In the rather overpopulated world of what is broadly described as ‘outsider music’, it’s true to say there are one or two frauds, or at least those who have been shoehorned in. Are The Shaggs outsiders? Perhaps it was challenging or even outrageous to insist your clearly tone-deaf daughters perform for the masses – of […]
In 1792, France was revolting; in America, George Washington sanded off his choppers for a second term as president; in England, Joanna Southcott, a farmer’s daughter from Devon announced herself as the Bride of Christ. Busy times for all. It’s easy to envisage cults existing in remote areas of America and pseudo-religions in Asia, with […]
This is what we know for certain about Schlitze Surtees, the sideshow performer – nothing. Not even his name. Actually, we can say that we know he wasn’t born Schlitze Surtees, so maybe that’s a start. Most likely born in The Bronx, New York around 1900 (some estimates suggest as early as 1882 but as […]
Unchained from the formalities of guitar, drums, bass, and vocals, Thomas Doyle – Tad – is a new beast entirely. Onto his seventh full-length release, there is even greater confidence in his doomy instrumental tracks, with the heaviness of his own historical output, the mathematical exactness of premium post-rock, and the otherworldly unease of experimental […]
Dinosaur Jr were perhaps the most-obvious-to-snaffle-up alternative band in the shopping spree undertaken by major labels in the early 90s. Slacker to the core, they had the musical chops, indie rock-club cool and guitar squawl that appealed to a cross-section of buyers, from floppy-haired indie kid to hardcore enthusiast. The band’s earlier releases on Homestead […]
…and just to finish off the long title – ‘The Complete EMI Recordings” After a period of four years in The Servants, 1992 saw singer, guitarist and songwriter (it feels slightly dirty to suggest he’s a ‘singer-songwriter’ – you’d get entirely the wrong impression) Luke Haines ambled forward with his new band, The Auteurs. Providence […]
Two years after the Moon landings, certain sections of the UK music scene had eagerly grasped the opportunity to ensure the joyous frivolity of the sixties was firmly put to bed. Whilst glam changed the sunshine for stars, those who had taken note of US garage bands, the youthful Black Sabbath and the fuzz of […]
There are surely other producers whose name, if not literally, at least spiritually come before a director’s on-screen. The immediate comparison is of producers Golan and Globus of Cannon Films, whose names prepared you fully for a certain kind of film, regardless of what genre it purported to be. By sheer coincidence, a friend messaged […]
Published to coincide with The Residents’ 50th anniversary, Faceless Forever is a task only the brave would ever even feeltingly consider. A band who isn’t sure itself as to what has been released, where and when, and whose mysterious identities only add to the confusion and murk which must be sifted through for answers. Jim […]
“Scooby Doo, Where Are You!” was the first incarnation of the long-running Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series, “Scooby-Doo”. Created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, the cartoon premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969, and ran for two seasons for a total of twenty-five episodes. The punctuation-sensitive will note the early episodes utilise neither a […]
