record.
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31. Drunks with Guns, "Punched in the Head", Cheap Beer Records, 1985: From their first 7".
32. Cosmic Psychos, "Down on the Farm", Mr. Spaceman Records, 1985: Perfect sludge from these Australians.
33. Geza X, "Isotope Soap", Alternative Tentacles Records, 1982: From the "Let Them Eat Jellybeans!" comp.

New WQFS Web Page

2004-03-04T17:41:00.000-05:00

The QFS webpage used to horrible. No information. No graphics. Never updated. Black and white. Now there is a shiny new page. There is a concert calendar, information about WQFS events, and the top thirty. There is an updated schedule that has a link to this page. Naman really did a great job with it. Now all we need is a live webfeed so that people everywhere (which really just means my mom) can listen.

Wed., March 10 8-10 pm is UK Post Punk Night on the Record Hospital

2004-03-03T22:13:00.000-05:00

I have gotten a number of great UK post punk/ art records (Fire Engines 12", Fatal Microbes 7", Crispy Ambulance 10", Swell Maps 7") recently. I am doing a spring break fill in show Wed. the 10th from 8-10 pm, so I have decided to make it all UK post punk/ art. Lots of big names, lots of obscurities. Get in your requests.

Spring Break Schedule

2004-03-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Spring Break starts next week, and there is a temporary schedule. The Record Hospital will be on the air:

Fri., March 5th from 10 pm to 12 am
Wed., March 10th from 8 pm to 10 pm
Fri., March 12th from 10 pm to 12 am

WQFS is back to regular schedule starting Mon. the 14th and for my show on Fri., March 19.

Viability of Indie Record Stores Pt. 2

2004-03-03T21:45:00.000-05:00

In his "Sound of the Industry" column, Douglas Wolk in the Village Voice recommends that we all take our $13.86 settlement that was mailed out this week for the CD price-fixing class action suit (everyone who registered online as having bought a CD in the past couple years was a class litigant) and go buy a used or budget-line CD (because a new CD would cost more than $13.86) from our favorite struggling record store, but he points out that it is too late to use the settlement at two New York indie stores (Holy Cow in Park Slope and Midnight Records in Chelsea) that have recently shut down. Alternately, if you no longer have an indie record store, you can buy a 50 pack of CDRs to burn DJ Danger Mouse's "Grey Album" (and I suppose 49 other records that you won't have to buy).

The problem is that even if you wanted to take your $13.86 (and supplement it with a buck or two of your own) and buy a legit copy of the Grey Album, you couldn't. In case you haven't heard, the Grey Album is a mix of Jay-Z's vocals from "The Black Album" over samples of the Beatles' "White Album" (officially "The Beatles"). Jay-Z released his album in a vocals only version as an invitation to mixing, but EMI will never consent to a use of Beatles material, and there is no right to use the material for sampling even with a fee.

Now, I have not heard the Grey Album, but with all the ballyhoo, I am curious. As I noted in a post a few days ago, I don't download. For one thing, I have dial-up, it would take forever. I would also like to think I have some respect for copyrights. Most importantly though, I like the album (or the single) with the art work. I relate to the physical object of the record as much as the music (that is the collector in me). I like to own the original punk 7" that was released in 500 copies. It is part of history. It is a connection to the music. I experience it the same way enthusiasts experienced it 25 years ago. That 7" was placed in the sleeve by the band, sold at a show, or sold at some hole-in-the-wall shop in London. Someone loved that record for a month, played it a few times for the rest of the year, and then grew-up and didn't care for punk. It went into storage for 20 years only to show up at a yard-sale or a used shop. Someone who knew what he was looking for found that little gem and placed it on ebay. I won it, and it flew all the way across an ocean only to spend a little time with me on my turntable.

Similarly, in part, I don't like CDs because they lack the physical connection of placing the stylus on the record. The CD goes in the black box, and who knows what is going on in there (well, I'm sure some engineers know, but that's not the point). You can't see tracks on a CD. With a CD you only have beginning, middle, end. With an LP, you have beginning, middle, minor ending, minor beginning, middle, end. It is much more dramatic. With a CD, the art work is 4.75 inches square. With an LP, the art work is 12.25 inches square. That is 6.7 times as much art. There is also something tragically sad but noble about the slow degradation of vinyl. You have a responsibility to care for the vinyl in order to keep it in good condition. But once again, I'm a Luddite, and my opinion on these matters should be ignored.

People who (illegally) download music that is readily available, instead of buying at their local indie store, are leading to the demise of said stores. However, that isn't true of Grey Album. Here, the record industry is leading to the demise of the indie store by keeping innovative music off the shelves and forcing people who want to consume it to become outlaws (many indie stores did good business in mixes until the record companies started raiding stores and confiscating their stock). What's more, once you are forced to become an outlaw just to hear what this Danger Mouse thing is about, it is probably all the more tempting to remain an outlaw for other releases. I imagine the first bank is the hardest one to knock off. Putting a needle in your vain has to be most difficult the first time you attempt it. In that, the industry isn't just destroying the indie stores (which they see as a nuisance), but they are taking away their bread and butter. I also find poignant Douglas' observation that the Beatles probably didn't seek permission for the samples they used on "Revolution 9."

I got my $13.86 the other day. I was excited because it is the only time I have received a legal settlement. I can't say I'm going to buy a record with it because I was going to buy the same number of records whether or not I got the settlement. But, hey, $13.86 is, well, $13.86, and who turns down $13.86, especially when it is coming from the music industry that won't let me hear the Grey Album?

Fri., Feb. 27, 2-4 AM

2004-03-02T23:00:00.000-05:00

1. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, "New England", Beserkley Records, 1976.
2. Young Marble Giants, "Ode to Booker T" and "Searching for Mr. Right", Z Block Records, 1979: From the "Is the War Over? A Cardiff Compilation". YMG's first appearance on vinyl. Rough Trade heard them on this comp and called them up. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. Television Personalities, "Arthur the Gardener", Rough Trade Records, 1981.
4. Homosexuals, "Hearts in Exile", ReR and Morphius Archives, 2004: Retrospective reissue.
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5. Olivia Tremor Control, "Jumping Fences", Flydaddy Records, 2004 (new release): Reissue of their first full length.
6. All Girl Summer Fun Band, "Jason Lee", K Records, 2003.
7. Girls, "Jeffrey I Hear You", Brasch Music, 1986: Off the retrospective lp, but it was originally a Hearthan 7". See this post for write up of this record.
8. Antelope, "The Flock", Dischord Records, 2004 (new release).
9. Helmet, "Born Annoying", Amphetamine Reptile Records, 1989.
10. Skewbald, "Grand Union", Dischord Records, 1991: Recorded between iterations of Minor Threat in 1981. Features Ian Mackaye and Jeff Nelson.
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11. Numbers, "Dance Attack", Tigerbeat6 Records, 2004 (new release).
12. Contortions, "My Infatuation", ZE Records, 1979: From the classic "Buy" lp.
13. All Astronauts, "Glassening", LookaliveRecs, 2004 (new release): Winston Salem band.
14. Tiny Desk Unit, "I Tried", 9.5 x 16 Records, 1980: DC No Wave band.
15. Twisted Nerve, "When I'm Alone", Playlist Records, 1982: Scottish punk band.
16. Spizzenergi, "Where's Captain Kirk?", Rough Trade Records, 1979.
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17. October Days, "West Coast", Clutch Records, 1981: Connecticut band.
18. Dead Kennedys, "Kill the Poor", Cherry Red Records, 1980.
19. Finks, "Hal Knieval", Self Release, 2004 (new release): Winston Salem band.
20. MC5, "Shaking Street", Roir, 1983.
21. The 13th Floor Elevators, "You're Gonna Miss Me", International Artists Records, 1966.
22. Warsaw, "Leaders of Men": Joy Division was called Warsaw before they changed their name. A London band called Warsaw Pakt quickly put out an album, so the Manchester band had to change its name. These are demos for a would be album recorded in May 1978.
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23. John Vanderslice, "Up Above the Sea", Barsuk Records, 2004 (new release).
24. God is My Co-Pilot, "Frauen U. Nichtfrauen", Dark Beloved Cloud Records, 1993.
25. Reptile Ranch, "Waterhole", Z Block Records, 1979: Another track from the "Is the War Over?" comp. Reptile Ranch were responsible for the label. The band featured Spike who later joined up with the Young Marble Giants' Alison Statton in the band Weekend.
26. C*nts, "Why Do You Live on My Block", Pravda Records, 1988: From a retrospective lp.
27. Groodies, "Count Your Dreams", Red Line Distribution, 2004 (new release).
28. The New Form, "On the Edge", Z Block Records, 1979: One last track from the "Is the War Over?" comp.
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For the last set I played the first six releases on Akron, Ohio's Clone Records in order.
29. Bizarros, "I Bizarro", Gorilla Records, 1976: This 7" was first released on Gorilla and then reissued on Clone 1.
30. Tin Huey, "Puppet Wipes" and "Cuyahoga Creeping Bent", Clone Records, 1977.
31. Bizarros, "Laser Boys", Clone Records, 1978.
32. Tin Huey, "Robert Takes the Road to Liebernawash", Clone Records, 1978.
33. Harvey Gold, "Armadillo", Clone Records, 1978.
34. Waitresses, "Slide" and "Clones", Clone Records, 1978.

The Viability of Independent Record Stores

2004-02-27T01:59:00.000-05:00

Do you have a good independent record store in your town? I live in Greensboro, North Carolina, and we have a great store in gate.city.noise. The owner, Andrew, has good taste in the records he stocks (and important to me, actually stocks a fair number of new LPs). He is very knowledgeable, and the store regularly hosts some of the best shows in North Carolina (ida, dr. eugene chadbourne, atom and his package, crooked fingers, the shins, q and not u, xbxrx, the mountain goats, ted leo and the pharmacists, the album leaf, poor rich ones, superchunk, neko case, american analog set, engine down, the mercury program, k., denali, rye coalition, six parts seven, my morning jacket, 764-hero, the capitol city dusters, elf power, jason loewenstein, archer prewitt, lanterna, the velvet teen, hot hot heat, the aislers set, the quails, hella, smog, the thermals and many more). That is an impressive list, and shows are always free (although a donation for traveling bands is requested and a moral imperative). Local bands also get to open for these bands, and there are many shows with just local bands. The store and Andrew are central elements of Greensboro's underground scene. gate.city.noise displays local visual art and also sells skateboards (although I am not qualified to comment on the skateboard side of the business).

The problem is that gate.city.noise is in trouble and may be shutting down. Andrew sent out this message the other day:
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What does gate.city.noise mean to you?
And what I mean by that question is what does it represent to you and how does it make your day better. This isn't a "check me out" by any means. Believe me when I say I don't run this record store to be cool or to be some big man around town, and I'm not trying to get some recognition for what I do here. I don't need that. I'm doing this because I love music to death. It consumes me and nurtures me. I do this because music commands it of me, and I whole heartedly accept. And I know a lot of you out there feel just as passionate about music as well.

I have tried many subtle times in the past to express my worries for the record industry and the future of this store, but today I will not sugar coat it and I will tell everyone the facts as they are. Some of this may come as a shock to you and many others simply won't care, which is fine. So the situation that the store is in now is the worst that it has ever been in it's 3 years and 11 months of business. People just aren't coming out to buy cd's and skateboards. I could speculate for hours on why, but the facts still remain. The past few months gate.city.noise has had remarkably low sales which cause it to be in debt something fierce. You see, in this unique business of release dates and large amounts of expensive inventory, one has to keep abreast of the new and desirable titles that you think everybody wants. Well, after weeks and weeks of buying cd's and not selling them, the lack of funds begin to become apparent in the form of flubber checks and denied shipments. And none of this new. This has been going on the whole time here, it's just that we were able to pull through unscathed. Not this time I'm afraid.

Last year, I (Andrew k Dudek), the sole owner and employee of gate.city.noise, made a grand total of $6400.00 . That's right, I made absolutely nothing. That barely covers the mortgage on my house. I'm not lying about this. So how do I survive then? Simple, I sacrifice everything I have and do for the better of the store as I should, it's mine. But I purposely did not take paychecks because it was more important to have this store stocked with new titles then it was for Andrew to have health or car insurance or even take his girlfriend out to dinner .

The debt is in the thousands which isn't so astonishing if you think about it. One shipment from one distributor could cost $2000 dollars and that doesn't include restocking title. And all businesses owe, that's no secret. But the debt I'm talking about is such that the lack of business and interest, leave me to worry and stress about not finding a way out. I am seriously considering selling the store and finding some new line of work that brings in an honest paycheck. I have seriously considered not selling skateboards, cutting my cd stock in half and focusing on making this more of a venue that brings in slightly larger bands. I have considered many many different things all at once, and I am tired.

So the next few weeks I am probably not going to have the newest albums you're looking for, because i simply do not have the money to make any orders. Aside from ebaying some posters and old skateboards, I can only hope that sales will pick up and carry the store to a safer place.

My reasons for writing this aren't to lay guilt on people or to look for hand outs. I'm not looking for anything like that. I'm just trying to tell everyone like it is. I do this store because I too want to live in a town that at least HAS a cool record store. Is Greensboro capable of sustaining such a store? Do people not like what gate.city.noise does? I'm I doing something wrong? Has president Bush's stupid stupid campaign really made this country's economy so bad that even its young financially aided student is too broke to buy cd's? Has the internet and downloading and overall suck bands caused this much damage? These are questions I ask myself daily. I don't have the answers. I know this is a bummer email, but it's better to hear it now instead of seeing taped up windows in two months. If any of the 1000 people on this email list have questions for me or suggestions or criticisms, you are more that welcome to call or email me. Please just ponder what it is I've said and think about the question that have I asked.
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I think that this presents many interesting questions. Some are local questions. What does this say about Greensboro? However, I think that most of these problems are similar to those faced by independent record stores around the country.

I can speak to the state of independent record stores in the cities where I have lived. I have been in Greensboro less than a year and a half. I grew up in Connecticut, went to college in Boston, and law school in Manhattan. I also practiced law in DC for two years. When I was in Boston, it had great record stores, and I assume it still does. It is a fairly large city with a very large student population (although I have heard that even Newbury Comics is struggling with the record side of the business). New York of course has good record stores; New York can support a myriad of underground niches. Washington, DC, on the other hand, does not have a good independent record store (at least as of of 1.5 years ago). It used to. There was Vinyl Ink which was a great store, but it couldn't make rent as a store-front and became an internet business. Then, tragically, George (the owner) died a premature death about two years ago, so the mail order business disappeared as well. Smash in Georgetown has punk records, but it isn't a great place for independent new releases. DCCD in Adams Morgan was a pseudo independent store, but it closed in December. Yesterday and Today, out in Rockville Md., closed its doors two years ago and is today just an internet business. Yesterday and Today is owned by Skip Groff of Limp Records fame. On Limp he put out a bunch of great early DC punk and wave bands but is probably most famous for co-releasing the second Minor Threat 7". Many of the important figures in DC punk and hardcore worked at Yesterday and Today at one point.

My point is that if DC repeatedly can't support an independent record store in today's climate, I am not surprised that a city the size of Greensboro can't. Tom Ivey, a fellow WQFS dj, argues:
---
"I don't have the answers either. I think some of it falls into the decreased sense of community in today's society, where we (in the collective sense) are too busy and too isolated to even know, much less care about our neighbors. And yes, I think it takes a certain amount of social awareness when you're in the big chain stores or the ubiquitous discount department store (you know the one, the evil W world) to think, "do I really want to buy my music here or do I make a community quality of life decision and support my neighborhood indie store that carries the regional and unique titles I'm interested in as well as the major artist releases?" "Do I go to the major venue that's owned by the monopoly that's killing radio and pay a ridiculous service fee in addition to the ticket price or do I support original, live music at my local venues?" "Do I buy the records of the artists I love, or do I burn a copy from someone else?" I realize I'm probably preaching to the choir here. Definitely something to think about though. To steal a slogan from one of my old concert t-shirts, "change begins with the individual"."
---
All repect for Tom, his argument may be part of the problem, but I am not sure it is the main problem. I don't think the problem is with the people of Greensboro and especially not with the people involved in the underground scene. They are the patrons of independent music and support it as best as they can.

I may be out of touch with mainstream music consumption behavior and have an overly indie-centric view of the world. I haven't been to a big box record seller in almost a decade. I either buy new independent releases at a local independent store if I can get them that way, or I get them on the internet, usually straight from the label or band. I can't recall the last time I purchased a major label new release. I also buy out of print vinyl on eBay, but that is just about the only way to get it. I do not download music, either illegally or legally. The Luddite I am, I like to get new releases on vinyl if I can.

My (perhaps uninformed) sense is that a lot of gate.city customers do buy records and do most of their bricks and mortar shopping at gate.city. They may download, but I think they probably buy as many records as they would otherwise even without downloading. The average buyer of independent records has a limited record budget, but I think he spends most of that budget. Downloading may keep some people out of the store altogether, but it is unclear how many of them would be gate.city customers otherwise. I think the same is true of the big box. I am not sure how much of an intersection there is between big box customers and independent customers. I think there are two universes of record shoppers: independents and mainstreamers. The mainstreamers I know wouldn't shop at gate.city and vice-versa. I think that the biggest problem is that except in the largest markets, the universe of independent buyers is not large enough. There are also structural, financial difficulties faced by independent stores and labels. Independent records cost more to make but sell for less on the rack than major label releases. Major labels don't deal fairly with independent stores. The majors charge too much for their releases, so independents can't turn a sufficient profit on major releases. Walmart gets huge volume discounts. A store like gate.city gets charged more than any other retailer. Majors really don't even want to bother with independents who have tiny sales. As Andrew explained above, a record store requires a lot of cash and a large inventory for what, under even the best conditions, is a relatively small turn on investment.

There are so many ways to get music these days, and we can't really blame people for taking advantage of a number of these methods. We will see what happens with downloading, and a lot has been written on the subject. It may swamp the industry. Often times the most convenient way to get records is online. For some of the more obscure titles I buy, gate.city doesn't stock them and can't even get them on special order. I have no sympathy for people who buy at big boxes, but big boxes aren't really a place to get independent releases anyway. In short, I don't think we can blame our community if gate.city goes under. Essentially, the economics of the business are bad and Greensboro probably isn't a big enough market for an independent record store. That sucks. It sucks for me who may not have someplace to pick up new releases (I'll have to go online). It sucks that there will be less shows(although hopefully Ace's Basement can take up a lot of the slack). It sucks that a cohesive element of the community might disappear. It sucks for Andrew who put his heart into the business and could very well lose his shirt. What sucks most, though, is that the fourteen year old kid who discovers independent music through gate.city may never discover the music. She will go through life listening to whatever the corporate taste-makers sell her and will not experience the community of independent music. She will be a different person. On the other hand, her parents will probably be happy she goes down the path more traveled.

Hopefully we can come together as a community, realize what an important asset gate.city.noise is, and give the store the support it deserves.

Use the comments to put in your two cents on the subject. If you have something longer to say(the comments have a letter limit), write me an email, and I will post it to the site.

Fri., Feb. 20, 2-4 AM

2004-02-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

I felt good about this week's show. A high energy, cohesive show, although it is difficult to do that in the middle of the night. Lots of new records, which always helps.

1. Those Intrinsic Intellectuals, "Radio Iceland", Fault Line Records, 1980: Great diy Scottish punk. I have been looking for this record for the longest time. You just can't beat the lyric, "Radio Iceland, (high pitched)Reykjavik, (high pitched)Reykjavik." Hard to beat the band name too.
2. Dead Kennedys, "California Uber Alles", Fast Records, 1979: Second issue of the first 7". Now that presidential primary season is upon us, it is interesting to examine this story about Jerry Brown's would be presidential victory. I am from Connecticut, which I believe is the only state Brown won in 1992. No matter what you think of Brown, I think it is great that he would go from governor of California to presidential candidate to mayor of Oakland.
3. Those Intrinsic Intellectuals, "Do the Executive", Fault Line Records, 1980: B side of this 7".
4. Tubeway Army, "Blue Eyes", Beggar's Banquet Records, 1979.
-------------------
5. Showcase Showdown, "Bob Barker is Innocent" and "Last of the Whigs", Pogostick Records, 1994: Two tunes from this Boston band's third 7". I recently picked up the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 7"s by these guys. I saw them a great number of times when they were first starting out and would open for lots of shows in Boston, but I never bought the records then for some reason (I guess I didn't have much money and I could listen to the records down at the radio station). You probably don't remember that Millard Fillmore was the last (at least so far) Whig president.
6. Showcase Showdown, "You're the Type of Person" and "Hey Hey Hey", Tario Records, 1994: Self-released 2nd 7" entitled "chickens".
7. Measles Mumps Rubella, "Zusammen Mit Motown", M'Aladay's Records, 2003.
8. Halo of Flies, "Human Fly", Power-Fist Records, 1991: Cramps cover.
--------------------
9. Y Pants, "Favorite Sweater", Periodic Document Records: A retrospective cd of this 2nd or 3rd generation NY no wave band. Features their 1980 ep on 99 Records, a comp track, and their 1982 lp on Neutral Records. This track comes off the 1980 ep. Catchy inventive no-wave with tinny sounding toy instruments.
10. Homosexuals, "Vociferous Slam", ReR and Morphius Archives, 2004(new release): A reissue of the Homosexuals lp (itself a retrospective lp) from 1984 with five additional tracks. Brilliant diy art music. Look for a more comprehensive three cd retrospective to be put out by Chuck Warner around May.
11. The Nurses, "I Will Follow You", Teen-A-Toons Records, 1980: The second 7" from this DC minimalist, art wave band.
12. Radio Birdman, "Burn My Eye": From the 2001 Sub Pop reissue.
13. Buzzcocks, "A Different Kind of Tension", IRS Records, 1980.
-------------------
14. Erase Errata, "Spanish Harvester", Gringo Records: From the Gringo Records Singles Club split 7" with Red Monkey.
15. People in Stores, "Metaphor", Propeller Product Records, 1981.
16. Red Monkey, "alter ed.", Gringo Records: From the above mentioned split 7" with Erase Erratta.
17. Antelope, "Crowns", Dischord Records, 2004 (new release): 2 song cd.
18. Finks, "Sleepwalk", self release, 2004 (new release): New record by this lofi Winston Salem band.
19. Ampersands, "Postcards", Harriet Records, 1992.
--------------------
20. Game Theory, "Here It Is Tomorrow", Rational Records, 1986.
21. Olivia Tremor Control, "Jumping Fences", Flydaddy Records, 2004 (new release): Reissue of their first full length.
22. Wingtip Sloat, "Read About Seymour" and Rake, "Vertical Slum", vhf records, 1992: A one-sided 7" with each of these bands covering a Swell Maps tune.
23. Tall Dwarfs, "Paul's Place", Flying Nun Records, 1982.
24. Mountain Goats, "Palmcorder Yajna", 4AD Records, 2004 (new release).
25. Y Pants, "Beat It Down", Periodic Document Records: See listing 9 above. This tune is from the 1982 lp.
-------------------
26. Error, "Homicide", Epitaph Records, 2004 (new release).
27. Rites of Spring, "Deeper than Inside", Dischord Records, 1985.
29. Numbers, "Dumb With Pain", Tigerbeat6 Records, 2004(new release): I have loved the Numbers, but their records are starting to sound a bit too much like each other.
30. Radwaste, "Off Course", Happy Squid Records: Features two former members of the Urinals and 100 Flowers.
31. Slant 6, "Love Shock", Dischord Records, 1994.
32. All Astronauts, "Glassening", LookaliveRecs, 2004 (new release): Winston Salem band.
-------------------
33. Ebba Gron, "Mona Tumba Slim Club", Mistlur Records, 1978: Swedish punk.
34. Crimson Spectre, "The Bourgeois Decadence of Depression", Magic Bullet Records, 2004 (new release): Greensboro band.
35. Mortal Micronotz, "Old Lady Sloan", Fresh Sounds Records, 1982.
36. Angry Red Planet, "Mediocrity", Angry Red Records, 1987.
37. Sister Ray, "Black", Resonance Records, 1987: Promo 7" that came with "Random Violence lp.
38. Mono Men, "Burning Bush", Estrus Records 1989.
39. Groodies, "Count Your Dreams", RedLine Distribution, 2004 (new release).
-------------------
40. Wreckless Eric, "Take the Cash", Stiff Records, 1978.
41. Camera Obscura, "Let Me Go Home", Merge Records, 2004 (new release).

Blogger Ads

2004-02-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

For the longest time the blogger ads at the top of this page that come with the free account were music related. Either about records or punk. Now they seem to be hospital ads (which comes from the name of my radio show). Lets see if I can do something about that. I assume they do some sort of search of the blog content to find appropriate ads. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp. Punk, vinyl record, lp.
That might do it.

Fri., Feb. 13, 2-4 AM

2004-02-14T03:00:00.000-05:00

I got in my car to do my show tonight, and WQFS was off the air. It didn't make sense to go in and start up the transmitter just to turn in it off two hours later. I figured everyone had tuned out since the signal was down. I will try to figure out what went wrong here. I'm not too happy about it because I had spent time pulling a show and planned my Fri. evening around the show. I apologize for the absence of the Record Hospital this week, but I should be back next Friday night. In the meantime, check out these shows this week:

Mon., February 16- The Mountain Goats, The Rosebuds, Cub Country @ Go Room 4 (ch)
Tues., February 17- Ben Davis and Cinemechanica @ the UNCG Faculty Center on College Avenue (WUAG show)
Sat., February 21, 2004- Kudzu Wish, Tiger Bear Wolf, Fire Parade, Skyline Awake @ Ace’s Basement
Sat., February 21, 2004- Mates of State, Dal Hawnay Troop, The Like Young @ Cat’s Cradle (ch)

-Michael Petitpas

New WQFS Schedule

2004-02-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

The new schedule for the spring semester has been set, and the Record Hospital will be back in its old slot on Friday night / Saturday morning from 2-4 AM. Email your requests. - Michael Petitpas

Playing Catch-up

2004-01-14T18:22:00.000-05:00

I am now two weeks behind on posting playlists with another show tonight. I need to catch up this weekend, and I will. I started doing a year end review for the 12/31 show, and it has just taken more time than I have had. The concert calendar is up to date though, so just use the link on the right.

New Record Hospital Schedule

2004-01-08T00:50:00.000-05:00

The following are the times for the Record Hospital over the next weeks:

Friday Dec. 5/Sat. Dec 6 from 12-2 am (as in Friday night but it is technically Sat. morning since it is after midnight)
Wed. Dec. 10 from 10-12 pm
Wed. Dec. 17 from 10-12 pm
Wed. Dec. 31 from 10-12 pm(we will ring in the new year as it is meant to be done . . . with punk rock; yeah, I know I am a loser with nothing better to do on new year's)
Wed. Jan. 7 from 10-12 pm
Wed. Jan 14 from 10-12 pm
After that for the next two weeks WQFS will have a temporary schedule for training new DJs. I will sign up for slots during those two weeks, but I don't yet know when they will be. A new permanant schedule will start on Feb. 1, but I don't yet know when my slot will be.

Wed., Dec. 17, 2003, 10-12 PM

2003-12-23T23:10:00.000-05:00

As I am typing out this week's playlist, I put on the "No New York" comp. I guess it is the Theoretical Girls 7" along with the Acute Records Theoretical Girls retrospective cd I picked up this week that made me want to listen to some more no wave to try to put the Theoretical Girls in a better perspective with the rest of the no wave scene. I find myself struck by the tuneful structure and inventive synths in D.N.A. I love no wave, but I have to admit that it can be difficult to listen to No New York straight through, and I haven't done so in a while. However, listening in one shot allowed me to draw comparisons that might not be so obvious when I just listen to one band or individual tracks.

1. Theoretical Girls, "You Got Me", Theoretical Records, 1978: The Theoretical Girls released one 7" during their existence. Within the past year or so, Acute Records has put out a retrospective of the Theoretical Girls compositions written by Jeffrey Lohn. Most of the tracks on the cd are live recordings; only "U.S. Millie" was previously released on the 7". The Theoretical Girls are better known as Glen Branca's first band, and he went on to some later fame with the Static and his guitar symphonies. The Branca tunes by the Theoretical Girls have been available for a while on a reissue cd of Branca's early material ("'77-'79" on Atavistic Records). "You Got Me" was a Branca tune and is on that cd. However, Jeffrey Lohn also did much of the writing for the Theoretical Girls, and his tunes were not previously available except for the one song on the rare 7". The Acute cd remedies that problem. I have meant to pick it up for a while, but I knew Acute was about to reissue all of the Metal Urbain stuff, so I figured I would hold off on getting the Theoretical Girls cd until the Metal Urbain cd came out to save on shipping. I went to the Acute site to see if there was any information about when the Metal Urbain cd was coming out (it is some time in January . . . and I can't wait), and I saw that they had a limited number of the original Theoretical Girls 7"s for sale because Jeffrey Lohn found some in his flat and decided to let them go. I jumped at the opportunity to pick up a mint stock copy of this really rare record at a very fair price. I had been looking for the 7" for a while and been intimidated by the prices I saw it going for at auction. You should go order yourself a copy of this 7". It is a seminal artifact of early no wave, and there is no better feeling than being the first stylus on a 25 year old piece of beautiful vinyl.
2. Theoretical Girls, "U.S. Millie", Theoretical Records, 1978.
3. Rapture, "House of Jealous Lovers", DFA Records, 2003 (new release): From the comp of DFA bands out now.
4. Girls, "Methodist Church", Brasch Music, 1986: This is from the lp "Girls Reunion", a title which is misleading because it is a retrospective record that contains one song from their Hearthan 7" and a number of other previously unreleased studio tracks (all of very good sound quality). The Girls had broken up somewhere around 1980-81. Robin Amos, of the Girls, continues on in Cul de Sac. This is my favorite Boston art record and one of my very favorite records. There is such great diversity. "Jeffrey I Hear You", "Pedestrian Walk", and "These Things" are almost straight ahead pop tunes. "Doggie Auto" and "Vietcong Women" are spastic but also wacky and fun. "Methodist Church" is hard-driving synth punk. "Cubist Grid" and "Keep It Simple" are more conventional synth driven no wave. The lyrics are generally meaningless (as in from Doggie Auto: "The greyhound likes it fast. Chihuahuas are conservative."), but the vocals are strong and float over droning, spastic, or no wave song structures in a way that is very reminiscent of early Pere Ubu (which is appropriate since they put out their 7" on Hearthan). Almost all the other songs are stand-outs as well. One striking thing is that, unlike most retrospective records, it truly works together as an album. There is an ebb and flow to it that ties the package together. I generally try not to play any one band too often on the show, but I allow myself to play the Girls as often as I want.
5. Vexers, "Love in the 22nd Century", Ace Fu Records, 2003 (new release).
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6. Metal Boys, "Sweet Marilyn", Rough Trade Records, 1979.
7. James White and the Blacks, "White Savages", ZE Records, 1979: From the "off white" lp. I didn't realize this tune was an instrumental when I cued it up. Without the lyrics it is a bit too much of a free jazz rip-off, but it isn't terrible.
8. The Waitresses, "#1 Slide", Stiff Records.
9. Sunshine, "Insomnia", Gold Standard Laboratories Records, 2003 (new release).
10. Weirdos, "Destroy All Music", Bomp Records, 1977.
11. Victims, "TV Freak", 1978: From Australia. Taken off Killed By Death #4.
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12. Modern Lovers, "Girlfriend", Beserkley Records, 1976: This material from their first record was recorded in 1972 for Warner Bros., but it wasn't released until 1976. It thus got swept up with the punk revolution although it really was much older. David Robinson, later of the Cars, and Jerry Harrison, later of the Talking Heads, were in the band for this record.
13. Orange Juice, "Simply Thrilled Honey", Postcard Records, 1980.
14. Filth, "Don't Hide Your Hate", Plurex Records, 1978: From the Netherlands. Taken off Killed By Death #4.
15. Cheetahs, "Radio-Active", Zoom Records, 1979: From Scotland.
16. Whirlwind Heat, "Purple", V2 Records, 2003 (new release).
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17. Young Marble Giants, "Searching for Mr. Right", Rough Trade Records, 1980.
18. Neats, "Six", Propeller Records, 1981: From the Propeller Product 7" comp.
19. Dishes, "Use Your Arms", File 13 Records, 2003 (new release).
20. Fat Day, 100% Breakfast Records, 1997: Not sure what track I played here. They sort of all run together. From the Burrega lp.
21. Spike in Vain, "Hamlet's Dilemma", Trans Dada Records, 1984: I found this record on the Scat Records site. Apparently, the guy who own Scat was in this band and had some mint, stock copies of this lp left over. Good hardcore.
22. Melt Banana, "A Dreamer Who Is Too Weak to Face Up To", 2003 (new release).
23. Beaver, "Life Is a Joke", Choice Cut Records, 1981: Pre Government Issue.
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24. Vomit Pigs, "Baby's Playing Games", Existential Vacuum Records, 1992: Originally issued on Bad Wreckords in 1978. I have seen the original 7" go at auction for $1500.
25. Vomit Pigs, "Useless Eater", Existential Vacuum Records, 1992.
26. Pagans, "Not Now, No Way", Crypt Records: Originally on Drome in 1978.
27. Richard Hell and the Voidoids, "Liars Beware", Sire Records, 1977.
28. Effigies, "Below the Drop", Autumn Records, 1981.
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29. An Albatross, "The Revolutionary Politics of Dance", 2003 (new release).
30. Feelies, "Fa Ce-La", Stiff Records, 1980.
31. Adverts, "One Chord Wonders", Stiff Records.
32. Charlie Dold, "Sins on My Shoulder", The Bus Stop Label, 1991: Back when I was in college, this was a major hit on WHRB, where I was a DJ. I wouldn't play it then because my show was a punk/hardcore show, and this kind of pop was destined to be the ruin of the Record Hospital and certainly all of western civilization. Yet, even then I would have admitted that this tune charmed the pants off me. Ten years later I will even play it on my show. I have gone soft. Or I have nothing to prove.
33. Slumber Party, "No Sleep Tonight", Kill Rock Stars Records, 2003 (new release).
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34. Ultra Dolphins, "Duck Butter, Then", If & When Records, 2003 (new release).
35. Savage Republic, "The Ivory Coast", Independent Project Records, 1982.
36. Liars, "Rose and Licorice", Version City Records, 2002.
37. Tubeway Army, "The Life Machine", Beggar's Banquet Records, 1978.
38. Quails, "Atmosphere", Inconvenient Press & Recordings: Their second lp. Came out in the last couple years.
39. Chills, "Purple Girl", Creation Records: Originally on Flying Nun, 1982?.

Wed., Dec. 10, 2003, 10-12 PM

2003-12-15T23:16:00.000-05:00

1. Rocket From the Tombs, "Final Solution", Smog Veil Records, 2004 (new release): This is from the reunion lineup of Rocket From the Tombs ("RFTT"). RFTT existed for less than a year in 1974-75. They never recorded a studio record, but some live tracks have come out on boots and then a couple of years ago on a legitimate release. They have now come back for a tour and have recorded studio versions of their original songs. These will be released as "Rocket Redux" in February, but are available at their shows. I saw them on Dec. 8 in Raleigh.
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2. Poodle Boys, "Pop Party", Gustav Records, 1982: This song was originally released in 1978. I took it from the Gustav comp "It Happened . . . but Nobody Noticed". Gustav was Craig Bell's label. Craig was the bassist in the Mirrors, then in RFTT, and then in the Saucers. I talked with Craig before the RFTT show on Dec. 8. I am very interested in Gustav Records because I am from Connecticut, and Gustav was out of New Haven, CT and released southern CT bands. I have arranged to have a phone interview with Craig early next year to learn more about CT punk. I will transcribe the interview and post it on this site.
3. Embarrassment, "Sex Drive", Bar None Records, 1995: Originally from their first 7" from 1979. They were from Kansas.
4. Dennis Most and the Instigators, " Destructive Love", Most Records, 1979: From W. Massachusetts.
5. Endtables, "Process of Elimination", Tuesday Records, 1979: From Louisville, Kentucky. I took it from the Bloodstains Across the Midwest comp.
6. Freeze, "No Exposure", Modern Method Records.
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7. Peter Holsapple of the H-Bombs, "Big Black Truck", Car Records, 1978: Early local power-pop. Had Mitch Easter and Chris Stamey playing on it. Apparently, Peter was in the H-Bombs before this, but they didn't record anything. He used the "of the H-Bombs" because he had some recognition with them. I had a caller who seemed angry with me because I pronounced his name Hole-sapple in stead of Wholes-apple. I apologized, but that didn't seem sufficient for the caller.
8. Lyres, "How Do You Know", Ace of Hearts Records, 1986.
9. Sunshine, "Insomnia", Gold Standard Laboratories Records, 2003 (new release).
10. Shellac, "Rambler Song", Touch and Go Records, 1993: From the first 7".
11. An Albatross, "Electric Suits & Cowboy Boots", Ace Fu Records, 2003 (new release).
12. Delta 5, "Try", Rough Trade Records, 1980: From the third 7".
13. lcd soundsystem, "Give It Up", DFA Records (new release): From the DFA comp of singles they've put out over the last couple years.
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14. Stukas, "Klean Living Kids", Chiswick Records, 1977.
15. Foreign Objects, "World at War", Squared Circle Records, 1980: Massachusetts band.
16. Creation, "Biff Bang Pow", Planet Records, 1966: From a reissue of all their singles on Get Back Records.
17. Rocket From the Tombs, "Muckraker", Smog Veil Records, 2004 (new release).
18. Angry Red Planet, "Mediocrity", Angry Red Records, 1987.
19. Sorry, "Listen", Radiobeat Records, 1984.
20. Melt Banana, "shield for your eyes, a beast the well on your hand", A-Zap Records, 2003 (new release).
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21. Game Theory, "Bad Year at UCLA", Rational Records, 1982: From the infamous Blaze of Glory lp. They didn't have the money to print covers, so it was placed in a trash bag.
22. Fire Engines, "Get Up and Use Me", Codex Records, 1980. I couldn't find the year on the 7", but I looked it up in my "International Discography of the New Wave Volume 1982/83" that I just picked up. The book is a great resource for researching punk records, especially for 7"s that don't show up in the Trouser Press Guide.
23. Books on Tape, "She's Dead to Me", Greyday Records, 2003 (new release).
24. Dancing Cigarettes, "Pop Doormat", Gulcher Records, 1981.
25. Mates of State, "Ha Ha", Polyvinyl Records, 2003 (new release).
26. File Under Pop, "Corrugate", Rough Trade Records, 1979: This is a weird little Rough Trade noise record. Except for this tune it was recorded at Heathrow Airport.
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27. Magnetic Fields, "Old Orchard Beach", Harriet Records, 1989: From their first 7". This was before Stephin Merritt took over vocals. Susan Anway is on vocals. She was previously in the Boston art-punk group V; (the band name includes the semi-colon) who get some play on my show. They have a great self-released 7" from 1980, a couple tracks on the Propeller label comps, and a 12" ep on Propeller.
28. Wingtip Sloat, "Blessed Nimbus, Churning", self released: From their first 7". It is a weird little package with each cover having unique collage art and stamps and inserts of scraps of paper and cardboard.
29. Wire, "Lowdown", Harvest Records, 1977: From the "Pink Flag" lp.
30. Numbers, "Too Cool To Say Hi", Archigramophone Records.
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31. Jam, "David Watts".
32. Essential Logic, "Aerosol Burns", Kill Rock Stars Records, 2003 (new release): New retrospective of most of the Essential Logic stuff.
33. Chronic Disorder, "Fire", Gustav Records, 1985.
34. Deadbeats, "Let's Shoot Maria", Dangerhouse Records: From the Dangerhouse Volume One comp. Previously unreleased.
35. Dismemberment Plan, "Life of Possibilities", DeSoto Records, 2003 (new release).
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36. Crass, "The Unelected President", Peace Not War Comp, 2003 (new release): I was a little surprised to see a new Crass tune on this comp. Who knew they were still around? Not their best stuff, but I guess it was always about the message anyway with Crass.
37. Black Market Baby, "World at War", Limp Records, 1981: From the comp "Connected".

Fri., Dec. 5, 2003, 12-2 AM

2003-12-06T23:12:00.000-05:00

A little more than an hour of this week's show focused on Cleveland (with a little Columbus and Akron thrown in for good measure) to get ready for the Rocket From the Tombs ("RFTT") show on Monday. It is difficult to overestimate the pre-punk importance of RFTT and the Cleveland scene. Most of the elements of Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys can be heard in RFTT, and the core early songs of those successor bands were covers of RFTT songs. I am next on the air Wed., 12/10 from 10-12 pm.

1. Stiff Little Fingers, "78 RPM", Rough Trade Records, 1978: B Side of the Alternative Ulster 7".
2. Nurses, "Hearts", Round Raoul Records, 1979: From their first 7". The perfect mix of pop tunes and a sparse structure that keeps them from being too "New Wave" like a number of other early DC punk bands.
3. Stranglehold, "She's Not Leaving", Taang!: One of the first Taang! Releases.
4. Erase Errata, "Let's Be Active c/o Club Hott", Troubleman Unlimited Records, 2003 (new release): In unrelated news, I saw on the Troubleman Unlimited site that they are putting out the next Fat Day record. That is exciting news. I was in college radio with the members of Fat Day in the early 90's. I went to their website the other day and it wasn't there, so I thought that maybe they broke up, but when I saw news of the signing I guess they are just starting a new site to go with the new label.
5. Reducers, "Let's Go", Rave on Records, 1986?: A live track from a 7" that has two live tracks on the A side and reissues the two tracks from their first 7" on the B side.
6. Vibrators, "Stiff Little Fingers", CBS Records, 1977: The band Stiff Little Fingers (see the first tune) stole their name from the tracks.
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7. Flying Luttenbachers, "Clank", Skin Graft / ugExplode Records, 1996.
8. Big Black, "Passing Complexion", Homestead Records, 1986.
9. Martin Rev, "Black Ice", File Thirteen Records, 2003 (new release).
10. Mars, "Helen Fordsdale", Antilles Records, 1978: From the No New York no wave comp.
11. Ebba Gron, "Bevapna er", Mistlur Records, 1979: Somehow it is more fun to listen to catchy punk songs when you can't tell what they are saying since they are singing in Swedish.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
12. Dag Vag, "Dimma", Ball Records, 1978: Great Swedish noise.
13. Fall, "City Hobgoblins", Rough Trade Records, 1980.
14. Mountain Goats, "Pure Intentions", Shrimper Records, 1992: From the first 7".
15. Tall Dwarfs, "Cant", Flying Nun, 1987.
16. Undertones, "Family Entertainment", Strange Fruit Records, 1986: From the Peel Sessions recorded Jan. 21, 1979.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The next three sets were an experiment where we played a Rocket From the Tombs song and then played the same song by a RFTT successor band. I hoped to draw comparisons between the bands.
17. Rocket From the Tombs, "Final Solution", Smog Veil Records, 2002.
18. Dead Boys, "Final Solution", Sire Records, 1977.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
19. Rocket From the Tombs, "Life Stinks", Smog Veil Records, 2002.
20. Pere Ubu, "Life Stinks": Originally from the Modern Dance lp. I took it from the cd box set. I think the comparison here was the most successful. By the time of this recording, David Thomas had perfected his spastic style, and the roots of this can be heard in the RFTT version. The Pere Ubu version is faster and less conventionally structured than the RFTT version.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
21. Rocket From the Tombs, "Muckraker", Smog Veil Records, 2002.
22. Saucers, "Muckraker", Orange Records, 1979: The Saucers were Craig Bell's band after he moved to New Haven. Bell was also in the Mirrors before RFTT.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
23. Black Flag, "Six Pack" (request): Not Cleveland related, but glad to honor a good request.
24. Girls, "The Elephant Man", Hearthan Records, 1979: The Cleveland connection here is David Thomas' record label. The Girls were from Boston. This is the only record they put out while they were together. I think they were the only non-Cleveland band to record on Hearthan. It isn't clear to me how this came to pass. I think they dragged Pere Ubu to their practice space when Ubu was playing Boston. Daved Hild, of the Girls, subsequently played with David Thomas and the Wooden Birds and on other occasions.
25. Television, "Venus", Elektra Records, 1977: The RFTT connection here is Richard Lloyd, who is taking the guitar part of the deceased Peter Laughner in the reunion line-up for RFTT. This is appropriate because Laughner was a huge fan of Television and Tom Verlaine. When Lloyd quit Television, Laughner sought to take his place and I think that he even did for a few weeks.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
26. Easter Monkeys, "14th Floor", Hit & Run Records, 1991: Recorded in 1983 but not put out until later. From Cleveland.
27. Gaunt, "Revolution", Datapanik Records, 1992. Gaunt and the Datapanik label are from Columbus, OH. Datapanik named after the Pere Ubu ep "Datapanik in the Year Zero". Gaunt looks back on the Cleveland punk sound, especially the Pagans.
28. Rubber City Rebels, "Rubber City Rebels", Stiff Records: From the Akron comp. Not sure why a British label put out a comp of just Akron bands. Akron is the Rubber City because of the dominance of the tire industry (don't know if that is still true in the post-industrial age). Why is Greensboro called the "Gate City"? I have asked a lot of people this question and never gotten an answer. Email me if you know the reason why.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
29. Clocks, "Time Is on My Side", Terminal Records, 1980: From the Cleveland Confidential 7" comp put out by the Pagan's Mike Hudson. There was subsequently a 12" comp. Put out by Hudson also called Cleveland Confidential.
30. Electric Eels, "Agitated", Scat Records, 2001: A two lp set that is the most comprehensive retrospective of the Electric Eels. Along with RFTT, the Electric Eels were Cleveland's other most influential pre-punk band.
31. Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, "Can't Kill Stupid", Datapanik Records: From Columbus. Ron House of the TJSA was previously in Great Plains.
32. Mirrors, "Frustration", Scat Records: From the three 10" set "Those Were Different Times". One 10" each for the Mirrors, Electric Eels, and the Styrenes. Craig Bell was originally in the Mirrors before RFTT. They put out one 7" on Hearthan.
33. Styrenes, "You're Trash", Scat Records: From the above mentioned three 10" set. They were part of the Cleveland pre-punk scene. Anton Fier was in the Styrenes at one point.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
34. Mike Rep and Quotas, "Rocket to Nowhere", Siltbreeze Records.

Now we are done with Cleveland. Time to play some new releases.

35. LCD Soundsytem, "Give It Up", dfa records, 2003 (new release): Comp of dfa releases.
36. The Vexers, "Vicious", Ace Fu Records, 2003 (new release).
37. Explosions in the Sky, "First Breath After Coma", TRR Records, 2003 (new release).
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
38. An Albatross, "The Revolutionary Politics of Dance", Ace Fu Records, 2003 (new release).
39. Jad Fair, "Frankenstein Must Die", Armageddon Record, 1980?.
40. Melt Banana, "A Dreamer Who Is Too Weak to Face Up To", A-Zap Records, 2003 (new release).
41. Quasi, "Good Time Rock-n-Roll", Touch and Go Records, 2003 (new release).

See you at the Rocket From the Tombs show at King's in Raleigh on Monday night. I'll put a review of the show here soon.

No Record Hospital Fri., Nov. 21 or Fri. Nov. 28

2003-11-19T18:24:00.000-05:00

The Record Hospital will not be on the air the next two weeks. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and tunes in for the return of the Record Hospital on Fri., Dec. 5 / Sat. Dec. 6 from 2 to 4 AM. Two weeks without a show just means more new records when we come back in December. Great shows this week:
>Fr 11/21 Q And Not U w/ Black Eyes, Fin Fang Foom and City Goats @ Go! Room 4 (C-H)
> *Sa Nov 22 WUAG Presents: Trouble with Sweeny and Forget Cassettes at the UNCG Faculty Center on UNCG Campus. 8pm.
>M 11/24 The Ex-Models, Manamid @ Gate City Noise 8 PM (GSO)
>Tu 11/25 Landing, Gam Spun @ Gate City Noise 8 PM

Fri., Nov. 14, 2-4 AM

2003-11-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

Check out the link to the new concert calendar on the right of this page. I will be updating this calendar regularly for shows. Tom Ivey is doing the bulk of the lifting compiling the listing; I am just publishing it to the new page and adding anything additional that I notice. I'll keep it constantly updated as I notice new shows. This concert calendar page should soon also be linked to the main WQFS page. I am also excited to announce that this page has now shown up on Google searches.

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1. Desperate Bicycles, "The Medium Was Tedium", Refill Records, 1977: "It was easy, it was cheap, go and do it." The ultimate DIY sentiment from the ultimate DIY record. This was their second self-released 7".
2. Desperate Bicycles, "Don't Back the Front", Refill Records, 1977: The second track off the 7". It would ordinary be the B side but to save money they put both tracks on the same side and then pressed the same two tracks on both the A and B side with a label only on the A side.
3. Raincoats, "Fairytale in the Supermarket", Rough Trade Records, 1979: Their first 7". The other two tracks show up on the first lp, but this little gem doesn't. Rougher sound than the lp.
4. Disco Zombies, "Here Come the Buts", dining out.tux records, 1980.
5. Mark Perry, "He Lives I Die", Deptford Fun City Records, 1980. Formerly of Alternative Television and the influencial UK 'zine Sniffin' Glue.
6. El Guapo, "Just Don't Know", Dischord Records (Request)
<<<<<<
7. Erase Errata, "Owls", Troubleman Unlimited Records (New release)
8. People in Stores, "Factory", Propeller Product Records, 1981: From the "Propeller Product" 7" comp of Boston art-wave bands. The label was run as a cooperative. Other band on comp are the Neats, CCCP-TV, and the Wild Stares.
9. Suburbs, "DD 69", Twin Tone Records: From the first lp.
10. 100 Flowers, "Dizzy Ms. Lizzy", Happy Squid Records: From their first, self-titled lp.
11. Dogs, "Slash Your Face", Detroit Records, 1978.
<<<<<
12. Dicks, "Dicks Hate Police": Originally from their first 7" on Radical Records, but this came from the reissue retrospective on Alternative Tentacles.
13. Zudzu Wish, "Do You Need an Anthem" (New release, Request)
14. Chronic Disorder, "The Final Line", 1983: Self release. Limited edition of 300. From South Windsor, CT.
15. Really Red, "Modern Needs": From the Really Red retrospective CD on Angry Neighbor Records.
<<<<<
16. Saucers, "What We Do", Orange Records, 1979: From New Haven, CT.
17. Bizarros, "It Hurts Janey", Clone Records, 1978: From Akron, Ohio.
18. Spike, "#1 Band in Town", Fred Records, 1980: This is the solo project of Eliot Kagan, formerly of Syracuse's Penetrators. Put out on the same label as the Penetrators, this song was a Penetrators tune.
19. Mission of Burma, Academy Fight Song, Ace of Hearts Records.
20. Black Dice and Wolf Eyes, Fusetron Records, 2003.
<<<<<
21. Stranglers, "London Lady", A&M Records, 1977. From the Rattus Norvegicus lp
22. Roger Reale, "Kill Me", Big Sounds Records, 1978.
23. Dishes, "Action Woman" (New release)
24. High Risk Group, "Flag", Harriet Records, 1989
25. Dils, "Hate the Rich": From the comp of band that put out records on LA's What Records. The comp is called "What Stuff".
26. Queers, "Kicked Out of the Webelos": Originally from the second 7" from 1984 on their own Doheny Records. Reissued in the 90's in limited issue on Doheny and then again on Selfless Records.
27. Queers, "Tulu Is a Wimp": Got stuck on the phone and looking for requests, so I played two Queers tracks.
28. Celibate Rifles, "Killing Time", Hot Records, 1983.
<<<<<
29. Emergency, "Don't Walk on the Kitchen Floor", Archigramophone Records, 2000?: From the split lp with The Numbers
30. Superchunk, "The Majestic" (New release - a comp. of Superchunk rarities, b-sides, etc.)
31. Sister Ray, "Way to Go", Resonance Records, 1987: From the great Random Violence lp.
32. Eddie and the Hot Rods, "Get Out of Denver", Island Records, 1977: From their first lp, "Teenage Depression".
<<<<<
33. Swell Maps, "Ripped and Torn"
34. Denali, "Real Heat" (New release)
35. Constantines, "Shine a Light" (New release)
36. Throbbing Gristle, "Dead on Arrival"
<<<<<
37. Shut Up, "Thalidomide", Brasch Records, 1986.

Fri., Nov. 7, 12-2 AM

2003-11-09T01:23:00.000-05:00

Filling in for J's Indie Rock Mayhem this week, so I was on two hours earlier than usual. Next week back to the regular 2 to 4.

1. Wipers, "Is This Real", originally on Park Ave. Records from 1980, reissued on Sub Pop in 1993.
2. Controllers, "Slow Boy", originally on Siamese Records, Dionysus Records reissue.
3. Metal Urbain, "Panik", Cobra Records 1977: This is their first 7". Reissue of all the Metal Urbain stuff is coming out soon (dec., jan.?) on Acute Records in the US and I think Seventeen Records (Metal Urbain's own label?) in France. In honor of the reissue, Metal Urbain has come back together for some dates. Unfortunately, they aren't coming anywhere near NC. I was almost tempted to go up to NY to see them. I am usually against these sort of reunion dates, but Metal Urbain were such an unusual band to begin with, it would have been interesting to see them now. I'll have to look for a review of their NY dates that were this week, and I think they did a live gig on WFMU, so I'll probably look to see if I can find that. I think WFMU has most of their shows available online.
4. Roky Erickson & the Aliens, "Creature with the Atom Brain", 415 Records from 1981: Roky used to be lead singer of the '60s psych group the 13th Flour Elevators from TX.
<<<<
5. Pretty Girls Make Graves (new release), "All Medicated Geniuses", Matador Records
6. Chain Gang, "I Don't Mind", Lost Records 1987: I've had and loved their first 7" from 1977, "Son of Sam". I'd been meaning to pick up this record, the "Mondo Manhattan" lp, for a while, and I found it at Gate City Noise in the used bin. Gate City Noise is great for new records, and we are lucky to have an independent record store like it in town (not to mention the shows . . . which are an incredible service). I moved here from DC, and there is no real independent store in DC. That gives you an idea how lucky we are to have GCN. However, there usually isn't much in the used bin, so I was excited to find something this obscure there.
7. Quintron (new release), "Mud Bugs", Three.one.G Records
8. Erase Errata (new release), "Go to Sleep", Troubleman Unlimited Records
<<<<
9. No Strings, "Lease-a-girl", Tekno Tunes Records 1981: I love the band the Scientific Americans. They are from Western Massachusetts - Northampton. They played electronic art punk well before it was fashionable and put out a 7" and a couple of flexis on their own Tekno Tunes label. They also put out a cassette on Roir that I need to pick up. Anyway, they let other Northampton band put out records on their label. I think they sort of ran it as a cooperative like Boston's Propeller label. I picked this 7" up because it is on the Sci Ams label, but is pretty good. I also have a Tekno Tunes 7" by the Paper Dolls that is ho-hum new wave. To give this context, I next played:
10. Scientific Americans, "Justice", Tekno Tunes Records 1979: This is from the "Beyond Rational Thought" 7". There is a fun version of the Jet Screamer tune "Eep opp ork" from the Jetsons on this 7" as well as the great G-Stalt.
11. Plastic Idols, "Sophistication", Vision Records 1979: B side of the "IUD" 7'. This is a really fun 7". Both sides are aggressive electronic punk.
<<<<
12. Disband (new release), "Capture the Flag", Ernest Jenning Record Co.: Greensboro band play out locally with some regularity.
13. New Bomb Turks, Cryin' Into the Beer of A Drunk Man, Datapanik Records 1992: This is a fun 7" with lofi versions of two songs that would later appear on their Crypt lp and a cover of "Just Head" by the Nervous Eaters and "Do the Pop" by Radio Bridman.
14. White Boy, "I Could Puke", Doodley Squat Records 1977: One of the first, if not the first, DC punk records. Self released on their own Doodley Squat label. Thug, shock punk by a father (Mr. Ott) – son (Jake Whipp) team. How often do you see that. According to "Dance of Days", the book on DC punk by Mark Jenkins and Mark Andersen, this was the first punk record a young Ian MacKeye acquired.
15. Radio Birdman, "New Race": From the Sub Pop reissue
<<<<
16. Rapture (new release), "House of Jealous Lovers", DFA Records.
17. Kilgore Trout, "Quality Control", Hits $ Corruption Records 1986: This sounds a lot earlier than '86. Could have been from '80. 4 song 12" ep. Great cover.
18. Zounds, "Dirty Squaters": from the reissue of all their stuff (originally on Crass and Rough Trade) on Broken Rekids.
19. Quails (new release), "Carmen", Mr. Lady Records: See them this Tues. at Gate City Noise.
<<<<
20. Andy Cameron, "I Want to be a Punk Rocker" Klub Records 1977: Novelty record from a mainstream Scottish comedian. Interesting because it provides contemporary stereotypes of punk at a time when it was still scary and shocking to the British public. Just think of the sex pistols on the Bill Grundy show. My favorite line: "I want to be a punk rocker long after the music is forgotten." In 1977, who would have thought this music would still be vital today. The first wave of punk was indeed killed off by the major labels by 1978, but the DIYers took up the cause and kept things going.
21. Fire Exit, "Time Wall", Timebomb Records 1979.
22. Dishes (new release), "Hole in Your Head", File 13 Records.
23. Reducers, "Things Go Wrong", Vibes Records 1978: UK band, not the CT band I often play.
24. Nervebreakers, "Hijak the Radio": Reissue on Rave Up Records.
<<<<
25. Kudzu Wish (new release), "The Guilt", Ernest Jenning Record Co.: Greensboro Band and as a matter of full disclosure - most of the members of this band are former WQFS DJs.
26. Cosmic Psychos, "Crazy Woman" Mr. Spaceman Records 1985: Australian band. I think this is their first lp. Sort of metal tinged (but in a good way) thug punk.
27. Kissing Tigers (new release), "Indieinamall", Showdance Records.
28. Volcano Suns, "Animals", Homestead Records 1985.
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29. +/-, "Trapped Under Ice Floes", Teenbeat Records: See them this Mon. at Go Studios.
30. Prefects, "Going Through the Motions", Vindaloo Records / Rough Trade Records 1979.
31. Pilgrim State, "Oppression From You", New Underground Records 1983.
32. Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments, "Bottle Island", Datapanik Records: From the split 7" with the Monster Truck 5.
33. Asta Kask, "Landsplikt", Skvaller Records.
34. Goteborg Sound, "Jag har fatt nog".
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35. Ballboy (new release), "I Wonder if You're Drunk Enough to Sleep with Me Tonight", Manifesto Records.
36. Sneakers, "Condition Red", Carnivorous Records 1976: Early powerpop from NC. Features Chris Stamey, Will Rigby, Mitch Easter & engineered by Don Dixon.
37. Denali (new release), "Hold Your Breath", Jade Tree Records.
<<<<
I put on the A side of the Volcano Suns lp "The Bright Orange Years" from '85 on Homestead (that I had played a different song from earlier) as I was cleaning up before I shut down the transmitter. I played "Jak", "Descent into Hell", "Truth Is Stranger Than Fishing", and "Balancing Act" and then it was time to go home. Tune in next week and go to shows. Email me with questions, requests, or anything else. Really, I am happy to make the show more interactive.

Friday, Nov. 7 Show from 12 to 2

2003-11-06T17:43:00.000-05:00

I am on two hours early this week . . . from 12 to 2 am on Fri night (Sat. morning) instead of my usual 2 to 4.
Here are the shows worth thinking about this weekend, next week:
--Sa 11/08 Disband, The Deep Six, Manamid, The Nein @ PS 211 (W-S)
--Sa 11/08 Guided By Voices w/ The Oranges @ Cat's Cradle (C-H). I haven't seen Guided by Voices for years, but that used to be a great live show. I was never as much into the records, but back then I was a little bit more dogmatic in my punk ways.
--Su 11/09 The Yeah Yeah Yeahs w/ The Tall Boys, Entrance @ Cat's Cradle (C-H)
--Mo 11/10 +/-, The Wrens w/ Disband @ Go! Room 4 (C-H)
--Tu 11/11 Quails, Des Ark @ Gate City Noise (GSO)
--Fr 11/14 Xiu Xiu, El Guapo, Brother Reade, Ashrae Fax @ PS211 (W-S)
Bunch of GREAT shows coming up Thanksgiving week with Q And Not U w/ Black Eyes, Fin Fang Foom 11/21; Ex-Models 11/24; Landing 11/25 but might have to miss them because of the holiday. Bad timing.

Halloween Show- Fri., Oct. 31, 2-4 AM

2003-11-02T23:14:00.000-05:00

Next week I will be on Fri. night Nov. 7 from midnight to 2 am instead of my regular 2 to 4 am. J's Indie Rock Mayhem, which usually precedes, my show will not be on the air.

Tough show this week. Had to write down everything I played in a separate BMI log. This is something we have to do occasionally. Also have to do it for ASCAP. BMI uses the lists to figure out how to pay the bands for airplay. As if some of these bands that put out 500 7"s over twenty years ago will ever get paid. They aren't even registered with one of the big licensing companies for the most part. Anyway, it can be tough to fill out the logs (that require you to find who authored the song) and cue up a mostly vinyl show of two minute songs. All considering, I think it was a pretty good show. I did sometimes look for the longer tunes on a record though.

1. Shirkers- "Drunk and Disorderly", Limp Records 1978
2. Dum Dum Band- "Dum Dum Dum", Struck Dum Records 1978, 79?: Classic DIY with stamped label and photocopied cover
3. Shirkers- "Suicide", B side of the above 7"
4. Metal Boys- "Sweet Marilyn", Rough Trade Records 1979: Metal Boys, along with Dr. Mix and the Remix, are an off-shoot of the great French electro-punk band Metal Urbain. Look for a retrospective of all the Metal Urbain stuff soon on Acute Records. They are also playing some reunion shows in NY and elsewhere this month, but I think the closest to here is Pittsburg.
5. Buzzcocks- "What Do I Get", UA 1978: I've had this on Singles Going Steady, but sometimes it is fun to pick up the 7" if the price is right, so this counts as a new acquisition.
<<<<
6. Feelies- "Forces at Work", Stiff Records 1980: This New Jersey band had there first record as an import only.
7. Rapture- "Echoes" (new release)
8. Numbers- "We Like Having These Things", Tigerbeat6
9. Kleenex- "Heidi's Head": From the Kill Rock Stars retrospective. Originally on Rough Trade. Later changed their name to LiLiPuT to avoid threatened trademark litigation from Kimberly Clark, maker of the famous tissue product.
<<<<
For this next set I decided to play some of the most anthemic tunes out of the crate of records I brought.
10. Eddie and the Subtitles- "American Society": From the Bloodstains Across California comp.
11. Demob- "No Room For You", Round Ear Records: I think this is my favorite OI tune. Just the right combination of catchiness and passion.
12. Zero Boys- "Civilizations Dying", Nimrod Records: From Indiana. One of the few hardcore bands to match Minor Threat for tunefulness. "The Pope and the President and big rock stars who make a lot of money all have one thing in common". I don't recall what it is the have in common, but that is a great line.
13. (I)mpatient Youth- "In Your Backyard": From the Lost and Found reissue of a bunch of their stuff. The Impatient Youth 7" is up there towards the top of my want list. From San Francisco.
<<<<
14. Pere Ubu- "Life Stinks": Originally a Rocket from the Tombs composition. Still excited for the Rockets show coming up in Dec. in Raleigh. I plan to write a whole entry on that phenomenon in the future, so look for that here.
15. Pretty Girls Make Graves- "Something Bigger, Something Brighter" (new release)
16. Essential Logic- "Shabby Abbot", Rough Trade Records: Kill Rock Stars put out a retrospective of this Lora Logic project recently. Definitely something to check out if you don't have the vinyl.
17. Deerhoof- "Sealed with a Kiss" (new release)
<<<<
18. The Ex- "A Sense of Tumour", Verrecords 1980: From their first LP. These Dutch art punks are still around. They recently toured big east coast cities with Erase Errata and the Numbers. It was a great show when the latter two bands came to Chapel Hill, but it would have been incredible to seem them play with the Ex.
19. +/-, "Surprise" (new release)
20. Televison Personalities- "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives": From the singles collection. Originally on Rough Trade 1981.
21. Reducers- "No Ambition", Rave On Records: From New London, Connecticut. I grew up two towns over, so this band has a special place in my heart. There really isn't much punk from Southeastern Connecticut, so the Reducers are pretty much it. Pub rock, a la Dr. Feelgood, influenced punk . . . but really catchy and fun. You can go to their web site and order their three original lps in sealed, mint stock copies for a ridiculously low price. Everyone should do it.
22. Flies- "All Hung Up", Conflict Records 1984.
<<<<
23. Erase Errata- "Owls", Troubleman Unlimited Records (new release)- Great new record. I think this is my favorite active band. The lp is a lovely package. 160 g vinyl and a gatefold jacket makes for a heavy package. When was the last time you saw a gatefold jacket other than from some bloated 70s prog rock band.
24. Dow Jones & the Industrials- "Ladies with Appliances", Gulcher: From the great Red Snerts comp.
25. Neats- "Tonight", Ace of Hearts Records 1982.
26. Disband- "Capture the Flag" (new release): Greensboro band. See them Sat. the 8th at PS211.
27. Randoms- "Let's Get Rid of New York", Dangerhouse
<<<<
28. One Way System- "Jerusalem", No Future Records: From the Country Fit for Heroes OI comp.
29. Snatches of Pink- "Otto Wood" (new release): North Carolina veterans.
30. Quails- "Pitch Memory" (new release): I really like this record. I am looking forward to next Tues. when they are playing Gate City Noise.
31. Geza X- "Isotope Soap", Alternative Tentacles Records: From the Let Them Eat Jellybeans comp.
32. Quintron- "Mud Bugs" (new release).
<<<<
33. Peer Pressure- "Sound of the 80s": From the Guillotined at the Hanger comp on Dionysus featuring Connecticut and W. Massachusetts bands. The original is incredibly rare and on everyone's want list.
34. X-Certs- "Blue Movies": From the 4 Alternative 7" comp from 1979.

See you next week. Remember, I am on from 12 to 2 on Fri. instead of my regular 2 to 4.- Michael

2003-10-29T02:52:00.000-05:00

APOLOGY and MANIFESTO
To start with, I call my show the Record Hospital after the underground rock show at WHRB, 95.3 FM in Cambridge where I was a DJ in college. Now, this will strike some as (a) a pathetic attempt to relive the glory days of my time as a student in college radio or (b) as total lack of creativity to come up with a name for my show on my own. I can assure you, the listener or reader, the former isn't the case. Unfortunately, there may be some truth to the latter. Mainly, I was a DJ at WHRB for five years and then I was out of radio for five years. I moved down to Greensboro, NC for work for a two year stint, after having lived in New York and D.C. I thought it would be good to get back into radio to have something to do here and stay connected to music, and I was happy to find Greensboro has two good college stations (a relief after D.C. that has none), WQFS and WUAG. Finding that WQFS welcomes community DJs, I am happy to have a show. When I first got back in front of the controls after my hiatus, it seemed completely natural. In fact, I found that I had to stop myself from saying "the Record Hospital". At first I did stop myself and let my show go on with no name. I became determined to create a name for my show that would be concise and yet descriptive. This did not prove an easy task, so I finally decided that this is my self-indulgent radio show in Greensboro, and if I want to call it the Record Hospital, I will. Besides, my show is very much a continuation of the show I did before, although my tastes have certainly evolved and matured (also I find that at QFS I can't play as much hardcore because of the strict no naughty words policy, even though my show is on late.) At first, it was going to be the "Record Hospital South", thereby acknowledging the existence of the real Record Hospital, but I decided that this would just confuse my listeners. No one is apt to confuse my show with the real Record Hospital (and probably no Greensboro listener has ever heard of the real Record Hospital.) No harm, no foul. If any current Record Hospital DJ disagrees, email me at recordhospital@netzero.com. Now that I have justified, at least to myself, my illicit use of the term "Record Hospital" I can give the details of my show and this site.

I play underground punk, hardcore, no wave, and art music. I mix in new and recent music with the older stuff, but I do not apologize for the somewhat historical and academic approach I take to parts of the show. I am an unrepentant record collector. My show is generally on Friday night/Saturday morning from 2-4 AM although sometimes I do a different slot as well or in place of this if subs are needed because of holidays, etc. This isn't the best slot imaginable, but student DJs get priority over community DJs, as they should. I had a better slot over the summer when the students were mostly away, and that was great. The Friday slot isn't terrible though because more people listen to the radio late on Friday night because they are out, and I can sleep in on Saturday morning because I don't have work. On this site I will post my playlists and commentary about the show. I will try to have this done by the end of every Sunday after my Friday show, but I make no promises. I will also give my musings about the scene. This may be done through links to a separate blog. There is also a link to another site that I maintain that serves as a concert calendar for the Greensboro area. This is all a work in progress. I will provide links to sites of general and local interest. Keep listening to WQFS. Write to recordhospital@netzero.com with requests, questions, etc. Of course, distributors and labels are welcome to send records for review and play on the show, just use the email and I will send an address. - Michael Petitpas