Well, amidst the celebrations of The Ramones I recently finished up the YouTube video channels for both The Norliss Tapes and Call Me Greenhorn. Tons of goodies – yeah, well, close to tens at least – and it’s been a while since I saw them and I think they still hold up. The video for Tipsy is pretty darn funny, but hey, who doesn’t love drunken monkeys?
Yeah, well, my previous post reminded me of it so I had to give it a spin ’cause I sure haven’t played this one in ages: Sonic Youth‘s album Goo. And considering I only own it on cassette I had to ‘Tube it and give it a spin to see if it still holds up. Never been that a big a fan of Sonic Youth – when it comes to noise rock I prefer the brutal side of it like Jesus Lizard or modern outfits like Whores. – but this still sounds great, I consider it to be one of the better produced indie US rock albums, and is actually a weird time capsule of how American indie rock used to sound as Nirvana was roughly 12 months away from pretty much changing everything forever. Jeez, was this really released in 1990? Where the hell did time go?
Well, as time is finally opening up in my ‘schedule’ – god, that’s just such a weird phrase for me to use! – I’ve gotten around to compile my second mix for my Mixcloud – I’m Normal! 21 Deliciously Delirious Ditties of Dementia! (yeah, I’ve got this thing for punny Cryptkeeper-esque titles.) Audio surrealism is the theme of this one, and we’re talking songs that are beyond ‘novelty’. Among others we’ve got The Emperor‘s title track (released as an answer song to the cult classic They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha ha), Don Howard‘s oddity ballad Oh, Happy Day, and the I-guarantee-you most anemic cover version of The Trashmen‘s classic Surfin’ Bird ever heard! Plus, one track that’s guaranteed to piss off even the biggest fan of bad puns – even I have trouble standing it!
Anyway, I’m in the middle of audio clean-up right now (I actually sequenced this in 2012) and I’d say it’ll be roughly a month before it’s released online. Until then you’re free to give my previous Halloween-themed mix The Haunted House of Horror’s Horrific Halloween Twist-a-Rama! a spin here (also available via YouTube), and how about a taste of the title track?
Well, with the They Call Me Superseven soundtrack album soon finished along with some other obligations as well, I’ll soon be getting right back to finishing the first Call Me Greenhorn album! I know it’s been delayed – I just checked and apparently I thought I’d have this wrapped up by December 2012! – but I considered the other projects I’ve been busying myself with to be of more importance. Plus, I sure as hell have gotten better using Propellerhead‘s Reason 6.5 so I honestly consider this lil’ break to be entirely beneficial for the project!
Anyway, originally posted on YouTube in November 2012, this teaser taste video features some kick-ass drums by Aussie musician Jamie Coghill, and some awesome visuals courtesy the creators of ‘Seven. Check it out, you can give it a spin on my SoundCloudhere as well and feel free to share!
Well, as I stumbled over it on YouTube I figured I just had to share it: Ever heard of Jeff Krulik and John Heyn‘s 1986 cult classic Heavy Metal Parking Lot? A PBS video short it documents the heavy metal fans hanging out in the parking lot of Capital Centre in Maryland before a Judas Priest concert (with opening act Dokken), and features a lot of Camaros, mustaches and people claiming to be ‘f***ed up.’ There’s also some epic statements about punk rock and Madonna.
Originally just a broadcast aired on local cable, this was taped and became an underground phenomenon that kind of grew to a legendary status – I googled and found out it was a tour bus favorite for Nirvana – found among tape collectors all over the world. Touring California in 2000 I was amazed and amused finding out one of our hosts popped it in his VCR asking if we’ve ever seen it. Getting a limited theatrical release back in 2003 you can now purchase it on DVD with tons of bonus material via the official website. Check it out here and visit Krulik’s website here.
Oh man, this is just amazingly good. YouTube user MorriconeRocks made an impressive effort collecting the works of genius (and prolific!) Italian composer Ennio Morricone, separating them into different playlists with themes like westerns, party, funk, and even some ‘eroticism’ (still pretty SFW.)
Much has been said about this composer, but the thing that strikes me listening to this material is his passion and sometimes amazingly bold experimentation – especially when you consider that the bulk of his work was for mostly low-budget European productions. Some 50 years after these songs were recorded some of the work still sounds fresh and kinda ‘out there’ for lack of a better phrase. And imagine how avant garde he must’ve seemed when he decided to throw in all kinds of instruments and musical genres into the mix back in the 60s when film productions stuck with strictly orchestral arrangements!
There’s tons of great stuff to be discovered and enjoyed, so visit the channel here and click away!
Well, a big congratulations to my pal Troy Church and the rest of the Bigfoot Diaries crew that debuted on air on February 17th! Guests include legendary Dictators‘ member Andy Shernoff and Bob Nastanovich of Pavement with topics ranging from Tiny Tim, the Hull area in the UK, the future of Sonic Youth to living in Iowa (sounds pretty affordable!)
This was a nice debut with a pretty laid-back feel to it, the guys did great and I’m looking forward to checking this out every month (next show will air on March 24th.) The show finishes with musical guests The High Crest. Check it out on YouTubehere.
Well, call me Johnny-Come-Lately, but I’m slightly miffed I missed out on The Walking Dead: Torn Apart web series on YouTube. Now, granted, I am the worst kind of fan boy when it comes to a lot of things – I tend to busy myself with my own projects so I rarely keep track of anything - but after going through the third season of the series and becoming a huge fan I can’t believe I never 1) checked out AMC on the ‘Tube or 2) at least visited their Facebook page enough times to find out about it.
Anyway, this web-exclusive directed by special effects maestro Greg Nicotero offers up six ‘bytes’ that’s a nice addition to the original series. Focusing on divorced couple Andrew (Rick Otto) and Hannah (Lilli Birdsell) in the initial stages of the zombie apocalypse, this actually works as a sort of prequel to the TV-series, tying in nicely with the pilot episode.
Around twenty minutes in total, it’s definitely worth checking out. All six episodes can be found here.
Well, as morbid and cute as Melbourne, Australia Metro Trains‘ animated public service announcement Dumb Ways to Die might be, I think Teddiefilms and the Rocky Point Haunted House‘s Walking Dead-inspired parody The Walking Dumb: Dumb Ways to Die is a pretty nice blending of two popular culture phenomenas.
Covering the three seasons of the show so far – warning: there are spoilers! – this parody manage to sum it up nicely with a great sense of humor juxtaposing a damn catchy melody with some moderately gory special effects. Check it out on YouTube for lyrics and links to their pages on iTunes and Facebookhere.
Well, the feature They Call Me Superseven is coming along quite nicely, and while I’m busying myself creating music for it, director Robert Griffith posted a nice lil’ teaser on Facebook yesterday entitled Sandra West Tunnel Strut. Featuring music from Australian The Jimmy C, I think it has a great spaghetti western kinda feel and fits just perfectly with the imagery. Check it out on YouTubehere.
The track is entitled Roland Hyde 2: Follow Me and you’ll find it on the album Hyde & Seek (original soundtrack album 2009) available via Bandcamp.com. Check it out here.
