Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock and Roll in America’s Loudest City– Steve Miller (Da Capo Press)

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 May 2014

Hits: 8823

Call me biased and armed with far too much hindsight for my own good, but for a brief time in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Detroit was the lesser-known but undeniable epicentre of genuine rock and roll. The music industry, as it was, might have had its moneyed roots deeply planted on America’s East and West Coasts, but the real action was occurring deep in the US Midwest.

Sure, there was Motown and its over-ground success that eventually shifted to L.A. to mutate and die but we’re talking a parallel universe here that was populated by a different cast of characters plying a blue-collar strain of music. It’s an eternal truism that musical scenes never last. The Motor City’s rock and roll had its moment but succumbed to fashion, drugs, shifting attention spans – whatever factors play to your own historical biases – and has never recovered.

• rock
• steve
• detroit
• iggy
• stooges
• mc5
• city
• miller

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Will Jesse the Intruder make it to Sydney from Pismo Beach?

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By The Barman

The Barman

25 May 2014

Hits: 5095

We're co-presenting a gig in Sydney on June 28, featuring the Psychotic Turnbuckles, BRUCE and Bunt. Your life will be changed if you attend. Jesse the Intruder from the Psychotic Turnbuckles explains that he may not make it in the clip below. 

• live
• bunt
• bruce,
• psychotic
• turnbuckles
• lansdowne
• pismo beach

Scott Morgan back to serious gigging, new album

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 May 2014

Hits: 6343

After serious ill-health, Detroit rock and soul legend Scott Morgan (The Rationals, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band) is returning to regular live shows with a new album in the throes of being written.

Morgan fell ill with liver disease a couple of years ago but has undergone extensive treatment. He still needs to manage his health but has bounced back this year to play a couple of shows with the well regarded soulful rockers The Sights as his backing band.

• detroit
• sonics rendezvous band
• scott
• morgan

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New Christs "Live" LP announced

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 May 2014

Hits: 6347

The hard-to-find New Christs live album - previously available only as a CD and sold mainly at shows on their last European tour - is looming on vinyl. French label Pitshark is issuing the imagnitively titled "Live" in an edition of 500 copies only.

The gig was recorded in 2011 at the final night of Sydney's Excelsior Hotel and rocks royally. Rob Younger and guitarist-keyboardist Brent Williams re-mixed 11 tracks especially for vinyl.

You'll find the Pitshark website here.

If you're sweating release of the new studio album, "Incantations", we expect to have copies for sale at the I-94 Bar next week.

• live
• pitshark
• album
• new christs

Get Drunk, Play Records

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 May 2014

Hits: 7653

The film clip for the lead single from the debut album for Sydney powerpop-rock supergroup Loose Pills has gone live. "Get Drunk, Play Records" is on "Rx", the album that's soon to be released on China Pig Records.

For a limited time you can download the single for free here.

The I-94 Bar hosted Loose Pills' first live show way back in 2012 and went on the record as calling them "Sydney's best 'new' old band". You can read a review of their "Not The Droiver" EP here.

Loose Pills are Ryan Ellsmore on vocals and guitar (Hammerfish, The Stiffies, The Scruffs), Matt Galvin on guitar and vocals (The Scruffs, Happy... Hate Me Nots, Eva Trout, Barbarellas, Orange Humble Band, Perry Keyes), Bill Gibson on bass and vocals (Orange Humble Band, The Eastern Dark, Lemonheads, Pyramidiacs, New Christs) and Stu Wilson on drums and vocals (New Christs, Atomicide, The Crisps, Hammerfish.) 

Keep an eye on their Facebook or that Bandcamp site to grab the album.

• loose pills
• china pig

Don’t Fade Away - Andy Shernoff (self released)

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 May 2014

Hits: 5624

Whatever happened to Andy Shernoff? He might have turned his back on his old band but the Dictators’ main songwriter is alive and well enough to be charting his own solo musical course these days. This is his debut solo EP from 2012 and there’s a lot to like about it.

• andy
• shernoff
• don't fade away
• scott kempner
• del-lords

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Buzz as Melvins man heads Down Under

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 May 2014

Hits: 7038

Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne (aka King Buzzo) is headed to Australia for a 10-date solo acoustic tour of Australia in August. With a career spanning 31 years, 30 albums, and over 2,000 live performances, this tour marks the first time that the monarch of metal has performed acoustically in intimate settings.

• punk
• solo
• tour
• king buzzo
• melvins
• grunge
• acoustic

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Los Nuggetz – Various Artists (RockBeat Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 May 2014

Hits: 6445

Here’s a 4-CD collection of rough gems from Latin America, Spain and South America that sums up all that’s great about ‘60s garage rock and roll.

• punk
• los nuggetz
• various

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Psychotic Turnbuckles return from Pismo Beach

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By The Barman

The Barman

20 May 2014

Hits: 6191

Life’s tough at the top and Pismo Beach’s finest exponents of rock and roll wrestling, the Psychotic Turnbuckles, can’t just lie around on Southern Californian beaches sipping champagne all year.

They’re escaping the Northern Hemisphere summer and heading back to Sydney in June for a brief taste of how the other half lives.

• Citadel
• live
• bunt
• bruce,
• psychotic
• turnbuckles
• lansdowne

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