Flamin' Groovies

FLAMIN' GROOVIES To Reissue

"Now" and "Jumpin' In the Night" This Summer

The band that played a major role in the evolution of power pop and are considered a forerunner of punk rock readies two of their most popular albums

 This summer they will reissue two classic albums: "Now" on July 10th and "Jumpin' In the Night" on August 7th.

NOW (CD, July 10th)

While it took a long and torturous five years for the Flamin' Groovies to find their way back to an American record deal with Shake Some Action, a year and a half later the band had a follow-up ready, and while 1978's Flamin' Groovies Now isn't quite as cohesive as the album that preceded it, in many respects the band sounds at once tighter and more relaxed, with some time on the road firming up the rhythm section while giving the songs a bit more room to swing (which wasn't one of the strong suits of the British Invasion bands that provided their aural template). The band lost guitarist James Ferrell during the post-Shake Some Action tour, but former Charlatans picker Mike Wilhelm proved to be a more than simpatico replacement on these sessions, and while leader Cyril Jordan didn't come up with another new song as transcendent as "Shake Some Action," "All I Wanted" comes pretty close. But it's significant that most of the songs on Flamin' Groovies Now are covers, and while all of them are played with love, enthusiasm, and the right period flair (especially the Beatles' "There's a Place," Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Ups and Downs," and "Move It," an early U.K. hit for Cliff Richard), they give the album a feeling of being padded, and just because covering the Rolling Stones rarity "Blue Turns to Grey" was a good idea didn't mean the Flamin' Groovies had any business tackling "Paint It Black." All in all, Flamin' Groovies Now is a terrific-sounding record that captures a fine band when it was in great form, but it also makes clear that the gremlins that often dogged the Groovies in the studio (namely their inability to make a 100 percent satisfying album) hadn't gone away.

JUMPIN' IN THE NIGHT (CD, August 7th)

The third and last of the Flamin' Groovies late-'70s albums for Sire, Jumpin' in the Night storms out of the gate with the title song, a top-shelf rocker that brings the muscle of the Flamingo-era lineup of the Groovies to the more style-conscious British Invasion sonics of Cyril Jordan's version. Though Jumpin' in the Night never rocks that hard or that well again, it does sound decidedly tighter and tougher than 1978's Flamin' Groovies Now, and guitarist Mike Wilhelm, a new addition to the Now lineup, is much better integrated into their wall of guitars, with the Groovies sounding more solid than they did a year before. But while Jumpin' in the Night finds the Flamin' Groovies sounding better than ever, the material unfortunately lets them down. It's no wonder why the Flamin' Groovies loved the Byrds -- both were American bands who fell in love with the sounds of British rock and crafted their own variation on the style -- but three Byrds covers on this album is about two too many (especially given how clunky David Wright's drumming sounds on "5D"), and though having the Groovies tackle "Absolutely Sweet Marie" and "Please Please Me" sounds good on paper, the audible results are a bit underwhelming. (On the other hand, their cover of "Werewolves of London" is better than anyone had a right to expect.) The production and engineering by Roger Bechirian is crisp and flattering to the guitars, but lacks the resonance of Dave Edmunds' more layered approach on Shake Some Action and Now. A great band, the Flamin' Groovies often seemed to have a hard time reconciling their best qualities with the record-making process, and Jumpin' in the Night is probably the best example of this dilemma, though it has more than enough worthwhile moments to compensate. 

"We're All In This Together"

D.O.A.'s Joe Keithley takes action on COVID-19 pandemic 

by releasing benefit single "We're All in This Together"

Now Available On iTunes

Burnaby, BC CANADA - A punk legend / city councillor and local mayor have combined forces to create the seemingly impossible: a COVID-19 rock anthem.

Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and Councillor Joe Keithley celebrate the spirit of our communities and our frontline workers with the release of "We're All in This Together," a passionate, upbeat song for our times.

"Joe wrote this great song, and I hope it energizes and fortifies people to stay strong," said Hurley. "It captures the community's grit and determination that we see all around us today, and calls on us to double down on our commitment to each other and beat COVID-19."

Keithley and Hurley performed the song - with appropriate physical distancing - for a video shot at Burnaby's Deer Lake Park. The song is both a salute to the resilience and perseverance of residents during the COVID-19 crisis and a rallying call:

"We're all in, this together We've got to brave, this stormy weather You can count on us, we're your neighbours We're all in, this together"

Councillor Keithley sings lead vocals and plays guitar for the arrangement, while Mayor Hurley, a lifelong guitar player, accompanies Keithley on bass and backup vocals.

"Writing this song was just a natural as I saw the growing effort by our fellow Canadians to keep as many folks as possible safe throughout the pandemic," said Keithley, who is also the front man for legendary punk band D.O.A. "It's my way of thanking and expressing my admiration for the nurses, doctors and all the front line workers. They are the best!"

Considered a 'godfather of Canadian punk,' Keithley founded D.O.A. in 1978. The band is known for its consistent thread of political activism and its diverse sound rooted in punk rock.

In 2018, Keithley took the band's slogan TALK-ACTION=0 to the next level when he was elected to Burnaby City Council. Hurley, a former fire fighter, was elected mayor in the same election and since then, the two musicians have performed together for a number of charitable events around town.

TIME TO FIGHT BACK AND CHANGE THIS WORLD

TALK - ACTION = 0

Ya Hey! D.O.A. - Forty years and going strong

Follow Joe on Instagram and Twitter, and the D.O.A. gang on Instagram and on Facebook

"Treason"

D.O.A. Announce "Treason", Their Eighteenth Studio Album

Coming March 15th via Sudden Death Records

 

East Coast US Tour Dates With DEAD KENNEDYS in March + more dates

If an actor or a reality show host can become president and wreak havoc around the world, then surely musicians have a time honored duty of reacting to that and speaking up for regular people. Punk rock legends D.O.A. have decided to do just that. That's why you have the new D.O.A. album: Treason. Joey Shithead Keithley, Canada's Godfather of Punk, has been getting sick of the dismaying news coming out of world capitals like Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, Pyongyang etc., so he decided to come up with D.O.A.'s musical reaction to this crap and stand up against corruption, warmongering, racism, sexism and global warming. So here it is: Treason, it's the band's eighteenth album. It takes off in full frenzy with "All the President's Men" with Keithley exclaiming It's time to put them in the pen. Then D.O.A. quickly launches into a modern punk anthem "Wait Till Tomorrow" a look at the brutal treatment of refugees. But never lost on D.O.A., is that part of their mantra that is punk rock humor, hence they have spawned: "It Was D.O.A." an uproarious piss take on unsuspecting musicians that will soon learn the tough lessons of the road: the D.O.A. members themselves. D.O.A. Of course with an album named Treason you would expect some comment on President Donald Trump. So the Men of Action have taken one of their all-time classics and come up with new lyrics. They have reworked "Fucked Up Ronnie" and the result is "Fucked Up Donald" and it's a blistering 73 seconds of mayhem! Along the way Treason flips the corrupt system the bird with wild tunes like: "Gonna Set You Straight," "Just Got Back From the USA" and "It's Treason." There's also an absolutely ripping version of fellow Canadian Neil Young's "Hey Hey My My" where D.O.A. takes a unique approach that has anguish and fire at the same time. On Treason D.O.A pulls no punches and nor should they. What you get is an uncontrollable punk rock riot that seems to breathe fire, the way punk was meant to be. Pre-order the LP or CD at Sudden Death Records.

East Coast US Tour Dates 3/15 - Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn, NY   ***Opening for Dead Kennedys Canada Tour Dates 3/26 - Record City - Vernon, BC 3/27 - Gun Barrel Grill - Apex, BC 3/28 - Prospect Pub - Pemberton, BC Canada Spring Tour Dates 5/7 - London Music Hall - London, ON 5/8 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON 5/9 - This Ain't Hollywood - Hamilton, ON 5/10 - Starlight - Waterloo, ON 5/11- The Foxx Lounge - Barrie, ON 5/12 - The Mansion - Kingston, ON 5/13 - Les Foufounes - Montreal, QC 5/14 - Dominion Tavern - Ottawa, ON 5/15 - L'Anti Bar - Quebec, QC 5/16 - Rock Café Le Stage - Trois-Rivieres, QC 5/17 - Bar Le Magog - Sherbrooke, QC 5/18 - Warehouse Concert Hall - St Catherines, ON West Coast US Spring Tour Dates 6/4 - Little Devil's Lunchbox - Port Angeles, WA 6/5 - Blast Off - Salem, OR 6/6 - TBD - Tacoma, WA Follow Joe on Instagram and Twitter, and the D.O.A. gang on Instagram and on Facebook

Don't Be Cruel(la)

That's So Punk!
Emma Stone

So one of the buzz's of the week was an image of Emma Stone as Cruella De Vil from the upcoming Disney origin story "Cruella" from the classic "101 Dalmatians."

Of course the Twitter-verse went into overdrive Tweeting like an angry bird frenzy about Stone's look in the upcoming dog tail.

"Uh is tim Burton directing this," asked Andy Signore on Twitter, referencing her "Edward Scissorhands" look.

"EMMA STONE COMO CRUELLA DE VIL... DISNEY STOP THIS,"

"She doesn't really fit the right class for her decade in this outfit. She looks more like a middle class thug in New Orleans than Upper Crust London,"

"More like this," said another person, comparing Stone's look to Frank N. Furter from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

The new look was revealed during Disney's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California.

Stone made a video appearance during the expo, revealing that the film will be set in London's punk rock era of the 1970s.

Phew that explains it all. Although I took to the look right off the bat myself...I guess I'm not a hardcore stickler when it comes to historically accurate details in a film about a mad woman who wants a coat made of Dalmatians.

Mic Drop!

Cruella on IMDb -
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3228774/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_3

Saturday Sinema: Desolation Center

Desolation Center Hits Theaters Nationwide starting Friday, September 13^th

^{I remember when punk was young...}

Desolation Center, the indie music festival documentary which has played numerous film festivals worldwide, is set to begin a national theatrical rollout starting on September 13th in Los Angeles. The film is the untold story of a series of guerrilla music and art performance happenings in the 80s which inspired the birth of contemporary festival culture including Burning Man, Lollapalooza and Coachella. The film combines interviews of punk and post-punk luminaries with rare performance footage of Sonic Youth, Minutemen, Meat Puppets, Perry Farrell, Redd Kross, Einstürzende Neubauten, Survival Research Laboratories, Savage Republic and more, giving viewers unprecedented access to a time when pushing the boundaries of music, art, and performance was like an unspoken obligation. Directed by the creator and organizer of the original events, Stuart Swezey, Desolation Center tells the true story of how the risky, and at times even reckless, actions of a few outsiders were able to incite seismic cultural shifts.

The new theatrical cut of Desolation Center includes an interview with Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction and co-founder of Lollapalooza who was a participant in all of the Desolation Center events. The film will be having its New York City premiere as part of the Rooftop Films series with an outdoor screening in the historic Green-Wood Cemetery on Thursday, August 15th followed by a 50+ city run across North America in the following weeks. 

White Punks On Dope?

The story of the guerrilla music and performance events of the Desolation Center is inextricably linked with the director's own story as a young adult in the punk and post-punk music scene in the early 1980s. Desolation Center is more than just the story of a series of wild and unorthodox happenings. The film is also true to the spirit of freedom and possibility that punk and its clarion call of creative deconstruction embodied. 

The timeless power of DIY-do-it-yourself culture is an ongoing theme in the film. Director Stuart Swezey told the New York Times, "D.I.Y. is now a shorthand for a lot of things," he said. "But the idea that you can have a wacky idea and get a bunch of people to go along with it, and make it happen even with very limited resources - that was life-affirming."

The film explores an almost lost subcultural story that will also be a catalyst to future generations to question assumptions and carve out new possibilities to express themselves. As Thurston Moore also described to the New York Times, the mood was "one of complete joy and wonder at being together in a place that might as well have been another planet." He said the most radical attribute of Desolation Center was that "it asked no permission," and he called the show "one of the great moments" in the history of Sonic Youth. 

Sonic Youth

Desolation Center has screened across the globe including the prestigious European CPH:DOX Film Festival in Denmark, Sheffield Doc/Fest in the UK and its US premiere at Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. More recently, it brought home Audience Awards at SF Indiefest and Chicago Underground Film Festival and was a selection of the Detroit Free Press Freep Festival screening at the Third Man Records store. 

"Do The Drumpf"

Sax Wielders
Round Eye 

If it's unique & political, it must be punk. For those about to Drumpf we salute you! 

ROUND EYE, Shanghai's Sax-Wielding Experimental Punk Posse, Release "Do the Drumpf" Music Video and Single

 

"While China is hardly an apt place from which to lob brickbats against abuse of power, Round Eye's critique is nonetheless dead-on in its depiction of the US right wing's paranoid fantasies about Muslims, gays, the urban underclass, and non-white people." 

 - Dangerous Minds

Round Eye, the experimental, sax wielding, freak punk outfit have accrued a loud and controversial name for themselves since forming in 2012. The Shanghai based group have as of late been a crucial force in bridging a wide gap between the eastern and western hemispheres of DIY punk rock.

The band has released a music video for Do the Drumpf, one of two songs on a digitally released single on Joey Shithead of DOA's Vancouver-based Sudden Death Records. The compilation is a celebration of the second anniversary of the death of common sense in the USA. Round Eye front man Chachy says, "This video is our subjective window into the reality of the sitcom we call American politics. No Trump, No KKK, No Facist USA."

Along with blazing a trail all over the globe they've played host to visiting western punks and some legends as well sharing stages with acts such as The Fleshtones, MDC, Mike Watt + The Missingmen, D.O.A., The FUs, The Boys (UK), Paul Collins Beat, M.O.T.O., Ceremony, Iceage, and eastern notables such as P.K.14, SMZB, SUBS, Hang on the Box, and during a mainland tour of China with UK punk legends The Boys, they were forced to literally move the tour underground after being banned by the Ministry of Culture for lewd artwork on a tour poster. VICE magazine documented one of their 'bunker' gigs in Beijing in glorious baijiu filled detail.

They've won the "Best Local Band" title from Shanghai's City Weekend magazine two years in a row. They've released several acclaimed music videos: "Suntan" starring famed Chinese actress Wang Lin (Xue Yi), best known for her role in the Chinese soap opera Romance in the Rain and appearances in Academy Award winning Ang Lee films such as Lust / Caution), the politically and critically charged nightmare "Billy" and "Sifter" which was entirely filmed in Pyongyang North Korea making it the very first punk video ever filmed in the DPRK. 

Round Eye has played numerous festivals around the world and honed their unconventional blend of 50s R&B, Free Jazz and Punk with a critically acclaimed EP Full Circle on Ripping Records which featured Greg Ginn (Black Flag), LP Round Eye which featured Steve Mackay (Iggy Pop & the Stooges, Violent Femmes) & Lo-fi legend R. Stevie Moore, and have recently released their sophomore LP, Monstervision, on Sudden Death Records. This album was recorded by Li Wei Yu & PK 14's Yang Haisong, narrated by former The Daily Show comedian John Bloom (Joe Bob Briggs), and is the last recordings laid to wax of the late great Steve Mackay.

They have drawn comparisons to the Stooges, Captain Beefheart, Dr. Feelgood and The Fall but have more often fallen into a category all their own.

Follow the adventures of Round Eye on Facebook

Listen to select tracks at Stereokiller.com and SoundCloud

Watch their wild music videos at YouTube

and for the truly daring, take a gander at their Tour Poster

Here To Be Heard: The Story Of The Slits

For Those About To Punk, I Salute You!!!

Here To Be Heard: The Story Of THE SLITS

Deluxe DVD package, digital formats, and more coming July 6th

Documentary thoroughly examining the world's first all girl punk band credited with pioneering the musical movement known as "Punky Reggae"

MVD Entertainment Group has struck a deal with UK production and sales outfit Moviehouse Entertainment to bring the music-themed documentary HERE TO BE HEARD: THE STORY OF THE SLITS to North America. 

The documentary thoroughly examines the world's first all girl punk band formed in London, 1976. As contemporaries of The Clash and The Sex Pistols, the band has been credited with pioneering the musical movement known as "Punky Reggae". HERE TO BE HEARD tells the complete story of THE SLITS and the lives of the women involved, from the very beggining to the band's end in 2010 with the death of lead vocalist Ari Up.

HERE TO BE HEARD features appearances by Viv Albertine (Slist guitarist), Ari Up (Slits vocalist), Palmolive (Slits founder / first drummer), Tessa Pollitt (Slits bass), Bruce Smith (SLITS Second/PIL Drummer), Hollie Cook (Slits vocals / keys / percussion), Vivien Goldman (NYU's Punk Professor), Don Letts (former Slits manager and punk rock documentarian), Dennis Bovell (album producer), Paul Cook (Sex Pistols drummer), Gina Birch (Raincoats bass), Adrien Sherwood (producer / long time friend of the band) and many more. This deluxe DVD package includes previously unseen footage of the band, as well as photographs, & newspaper clippings.

HERE TO BE HEARD: THE STORY OF THE SLITS is one of Moviehouse EntertainPament's first in-house productions but is one of many music-related titles handled by the studio since its' inception in 2001. Other films include Live Forever, New York Doll, Be Here To Love Me: The Story of Townes Van Zandt, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Who Killed Nancy Moviehouse is also currently working on director Kriv Stenders' (Red Dog) The Go-Betweens: Right Here.

Available now at www.MVDshop.com

 

"You Need An Ass Kickin' Right Now"

What the world needs now is D.O.A...Fight Back! "You Need An Ass Kickin' Right Now" is the first video from D.O.A.'s new album Fight Back. Canada's legendary punks have always delighted in sticking it to pompous and despicable characters, so this new video carries on their fine tradition of defiance and irreverence. "In our modern world that is stuffed with ever increasing episodes of racism, sexism, greed and warmongers, it's time say enough is enough, time to fight back," said Joe "Shithead" Keithley, the fearless leader of D.O.A.  In "Ass Kickin'" he takes on callous and tragic characters like: Kanye, Putin, Harvey Weinstein, Xi Jingping, Trump, and many more. "My only regret is that the song is only one minute and 20 seconds long, so we ran out of time to include more," concluded Keithley.

D.O.A., the pioneering punks who set the bar high for punk and basically invented hardcore, are ready to rip it up on the occasion of their 40th anniversary. Their new album is called Fight Back and they are embarking on a worldwide tour to support this impressive new effort. The "Men of Action" are ready to take on all opposition and lay down a punk rock path of wild music and free thought. Their rough and ready line up is led by the godfather of Hardcore, Keithley (guitar, vocals) he is more than ably accompanied by the manic rhythm section of Paddy Duddy (drums) and Corkscrew (bass). You Need An Ass Kickin' Right Now Early reviews indicate that Fight Back is the most innovative D.O.A. album since War on 45. D.O.A. has always been right on the pulse of what's going on in our screwed up world. Fight Back deals with what we have left, which in a lot of ways, is not much.  "When you really think about it, income inequality and disparity is at the root of a lot huge problems, like environmental degradation, war, sexism and hate" said Keithley who has been fighting the good fight for the last 40 years. It's why he's made TALK - ACTION = 0 his lifelong mantra.  Fight Back, released on Joe's own label Sudden Death Records, is a scathing and timely piece. Joe deals with all manner of unseemly low characters and issues. The album opens with acerbic "You Need an Ass Kickin' Right Now," next rips right into the startling "Killer Cops," then smashes into the anthemic "Time To Fight Back," which is street punk resistance at its fiercest. The album proceeds with the timely "Gonna Set You Straight" with violent and natural ease, and continues with the vitriolic "I Just Got Back From the USA." Then, the album takes a funny twist with "We Won't Drink This Piss" (down with bad corporate beer!) and "You Can't Stop Me," a song in which Joe delves into the character of Slapshot's playing coach Reggie Dunlop (a natural alter ego perhaps). The "Men Of Action" are returning to the US for some unfinished business. US TOUR DATES: 5/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Music Hall 5/22 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep 5/23 - Fort Collins,CO @ Hodi's Half Note 5/24 - Denver, CO @ Streets Of London Pub 5/26 - Las Vegas, NV @ Punk Rock Bowling Festival - Main Stage 5/29 - Laguna Niguel, CA @ Karmann Bar 5/30 - West Hollywood, CA @ The Viper Room 5/31 - San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick 6/01 - Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole 6/02 - Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee 6/03 - Albuquerque, NM @ Sister Bar 6/04 - El Paso, TX @ Lowbrow Palace 6/05 - Lubbock, TX @ TBD 6/06 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda 6/07 - Houston, TX @ The Secret Group 6/08 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 6/09 - Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Bar and Grill 6/10 - Tulsa, OK @ Shrine 6/11 - St. Louis, MO @ Fubar  6/12 - Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room 6/13 - Des Moines, IA @ Lefty's Live Music 6/15 - Billings, MT @ The Pub Station 6/16 - Spokane, WA @ The Pin! US EAST COAST & CANADA TOUR DATES: 07/06 - Vancouver, BC @ First Annual Fight Back Festival, Rickshaw Theater 07/07 - Kamloops, BC @ Blue Grotto 07/13 - 07/25 - US Midwest to East Coast @ TBD w/ Kevin Seconds 08/15 - Duncan, BC @ Cowichan Theatre 08/16 - Quadra Island, BC @ The Legion 08/17 - Port Alberni, BC @ Rainbow Room 08/18 - Ucluelet, BC @ The Legion