Johnny Casino returns with "High Stone" album

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By The Barman

The Barman

10 March 2024

Hits: 2080

Australian underground guitar hero Johnny Casino has another album on the launch pad. “High Stone” will be released on Australian label Cheersquad on May 3 .

An epic, near 10-miniute version of The Byrds' psychedelic masterpiece "Eight Miles High” is a precursor to the album but, given its length, it won’t make it to threvinyl edition.It was recorded in Philadelphia with members of the band St James and The Apostles. 

The new record was mixed in Spain by American Mike Mariconda, a garage legend in his own right who has worked with the Cosmic Psychos, Powder Monkeys, New Bomb Turks, Jack Oblivion and Holly Golightly. 



The new album is said to highlight Johnny's huge guitar chops and fine singing songwrting. but features a stronger keyboard presence than usual – a soulful nod to  Memphis greats the Reigning Sound. 
 


Formerly of Sydney's beloved '90s high energy rock 'n' rollers Asteroid B-612, Johnny Casino now calls Spain home and regularly plays across Europe and in the US. 

• johnny casino
• cheersquad records
• high stone
• the byrds

The Dangermen launch their album (again) 18 years later

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By The Barman

The Barman

08 March 2024

Hits: 3254

Brisbane garage mainstays The Dangermen have been scoring airplay for their most recent single "Wrong Train Home" all over the globe, but it's an 18-year-old record from their past that's occupying their time this weekend.

Swashbuckling Hobo Records is releasing their 2006 CD album “The Dark Place” on vinyl for the first time. It was originally out on CD on fellow Brisbane label MereNoise, in 2008. The LP version features artwork by Rick Chesshire.

The DangerMen will launch the vinyl edition in style at The Cave Inn in Brisbane this Saturday, supported by Eyes Ninety, The Busymen and Boondall Boys. Doors are at 7pm and it's onloy $15 so be early.

If you can't or don't make it, the record is available here.

• swashbuckling hobo
• eyes ninety
• boondall boys
• the dangermen
• the busymen

Tuneless racket? This punk and new wave series is Indispensable

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By The Barman

The Barman

07 March 2024

Hits: 4381

Another Tuneless Racket: Punk And New Wave In The Seventies, Volume One: Origins 
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk And New Wave In The Seventies, Volume Two: Punk
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In The Seventies: Volume Three: UK New Wave
Another Tuneless Racket: Punk and New Wave In The Seventies, Volume Five: The American Beat – West
By Steve H Gardner (self published)

The best intentions are often derailed by practicality. After being gifted Volume One of “Another Tuneless Racket”, the plan was to acquire and read the other three back-to-back and then write a review. A fine goal but one that slipped after realising their combined volume came to almost 2,400 pages and life was getting in the way…

After delving deep into the series, it’s clear that the beauty of “Another Tuneless Racket” is that once you get your bearings, you can dive in almost anywhere, pick up on a thread and keep going. As you'll gather from the titles, each volume zeroes in on a time and place in the history of punk and new wave music, and then takes up the story of key acts. The series serves as a roadmap through the twists and turns of punk and new wave across most of the western world. 

It’s meticulously researched but you’d expect that from author Steve Gardner, He’s a lanky Yank from San Diego who grew up on the US East Coast where he went to university before finding himself working in engineering. A music obsessive from an earl;y age, he'd been bitten by the punk rock bug by the time he blew out the candles on his 21^st birthday cake. 

• new wave
• noise for heroes
• steve gardner
• another tuneless racket

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Last word on the MC5 looms as Jaan honours a promise

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 March 2024

Hits: 3466

What should be the definitive history of the MC5 is heading for release in October 2024.

“MC5 - An Oral Biography of Rock’s Most Revolutionary Band” is being published worldwide by Hachette and is the result of years of work by writers Brad Tolinski, Jaan Uhelszki and the late Ben Edmonds.

A former CREEM magazine staffer, Uhelszki delivered the news in a Facebook post a day ago: 

“In 2015, when my friend and CREEM magazine co-conspirator Ben Edmonds fell ill, he asked me to come to Detroit to help him finish his MC5 book. I thought we could knock it out in three weeks,” she wrote.

“Boy, was I wrong. It took me three weeks just to read through all the interviews he had done with the band members in the 10-15 years after they had broken up. 

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Consider yourself Born To Be Punched if you miss this

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By The Barman

The Barman

03 March 2024

Hits: 3533

Legendary drummer and scene-maker James Baker (Scientists, Victims, Hood Gurus, Beats of Bourbon) has a solo record out this month via US label In The Red, and Melbourne’s Strange World Records will be its exclusive Australian retailer.

“Born To Rock” is a six-song vinyl EP from James Baker and the Groundbreakers and it’s available from Strange World for pre-order here and from In The Red here. 

The EP marks James’ 70^th year on the planet and he and a hand-picked line-up will celebrate at The Duke of George Hotel in Perth on Sunday, March 17. 

The bill is Big Boss Man, Abbe May, Datura4, Luke Dux and Joe Bludge and the show will raise money to assist James in fight against cancer. 

And because he's on doctor's orders, James will be part of the April Australian tour by The Beasts and tickets for that run are available here.

• james baker
• in the red
• the beasts
• born to rock

Live album finds Hitmen and Tek still riding high

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By Ron Brown & The Barman

Ron Brown & The Barman

02 March 2024

Hits: 5626

Tonight We Ride: Official Bootleg Live in Sydney November 13 1991 – Hitmen DTK with special guest Deniz Tek (Vicious Kitten)

Hello I-94 barflies! Ain’t life grand? A new official bootleg recording of the magnificent Hitmen DTK, with special guest Deniz Tek, ripping through a few choice cuts from the Birdman catalogue, How good is that? 

But first, the back story.

Hitmen DTK were fresh back from recording the underrated album “Moronic Inferno” in the USA. They hit the road to promote said record in Sydney, Australia, for a handful of gigs.  

• bootleg
• hitmen
• deniz tek
• chris masuak
• vicious kitten
• hitmen dtk
• johnny kannis
• tonight we ride

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Historic Hitmen DTK with Deniz Tek live show to be released this week

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By The Barman

The Barman

27 February 2024

Hits: 2893

Canberra label Vicious Kitten is releasing a previously unheard 1991 live album by Hitmen DTK with special guest Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman this week.

“Tonight We Ride: Official Bootleg Live in Sydney November 13 1991” is a warts and all recording from a Sydney show at lost venue Toucan Tango. Tek guested to promote the “Moronic Inferno” album by Hitmen DTK that he’d participated on.

• radio birdman
• deniz tek
• chris masuak
• vicious kitten
• hitmen dtk
• tonight we ride

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Hellacopters members take us inside "Grande Rock" re-birth

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 February 2024

Hits: 1818

Swedish high energy rock 'n' roll legends The Hellacopters have released a documentary called "Let's Talk Grande Rock Revisited" to accompany the re-tooled (as in remixed and remastered) double album “Grande Rock Revisited”. 

The doco, directed by Emil Klinta, shows original members Nicke, Robert, Boba and Dregen talking about the idea behind the revisited version of their classic record Grande Rock from 1999, and why they decided to release this new version as a double album.

"Grande Rock” hasn't been available to purchase on vinyl for more than 20 years. This new edition is available as 2LP, 2CD and digital edition all of which contain both the remastered original album as well as a revisited and remixed version with additional guitars by Dregen, plus additional percussion and piano and new backing vocal tracks. 

Just like the original release back in 1999, the vinyl edition exclusively features the Venom cover "Angel Dust" as a bonus track. It’s available via the Nuclear Blast label.

• hellacopters
• revisited
• grande rock

Smalltown Crush

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 February 2024

Hits: 2847

 Crush On You – Smalltown Tigers (Area Pirata)

You like guitars, all-girl bands and anthems? Smalltown Tigers are The Donnas without major hype or The Runaways with songs. That’s 99 percent of what you need to know, right there. What’s not to like about the debut album by this Italian rock trio?

Italian bands? I’ve heard some shitty ones. Likes lot of Europe, rock and roll struggles to retain a grip on audiences in Italy, and the cookie cutter approach abounds, not to mention some uninspired DIY production. Many Italian bands don’t and can’t rock.  

• ramones
• runaways
• crush on you
• smalltown tigers
• the donnas
• area pirata

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