Guitarist/vocalist with Canadian bands BUM and Budokan. Contributor at the I-94 Bar and for Ugly Things magazine.
Let’s see, saw a few great rock ‘n’ roll shows this year, bought lots of music (most of it, unfortunately, old), honeymooned in Japan (bootleg heaven). So, some highlights.
Albums (in no particular order):
Supersnazz-Get Down (Meerkat)
I remember playing with these Japanese heroes, oh, 14 years ago (and subbing for them at Garage Shock ’93) and being blown away. They still got it. Awesome songs with big hooks, played with reckless abandon.
BellRays-Hard, Sweet and Sticky (Anodyne)
Not quite as solid as Have a Little Faith, but still pretty fine.
Hellacopters-Head Off (Psychout)
Pleasantly surprised by how good this is, maybe bowing out with a covers album was the charm. Now I gotta find out who originally did ‘Midnight Angels’.
Carlene Carter-Stronger (Yep Roc)
After some years in the wilderness Carlene is back with a great set of country-tinged pop songs…and the voice sounds as pure as ever.
Baseball Project-Vol. 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails (Yep Roc)
Hmm, good year for Yep Roc. Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows/Minus Five) and Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate) team up to record an album’s worth of songs about baseball. You don’t have to love the game ‘cos the storytelling’s outstanding and the tunes are top-notch.
Teenage Head-Teenage Head w/ Marky Ramone (Sonic Unyon)
Canadian punk vets recruit one of the best drummers ever to re-record their classics. As good as you would hope. Sadly, lead singer Frankie Venom just recently succumbed to cancer. RIP Frankie.
New York Dolls-Live at the Fillmore East (Sony)
This album is too short.
Dirtbombs-We Have You Surrounded (In the Red)
This one jumps all over the stylistic map and almost everything hits.
Gary Louris-Vagabonds (Rykodisc)
Former Jayhawks frontman is one of the best songwriters (in the truest sense of the word) around.
Black Crowes-Warpaint (Silver Arrow)
Oops, I’m guessing this isn’t a very cool choice. Go ahead, take your shots.
Reissues, Archival releases, etc.:
Iggy Pop-Where the Faces Shine Vol. 2 (Easy Action)
Gotta agree with the Barman on this one.
Sonic’s Rendezvous Band-The Second Chance (Easy Action)
Ditto.
Detroit Cobras-Original Recordings: Singles and Unreleased 1995-1997 (Munster)
Nice to have the early stuff plus some other gems all in one easy package.
Replacements-Reissues (Twin-Tone/Sire)
Yep, all of them. Boy, do I ever miss these guys.
Byrds-Live at Royal Albert Hall 1971 (Sundazed)
That Clarence White sure could pick.
Dennis Wilson-Pacific Ocean Blue (Columbia)
Beautiful.
Clash-Live at Shea Stadium (Epic)
Thought this might suffer from the absence of Topper on drums but Terry Chimes actually acquits himself admirably.
Live Shows:
New York Dolls-Plaza, Vancouver.
Seen the reformed line-up three times now and they really have become a super-rockin’ machine, whatever that might mean.
Dirtbombs-Sugar, Victoria.
Pros that they are, the Dirtbombs took a sparse, Sunday night crowd and got them to MOVE. Even the hipsters were dancing.
Neil Young-GM Place, Vancouver.
You want guitars? Oh, okay.
And, finally:
Best Bar-Poor Cow, Shimatikazawa (sp.?), Tokyo.
Fifi, formerly of Teengenerate and now of Firestarter, runs a joint that is more like a clubhouse or the bedroom of the coolest teenager in the world. Impeccable record collection, if you care about that stuff, and good beer. Why don’t we have a place like this in my town? Oh yeah, because we’re lame.
