Peter Black is back and he's solo

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 July 2014

Hits: 6713

Hard-Ons and Nunchukka Superfly co-founder, Peter Black, (aka Blackie) is launching his third full solo album with an Australian tour that includes a run of dates as special guest support to King Buzzo of The Melvins.

"The Paintings On The Wall Say Gambler! Gambler!" is said to be "a flaming solid ball of creative explosion, whereby storm-trooping guitars and rhythm" that abandons the storm-trooping sounds of Hard-Ons and Nunchukka for "beautiful, introspective and whimsical".

• hard-ons
• peter black
• blackie
• solo
• nunchukka
• superfly

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Greetings From Detroit EP - The Rockets (self released)

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By Geoff Ginsberg

Geoff Ginsberg

23 July 2014

Hits: 6430

Pssst…Like Rock? I think got something for ya. Like a disappeared postcard that got mailed 35 years ago, this showed up on my porch and promptly blew the doors off. It’s the first Rockets recording since they disbanded in the early ‘80’s.

Monster drummer and songwriter Johnny Bee Badanjek (think Detroit Wheels, Free Ride, Welcome To My Nightmare) has relaunched The Rockets with Jim Edwards - a fantastic singer, and a badass group of Detroit musicians.

• rockets
• greetings from detroit
• johnny bee badanjek
• jim mccarty
• joey gaydos
• greasy carlisi
• mitch ryder

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BRUCE! The EP - BRUCE (self released)

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 July 2014

Hits: 5668

Rising from the ashes of trio Hy-Test, BRUCE! (capital letters compulsory) is a band from the once-industrial musical nursery of Wollongong, south of Sydney, that plays skull-crushing guitar rock with occasionally complex arrangements. This EP showcases four of their simpler tunes delivered to mostly damaging effect.

• rock
• wollongong

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First Detroit Punks interview series goes live

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By The Barman

The Barman

20 July 2014

Hits: 8925

Punk turned peace activist Ivan Suvanjieff - originally known as Mark Norton from the Ramrods - is a former Cream writer and film maker as well. Here's episode one of his series, Detroit Punks, featuring interviews with pre-eminent Motor City music names.

Ivan Suvanjieff and Dawn Eagle head PeaceJam, a multiple Nobel Prize-nominated organisation working for social justice. More information at Peacejam.

Flashback: Brisbane garage rocker Screamin' Stevie in conversation

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By The Barman

The Barman

20 July 2014

Hits: 7661

One of the lesser-known musical pleasures in Australian over the last decade has been the quirky garage sound of the Hekawis, a fuzz-and-organ-driven combo prominent on the Brisbane and Melbourne underground music scenes. Churning out release after release, partly via the then prolific Courdroy label (who happened to own the country's sole vinyl pressing machine for a period in the '90s), the Hekawis pushed all the usual '50s and '60s buttons but came up with a sound unlike any other of their ilk.

• garage
• screamin
• stevie
• brisbane
• garage soul
• hekawis
• big bonging' baby

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Smudge reform for anniversary tour

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By The Barman

The Barman

16 July 2014

Hits: 4827

Flashback to 1994. A momentous and tumultuous time for music.

The world tragically loses Kurt Cobain and tragically gains the Presley-Jacksons (yep, that happened); the Eagles reform and charge $100 a ticket for their shows; Woodstock re-hits New York state; Korn introduces nu-metal to the universe; "Parklife", "Definitely Maybe", "Grace", "Dookie", "Crooked Rain Crooked Rain" and "Stereopathetic Soulmanure" all hit the shelves… and somewhere amongst all of it, Sydney band Smudge releases its debut album, "Manilow".

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My Name is Charles 'Chicken' Diamond - Chicken Diamond (Beast Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

16 July 2014

Hits: 5414

It’s the third album for one-man bent bluesman Chicken Diamond and it marks another point on his descent into sonic hell. Ten songs of dirt-flecked distortion with a rusty sawtooth edge.

The Chicken’s coop is France where anything that has the odour of being musically underground is driven so far below the surface you’d need a miner’s helmet and a canary in a cage to find it. Thankfully, brave labels like Beast are around to facilitate tours of the aural subterranean catacombs and cast some light.

• beast records
• diamond
• chicken

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Psychotic Turnbuckles make a stand at the Lansdowne

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By The Barman

The Barman

09 July 2014

Hits: 5923

Pismo Beach rock and roll legends the Psychotic Turnbuckles returned to Sydney's Lansdowne Hotel on June 28 with BRUCE and Bunt in support. It was the first Turnbuckles show at the venue in 25 years. At the last one, Slash from Guns and Roses was in the crowd.

Click READ MORE for a gallery of stills from video footage shot by Luke Nukem on the night. 

• live
• psychotic
• turnbuckles
• lansdowne

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Yummy! - Hard-Ons (Citadel Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 June 2014

Hits: 6017

“Yummy!” marked the Hard-Ons’ arrival on a major label's promotional roster and you had to be mad, deaf, both or no longer breathing not to hear the greatness in the songs. A decade-and-a-half later with a re-mastering job in place, it sounds even better.

• Citadel
• hard-ons
• re-issue
• yummy

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