I-94 BAR TOP TENS

Lou's a bit of a Francophile, can't you tell? Beats Sydney Opera House snow domes.

Top Tens (in no particular order) :

The Stabs : Dead Wood CD - So fucking cool & awesome it hurts. Long-time campaigner and lover of this band. One of our finest from the past few decades. My fave music review of theirs : ‘The Stabs are simply ugly fuck-ups, playing ugly music for fuck ups – Time Off, Brisbane: http://www.myspace.com/thestabs

Witch Hats : Solarium Down The Causeway EP/10” vinyl - I’m biased clearly, but GO Witch Hats GO! Can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2010 for these dirty little punks: http://www.myspace.com/witchhats

The Maladies : With You Right By My Side Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down CD – Sydney based gospel choir-esque/rackety/hullabaloo goodness. What a set of pipes Daniele Marando has. Wowie Zowie: http://www.myspace.com/themaladiesband

She’s The Driver : Distorted Harmony CD - Cross b/ween Jesus & Mary Chain, Dandy Warhols, Swervedriver etc. Ex-Violotene Melb 2-piece that pack a dirty shoegazey punch right between the eyes: http://www.myspace.com/shesthedriver

Loene Carmen : It Walks Like Love CD – Holy shitsticks! Wow. What a talent & what a sweetheart too. Oft-overlooked amazing woman whom definitely deserves her time in the sun: http://www.myspace.com/loenecarmensrocknrolltears

Mother & Father : Nothin’ CD/LP - Again, clearly biased, but if they didn’t blow my wig off I wouldn’t have signed them to my record label. Fingers crossed for big things in 2010 for this unassuming and very deserving Melbourne three piece: http://www.myspace.com/motherandfathermusic

Dinosaur Jr : Farm CD - J Mascis and Co proving you don’t have to be young to be cool, and there’s life in this band yet. Cannot wait for Golden Plains Festival 2010.

Thee Oh Sees, Witch Hats and Eddy Current at Billboard (Melb) on Friday 18th December: These two Oz bands are my fave live bands, and as for Thee Oh Sees : they are my newest band crush : I adore them. I’ve gone completely ga-ga over them. Let’s hope they return from the States to our shores soon. Their secret gig at The Empress Hotel on Sunday 20th December was a wonderful way to cap off another brilliant year of music – and was my Gig Of The Year for 2009.

Mother & Father, Miniature Submarines, Bleach and Daddy Long Legs on Wednesday 16th December at Ding Dong (Melb) : I didn’t get out so much this year (too busy/too old hee hee), but these four Australian bands have redeemed my faith in the music scene. Long live the new generation of young bucks out there doing it. Miniature Subs song The Little Room Under The Stairs is a killer song and my Single for 2009 – can’t wait for Sonic Youth to do a cover version of it (ha ha).

And the best Australian music journalist Award goes to Patrick Emery – Consistent, passionate, generous and honest. This man has integrity running through his veins. Without people like Patrick, the musical wheel doesn’t spin as well as it does/should.

Honorable Mentions : My Morning Jacket gig at Billboard (Melb); Primal Scream at Billboard (Melb); Midnight Soul Serenade LP by Heavy Trash; Thee Oh Sees Help on yellow vinyl (yum!) and Mark Steiner Broken + Fallen Birds Special Edition CD and Broken LP.

You can find Z-Man Records here.

That's Nev on the right. The other bloke looks vaguely familiar.

Neville:
George Harmonica Smith – Blowin The Blues
Jimi Hendrix – Band Of Gypsys
Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
Koko Taylor – What It Takes : The Chess Years
v/a – Get Ready To Fly: Norman Petty Masters
Yardbirds – Live 68 w/ Jimmy Page
Champion Jack Dupree – Walkin The Blues: King Recordings
The Wailers – At The Castle
Velvet Underground – Dispatches From The Dream Factory
Lee Hazelwood – These Boots …. MGM Recordings

Frank is Master of his Domain.

Frank:
The Blackeyed Susans – Reveal Yourself
The New Christs – Gloria
Rowland S Howard – Pop Crimes
Levon Helm – Electric Dirt
Koko Taylor – What It Takes : The Chess Years
Big Star – Keep An Eye On The Sky
v/a – Where The Action Is : Los Angeles Nuggets
Masters Apprentices – S/T
Velvet Underground – Singles 1966 – 67 ( 7″ singles box )
The Beatles – Mono Box

You can find Mojo Music’s website here or you can visit in person at 32 York Street, Sydney.

Despite any highlights, 2009 will always be the year I lost my bandmate and best friend Kristen McCall. Because of his sudden death I didn’t go out of my way to see many bands. Chances are if they’re on this list it’s cos we played with them.

THE HUTT RIVER SOLUTION – Melbourne 4-piece that just blisters, too good for Stooges comparisons, but Mark Ryan wails like his middle name is Asheton.

THUNDABOX – Despite being mates with them I didn’t actually rate their songs too highly to start with. By the 4^th time I saw them though, I couldn’t get enough. GREAT FUCKING PUNK BAND. “The man who made John Lydon cry” is about the song of the year for my money.

THE HOLY SOUL – Saw them twice, once with Abbe May at the Vanguard and then at their album launch at the Red Rattler. Just too good for words.

ABBE MAY AND THE ROCKING PNEMONIA – One of the greatest live acts in the country, full stop.

THE TOMBSTONE RAMBLERS – Includes Rick and Martin from The Dolly Rocker Movement. Liked them so much I started playing drums for them.

THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS – Another Melbourne band. Go-Go girls and 2 singers, one who plays a snare drum. Not much not to like.

THE REBELLES – female punk choir, holy shit!

ROLAND K SMTH AND THE SINNERS – As authentic sounding as it gets, without coming off corny. Harder than it sounds kids.

CLAIRY “BABY” BROWN AND THE BANGIN’ RACKETTES – The filthiest doo-wop you will ever hear.

THE JIMMY NICOLS – Imagine the Beatles were too lazy to ever go to Hamburg……. These guys write the classiest rock n roll you are ever likely to hear. Actually, scrap that, you aren’t likely to hear it cos they’re too lazy to organise gigs. If you set it up though, they will turn up and make every other band you’ve heard redundant.

Honourable mentions – THE SNOOZEFESTS, KIRK SPECIAL

Dom Mariani and Rob compare their taste in shades.

1) REIGNING SOUND – “Love And Curse”
Best album of the year. After 5 seasons the band led by Greg “Oblivian” Cartwright come back with a great album full of soul, garage and rock’n'roll.

2) LEADFINGER – “Rich Kids”
Best album from Oz. Leadfinger has a new band now and they’re fighting to conquer the world. We’re waiting for them in Europe. Soon hopefully.

3) NOT MOVING – “Not Moving”
Best reissue of the year. Not Moving were the best Italian rock’n'roll band. They formed in the early 80’s and for a decade they were black, wild and furious in the vein of X, Gun Club, Cramps and The Nuns. Especially live.This long-awaited reissue contains the Ep “Black & Wild” (the band at their best), the Lp “Sinnermen” (with the original band’s mix) and some demos. If you want to discover an obscure Italian gem from the 80’s don’t miss this one…

4) ASTEROID B-612 – “Not Meant For This World – The Au-Go-Go Years 1994-1996″
Best Oz reissue. For me the group led by John Spittles and Leadfinger was the best Aussie band  in the 90’s. Love ‘em too much!

5) TONY FACE BIG ROLL BAND – Old Soul Rebel
Italian album of the year. Tony Face is a legend: drummer for Not Moving and half dozen of other bands, fanzine maker, journalist and writer. This album is his masterpiece. Recorded with a bunch of guests, it’s the tribute to the music he loves: mod sound, R&B, hammond beat. Moody & groovy.

6) DOM MARIANI + SICK ROSE live in Rome
Power pop maestro + Italian garage kings: what a gig!

7) LYDIA LUNCH live in Rome
She’s a mistress and live she’s still a queen. Along with Gallon Drunk as a backing band, they played an unforgettable noise/blues show.

DAVID BYRNE live in Rome
I’ve always been a huge Talking Heads fan but I never had the chance to see David Byrne live so far. Well, he’s not just a great songwriter/singer, but also a great performer. He played lotsa Talking Heads classic and for a while the magic of that band came to life again.

9) I LOVE RADIO ROCK
Best comedy of the year. A movie that celebrates the UK Sixties and the best decade in man’s history. Fantastic soundtrack.

10) INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
Another Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece. Go and see it!

Dedicated to the rockin’ memory of Ron Asheton, Lux Interior, Sky Saxon, Jim Carroll, Willy De Ville and, above all , to my friend/partner in crime Gianluca.

Postcard From London: Don't you wish you went too?

Pretty weak year for new albums, I thought, though some great reissues and archival releases made up for that. Gig-wise, it was quality over quantity, as three consecutive nights of the Mott the Hoople reunion shows in London stood far above anything else I saw this year (or most other years). Truly magical and quite emotional.  It was inspiring, as well, to play shows with some great young bands from around here (Vancouver/Vancouver Island) and be reminded that it’s not all ironic facial hair and indie rock from here on in. So, hats off to you, Pretty Vanilla (super-catchy T. Rex lovers) and Madonna Bangers (channeling Born Innocent-era Redd Kross w/ your bratty punk rock). Burn the Flame!

FAVORITE ALBUMS

Visqueen-Message to Garcia (Local 638) Rachel Flotard, leader of these awesome Seattle rock and rollers, may be the most underrated songwriter on the planet. And yeah, she’s got a whole lot of soul.

Pointed Sticks-Three Lefts Make a Right (Northern Electric) Vancouver punk/pop (the good kind) legends reunited a few years ago to tour Japan (where they’re huge!) and this album, released 29 years after their first, happily finds them sounding pretty much the same.

Young Fresh Fellows- I Think This Is (Yep Roc) More Pacific Northwest fun and a fine return from the band I’ve seen more times than any other (40 +).

Black Crowes-Before the Frost….After the Freeze 2-lp vinyl version ( Silver Arrow) They’re frequently maligned but I don’t mind.

Reigning Sound-Love and Curses (In the Red) Little disappointing at first but repeated listenings prove very rewarding.

Honorable Mentions: Cheap Trick, Walter Lure, Roger Manning, Tinted Windows

FROM THE VAULTS

Stooges-You Want My Action (Easy Action) Holy Shit.

Big Star-Keep An Eye On the Sky box set (Rhino) Sounds better than ever and a new live show to boot on the last disc.

Rolling Stones-Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out (Abkco) My only complaint would be that there must be more potential bonus material in the can than what they included here. The dvd is 28 min. but what an awesome 28 min. Great idea, too, to include the opening sets by B.B. King and Ike and Tina, as had originally been intended.

Death-For the Whole World to See (Drag City) Seemingly from out of nowhere.

Chris Bell-I Am the Cosmos (Rhino) Reissue of the 90’s release w/ an extra disc of demos, collaborations, etc. Title tune one of the best songs ever written.

Honorable Mentions: Rationals, Imperial Dogs, Ian Hunter, Neil Young

Final thought: Repeated airings of the Instant Live Recording of the first Mott Hammersmith show confirm that, yes, it was really was that great.

He’s The Barkeep at The I-94 Bar and I-94 Bar Records and you’re not. Be thankful. In no particular order, here are his Top Ten Albums (although he’s invariably forgotten someone): 

I AM WHO AM, AND NOT WHO YOU WANT ME TO BE – Johnny Casino & The Secrets (Off the Hip)
This list is no particular order – with one exception. This is Album of the Year. It’s good old rock and roll but on a higher plane to most everything else around right now. It’s well-produced and arranged (with the punch of horns on some tracks) and has some superb songwriting. The confidence, presence, vocal delivery and confidence (all interrelated) of main man Johnny Casino seems to be coming on in leaps.  

WHERE THE FACES SHINE VOLUME 2 – Iggy Pop (Easy Action)
A great advance on the first box set with a whopping six CDs (seven if you’re quick) and a DVD making for a generous package. Unlike the first which partly sought to sonically upgrade some of the bootleg material already out there, the vast bulk of this live box set is unreleased. Best for mine is the bonus CD of a 1989 Adelaide, Australia, show. It’s a little rough, sonically speaking, but it’s a fearsome show and the ultimate Iggy set list from that “Instinct” tour. Other shows cover the “Zombie Birdhouse” and “Blah Blah Blah” periods and it’s noticeable how the material from both albums was so much stronger when played live.   

THE SECOND CHANCE – Sonic’s Rendezvous Band (Easy Action)
LIVE MASONIC AUDITORIUM – Sonic’s Rendezvous Band (Rockarama)
You can’t have too much SRB and both of these are vital in their own way. “The Second Chance” gives you insights into some works-in-progress and imparts a sense of a gang working their own turf. “Masonic” shows SRB primed and intent on making the most of a prestigious support to a band that actually looked up to them. The Yin and Yang of Sonic’s loose and limber drawl and Morgan’s soulful vocal attack are damn near irresistible when married to a powerful engine room thud and an all-out guitar assault.

ED KUEPPER LIVE VOLUME 2 – Ed Kupper (Prince Melon)
There’s a slew of Ed official bootlegs out there and this is the pick of the litter for mine, if only for the slightly clearer sound and John Gauci’s keyboards which give an extra set of legs to a couple of the re-interpretations. Really, I could have picked any of the series. They’re that good.

THE HITMEN – The Hitmen (Savage Beat)
IT IS WHAT IT IS – The Hitmen (Savage Beat)
I try to avoid plugging things I have involvement in but the deluxe treatment Dave Laing of Savage Beat/Shock gave to the Hitmen re-ishes deserves your undivided attention.  The live shows with a new but DNA-matched line-up kick 66 sorts of shit too.

THE VISITORS – The Visitors (Citadel)
Same as above. It’s long past time this one was back in print and the mastering brings it up just a tad. These are some of Deniz Tek’s best songs and the rest of the band were clearly having a ball putting them into action.

APA STATE MENTAL – Apa State Mental (self released)
Malmo punk monsters. Best “new” (as in: to these ears) band I’ve heard in 2008, apart maybe from Boris. Apa State Mental have a disarmingly smart/dumb approach.  

BORIS – Smile (DIW/Southern Lord)
In-your-face psych-out guitar terrorists from Japan. They’ve been around for 14 albums, you say? Shame on me.  I haven’t back-tracked through their entire oeuvre and a physical copy is on order form Santa (downloads feel so unclean) but this one is like a body-slam with the canvas replaced by concrete.

HELL CITY GLAMOURS – Hell City Glamours (self released)
Can’t put this one down. It’s just a bunch of road-wise skinny white boys playing in-your-face glam rock songs about the usual topics, but it has bigger balls than King Kong and swings like a $2 Bali wind chime in a hurricane.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Depending on the week, any of these could have made the Top Ten List:

THE GOODNIGHT LOVING – The Goodnight Loving (Off The Hip)
Backwoods punks play country-tinged, idiosyncratic pop. You know it makes sense.

WHAT’S THE TIME – Los Hories  (Off the Hip)
We’re going to kick New Zealand’s arses in the cricket this summer but they’ve already kicked ours with this bucket of stumblebum, greasy garage rock.

ELECTRIC ABORIGINES – Awesome Color (Ecstatic Peace/High Spot)
A beautiful collision of dissonance and throat-clutching Midwest psych rock. 

HIGH TECHNOLOGY – The Reactions (Off the Hip)
If the Stems and the Hoodoo Gurus came from Tasmania and were cousins, would they have a child like this?

HELLHOUND DOWN  - The Labor Party (Steel Cage)
Who woulda thunk the wide open spaces of Arizona would spawn a potent album of singalong Dead Boys and Dictators riffage?