Marcel Bontempi....'Catman' a new 7" for Trash Wax !

The Original 'CATMAN'

Hey Santa, you know what I want !

Folks, what can I say ?  I'm really very excited about this and although it's a few months away I can't help myself but talk about it !  'CATMAN', one the most amazing songs to have EVER been recorded in the 50's is going to be released for us on TRAX WAX by the one and only, the wizard of rhythm....Mr Marcel Bontempi himself !
Whether you're a purist Rockabilly or a Trash hound, this is guaranteed to please....probably one of the most seminal, although generally, lesser known tracks to have been written and released by Gene Vincent and His Bluecaps, it was and still is proto-punk before proto-punk.

F... having them next door !

My first exposure to the track came in the early 80's from the (1980) single of Aussie Swamp rockers, The Birthday Party when they used it as a B-Side to 'The Fiend Catcher'.....Even then I remember thinking 'What the f...!' When the song was included a few years later (1984) on the Big Beat compilation 'Rockabilly Psychosis And The Garage Disease' covered by The Sting Rays, I was doubly impressed, (as I was by the whole album at the time.). It's brooding, it has menace and some rather dark undertones, which are probably best left to a psychologist to analyse !

Essential and obligatory !

It's one of those tracks which for me is timeless and kind of 'out of place' in the 50's....Like Link Wray or The Collins Kids 'Whistlebait' and Eddie Cochrane's (Jerry Neal) 'I hate Rabbits'. What treatment Mr Bontempi (or should that be Dr Bontempi ?) gives this classic ? remains to be seen but going on his previous track record it will be something awesome if not downright amazing. Marcel had been considering covering this track for years and will finally be heading into the studio over the coming months to record this and, no doubt, a good few other tracks which will see the light of day before the year is out on various labels around the globe.

It's OUT !

In the meantime you can get to dig a whole heap of the twisted genius' work on the long awaited and much anticipated 'Witches, Spiders, Frogs & Holes' which should be hitting the stores as we speak ! Just so that you know, the vinyl version of the album comes with an additional 7" and the CD version is fully microwavable...you should try it !

You can now follow us/like us/friend us on that Facebook thing but be aware that I'm not all that up to speed with social media stuff and tend to just click and hope.

So look us up, there is a 'Trash, Garage Garbage & Other Delights' Facebook page here : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trash-Garage-Garbage-and-Other-Delights

TRASH WAX Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/TrashWaxRecords

Gene Vincent 'Catman' :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3OmCZf-7oA

The Birthday Party 'Catman' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8RDTk_AdbI

The Sting Rays 'Catman' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZRF7q77Lw

We'll keep you updated with the progress and other stuff we've planned.

D.

   

THE MUMMIES.......Sheer brilliance or just plain crap ?

4 Guys in bandages !

The Mummies, love them or loathe them, they were truly the nearest thing the US had to a Trash band per se. Yes, there were The Fireworks with their stripped down garage-rockabilly and the Daddies of all Trash-Garage-Rockabilly bands, The Cramps as well as a good few more lesser known bands. But The Mummies were different, not a trace of any 50's influence whatsoever, opting for a more 60's style approach with a healthy dose of raucous punk attitude, almost single-handedly creating the phenomenon of budget-rock/lo-fi in the states (Hasil Adkins apart). Embracing ineptitude as a prime quality and generally not giving a flying fuck. And while there were a million garage bands in the US, each following the revivalist principles with varying degrees of zeal, The Mummies were a straight forward party band out for fun or so it would appear.........

First single. That Girl.

The Mummies were a four piece American garage rock band from San Mateo, California, formed in late (Dec) 1988 by Larry Winther (Guitar), Trent Ruane (organ, vocals), Maz Kattuah (bass) and Russell Quan (drums) with their true identities, hidden beneath homemade raggedy, though pretty cool Mummy costumes, taking their cue from the iconic Boris Karloff character in Universal’s classic horror movies although they'd probably been watching the goofy Hanna- Barabara cartoons of the 60's & 70's too
 

Flyer for the debut gig.

Musically, they drew heavily from the raw Pacific North-West (USA) sound of the early 60's, most notably The Wailers & The Sonics as well as the Frat-rock of the The Kingsmen, not forgetting the scuzzy guitar influence of Link Wray either. Around this time England had seen the various incarnations of Billy Childish's bands, not least The Mighty Caesars, the earlier Milkshakes and (probably the most influential) Thee Headcoats who were also a significant influence on The Mummies and the appreciation was reciprocal even going as far as The Mummies releasing an album on Billy Childish's label 'Hangman', the fabulous 'Fuck Cd's, It's The Mummies' LP. As well as a tour with Thee Headcoats early in the 90's.
The Mummies had their first gig at the Chi Chi Club after 3 months of practicing together, although it would be reasonable to ask what those practice sessions actually consisted of ? For the rest of the year (1989) they played regularly around California, notching up some 30+ gigs including several at the 'Pony Express Pizza Parlour' !!!  

First LP (A compilation of 7"s)

It would take until 1990 and the formation of their own label Pre-BS before their first single came out (That Girl), swiftly followed by another (again on Pre-BS) called 'Food, Sickles and Girls'. All in all, The Mummies released 5 singles in 1990, for Estrus (The Fabulous Mummies, their nod to The Wailers), Rekkids (Skinny Minny) and Regal Select (Shitsville) to which the label got warning letters about using a beer brand logo or somesuch. All of these releases were comped for the Estrus album 'Play Their Own Records' released in 1992.
1991 saw the Mummies playing outside of California for the first time (Canada, New York and the N.West US), going on tour with The Phantom Surfers and again later in the year with Thee Headcoats but this was not before going into the studio to record an album for Tim Warren's Crypt label which would only see the light of day quite some time later (1994) as the bootleg 'Tales From The Crypt'.

And there was I thinking they were a 90's band

'91 also saw them appearing on various comps (you track them down) including 2 tracks on a 60's garage comp put out in France called 'Follow That Munster Vol 2'.
Much had been made of The Mummies stance regarding their output and their (Most commendable) 'Vinyl only' position which didn't last, although admittedly it was years before they actually appeared on CD for the first but not last time. They also enjoyed the reputation of being a 'Fuck You' band, famously giving Sub-Pop the two fingers and whilst they probably got a kick out of it as well as some cliquey kudos, I doubt very much that the label gave it a second thought. This 'don't give a damn' attitude along with their now infamous Lo-Fi ethos eventually took them to a new low, almost becoming a parody of themselves with a race to the bottom of who could release the worst record and still get the fans to swallow it.

Skinny Minnie 7" (Rekkids).

At The beginning of 1992 following the bands return to San Francisco, they decide to call it a day and split up !!! but such was the demand for The Mummies material that another handfull of 7" singles were released during the course of the year for the likes of Estrus, Telstar & Rekkids as well as albums on Estrus, Telstar and Hangman. 1992 was also the year that The Mummies appeared on the loathed CD format....'Fuck The Mummies' was apparently put out by a disgruntled label owner following a disagreement of sorts. Around this time Europe had cottoned onto the Mummies in a cult sort of way and offers for tours were being made in the event they reformed.....and after an absence of 12 months they took the opportunity of doing just that, spending a month on tour with Supercharger around Europe, actually kicking it off with a date at CBGB's.

Well worth picking up.

Apart from the tour, not a lot actually happened for them in '93 but '94 saw them return to Europe on their own for a month, headling in their own right. Even managing to squeeze in a recording session for John Peel at the BBC studios which was subsequently put out as a 7" bootleg on both white and black vinyl, it has also recently resurfaced on pink vinyl and with labels this time as the first simply had plain white ones, it also has one of the better sleeves in my humble opinion. An LP, 'Party At Steve's House' was released on German label Pin-Up as was a 7" called 'Gwendolyn' too, not their strongest releases. The faux Sub-Pop single suddenly appeared on the scene in early '94 as if to add insult to injury regarding their snub of the Seattle label, although there have been whispers over the years that it was all a bit of a marketing ploy and that The Mummies and Sub-Pop were the best of friends, whichever is true ? it's hardly relevant now. 

Double 7"split for SFTRI.

Since splitting again following their return to the US after the '94 European tour, they frequently reformed for Festivals and the odd, short jaunt around Europe, Japan and South America, releasing a further 6 singles and 4 albums over the years, 2 of which were CD's no less......A great legacy on vinyl and fond memories for the folk who got to see them and for those of you who didn't ? There are plenty of videos out there to see what you missed. 
Since parting and going their seperate ways (reunions notwithstanding), they have been involved in numerous bands and projects, not least Russell Quan who was in The Dukes of Hamburg, The Count Backwurds, The Flakes and The Bobbyteens to name but a few. And both Russell and Trent Ruane spent time with Surf supremos, The Phantom Surfers, not bad work by any means.   

Without further ado and as they say, FUCK THE MUMMIES !      

The Mummies website, full discography, gig history and tons of flyers/posters, worth half an hour of anyones time ! : http://www.themummies.com/

Enjoy, D.

Vinyl overload !!!..........Ambrosia for the ears !

http://bronzerat.limitedrun.com/products/543157-heavy-trash-noir

Looks like a case of self inflicted poverty for the months of April and May ! far too many great releases which have to be nabbed ! I was only mentioning recently, where was the promised HEAVY TRASH album ? Then low and behold, out it comes on Bronze Rat Records. Entitled 'Noir!'....and limited to a 1000 copies on vinyl only, no CD release.
This is a pretty eclectic mix of various different recordings, some instrumentals, a jam or two, some out-takes and spanning what I'm guessing is their career to date. Now, I would say that this is probably not the best starting place if you haven't really listened to Heavy Trash in the past as it's pretty hoary in places and may leave the casual listener wondering how they ever got out of the garage and into a studio, personally, I love it but then I've never been one noted for sophisticated tastes ! Not only that, but those purveyors of the perverse, Stay Sick in Brighton have got Heavy Trash playing during July, the 12th to be exact and I think my place is already reserved....just wondering if Bloodshot Bill will be doing Double Bass duties ?

http://cleorecs.com/store/shop/polecats-the-very-best-of-limited-edition-orange-lp/

Now it may come as a surprise to some of you but I'm a huge Polecats fan, always have been and probably always will be, so while a lot of my buddys were fawning over those American blow-ins, The Stray Cats, (whom I could never take to for some reason) I was digging some Post Glam-Billy, you have to admit that it took balls to cover Dave Bowie and Marc Bolan back then with all the aggresive, purist Rockabillies growling! This was put out a few weeks back by Rockabilly Records (Part of the US label Cleopatra) and comes on either pink or orange vinyl, there's nothing new to discover here but it is a beautiful comp of their best toons. Oddly enough I was over in the UK on the hunt for records etc just 2 weeks ago and while in No Hit/Sounds That Swing, Noel, who works there told me that another record shop had opened beneath them by none other than Boz & Lyn Boorer ! (For those of you with short memories, Lyn was the bass player in The Shillelagh Sisters) Imagine my excitement from this double whammy ! So after a long browse and some great chat, as well as a sterling coffee, I left with a pile of records a Polecats T-shirt and a silly grin....Needless to say I will be back often ! Check them out on Facebook : Vinyl Boutique Camden.

http://www.monstermashrecords.com/home.htm

Off to the Munster Raving Loony Party at Arc de Bara at the end of this month and that coincides with the release of the long overdue second album from Thee Gravemen, 'Monster Blues' on lovely red vinyl ! It's been released by their long time buddy and oft partner in crime, DeadElvis on his essential Monster Mash records....12 trashy tracks from the funeral parlour, as it says on the sleeve. Not only that but there's a split with Charm Bag which is only available at the event ! And Charm bag also have their LP out on Kizmiaz Records (France) too...while we're on about the incestuous couplings going on, Leadfoot Tea and Fernando Smogger (also in the Charm Bags) have a 12" platter out called 'Long Gone With' on Green vinyl.....

The one in the middle looks most handsome of the 3.

They've been busy alright but a bit like British buses.....nothing for a while then loads all turn up at the same time ! Here's another joint release from Thee Gravemen and Deadelvis, 4 tracks out on Monster Mash very shortly. My advice is to snap this up as early as possible because their first one went really quickly and yours truly blinked and missed it !
Another essential release you need to get your grubby mitts on is the new album (CD only at present but we're told the vinyl will be released later this year, hope that doesn't mean Nov-Dec) by Almon 'Silvertooth' Loos and The Witch, it's called 'Witch Music' and you can get it direct from the man himself via a PM on Facebook. He has posted a few of the tracks from it on Youtube so you can do the aulde 'try before you buy' carry on too.   

Erm, I've gotten myself one of them Facebook pages too by the way, not quite sure what to do with it but feel free to go onto it and like me, befriend me or whatever.....but just because we're 'friends' on facebook doesn't mean I'm inviting you round for dinner or anything.....well, not unless you're female and you look like Betty Page in her prime !  Facebook : Franky Stine : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009375935880

Be cool, Ghouls.

TRASH WAX !.........A new label !

Hey Folks,
                  we've decided to take the plunge !  I suppose that after thinking about it on and off for the past couple of years but not doing anything about it, the decision to give it a go wasn't all that hard, particularly considereing all the encouragement and great mails from the blog readers the past year....So, without further ado, TRASH WAX will be starting out with an LP from The Vibes, and if the timing is right it will be released on the 31st of May (2015), exactly 30 years to the day it was recorded, live in Enger, Germany during The Vibes 1985 tour there.

Trash Wax LP number 1.

The whole idea and concept is to preserve some of the great sounds that were about during the classic 'Trash' period and commit them to vinyl as is only fitting and our releases won't be sloppy, thrown together attempts. There will be liner notes and contributions from the band members themselves, previously unseen photographs, remastering of the source tapes where necessary and class artwork from the likes of Chris Moore, Marcel Bontempi and others and while we will be focusing on unearthing forgotten gems and digging up material previously presumed lost, you can expect regular releases from current bands and artists that we like...in no proper order, we've this pile of  vinyl set to be unleashed over the coming months !


- LP  The Vibes  'Voodoo Juju'
- 7"   Vince Ripper & The Rodent Show.  'Ripperville' & 'Teenage Werewolf'
- 10"  The Raymen  'The 6 track Green Alien Cassette release from 1984'
- 7"   The Bugs.  EP of unreleased studio material from '87.
- LP  The Go Go Cult.  'Into the Valley of'  Their first LP (Licensed from Western Star).
- 7"   The Half-Lings.   Pre-Bugs,  EP of unreleased studio material from '86..
- MLP   The Shockwaves.  8 unreleased studio tracks (Like The Vibes & Purple Things).
- 7"  Marcel Bontempi  (Title to be confirmed but it will be a goody !)
- LP  The Vibes  'Ain't It Hard'  (working title, live in Berlin '85).
- 7"   The Teamsters.
- LP  The Men With The Golden Gonads  'Unreleased LP'

And a whole lot more, all the details will be posted once we've confirmed 100% with the bands, we're also working on a series of compilations of forgotten garage goodies as well as chatting with folk about licensing older releases for possible revamps and giving some of these fab tunes a well deserved second lease of life.

There is a Facebook page for Trash Wax too now, so feel free to take a look, like it or whatever it is that you do with it ?  https://www.facebook.com/TrashWaxRecords

We'll keep you up to speed, meanwhile.......STAY SICK !

Hipsville Horror A Go Go ! & The X-Men, The Hillmans & The Sine Waves in Brighton.

http://www.hipsville.co.uk/

I guess it was never on the cards for me to become fabulously wealthy beyond my wildest dreams as each month I just shell out all my cash on going some place or buyin up more records....least it's not heroin or the bookies ! And it's looking like April & May are gonna be hitting the pocket pretty hard But But But...it's going to be a lot of fun all the same......Kicking off with this....Really easy to get to with Gatwick airport nearby and something like 8 trains an hour from London stations !

3 days of partying at a horror themed weekend with
international live bands, top DJs, Go! Go! girls in cages!
wild gorillas, TiKi themed exotic cocktail party, monsters, ghouls and ghosts!
Plus a 3 day vintage market, psychotronic weird’n'wild movie theatre and the coolest sunday auto show and more, more, more…………

Crazy people from all the corners of Europe get together to dance and party all weekend in a horrifically themed ballroom to the wilder sounds of 60’s and beyond! With 14 live bands, the best international DJs spinnin’ their fav 45s til 3am, six caged Go! Go! girls dancin’ all night, and a whole bunch of people looking for a good time. That's HIPSVILLE.

If that's not enough there's more, as Saturday and Sunday afternoon takes a different twist with the HIPSVILLE TiKi party, all taking place in our exotically themed bar called TiKiViLLE. The party continues with more bands, more DJs, more GO! GO! girls and a return of Wanda De Lullabies very special burlesque show, plus our very own cocktail mixer to add some extra hula hula to your drinks and your afternoon!

But wait, there's even more as Sunday has the added attraction of the HIPSVILLE AUTO SHOW, last year’s was a huge success with over 60 cars rolling in! so in 2015 roll up in your ride or just look enviously at some of the coolest sets of wheels on the road!
In addition to the music, girls and the cars! HIPSVILLE also has a 3 day vintage market, with stalls selling clothes, records and home wear, perfect for those looking for something cool to wear or maybe something hip for their home.

Is that enough reasons to party with us at
HIPSVILLE HORROR A GO! GO!

http://www.hipsville.co.uk/

HIPSVILLE HORROR A GO! GO!
Horror themed 60’s weekender 
15th 16th 17th may 2015
Bisley Pavilion, Queens Road, Brookwood, Surrey UK GU24 0NY
 
 
☆☆☆2015 LINE UP☆☆☆
 
FRIDAY NIGHT in Castle Von HIPSVILLE
 
THE SCREAMING LORD SUTCH tribute (monsterville)
"The monstrous sound of rock'n'horror rises from the grave"
THE AUTORAMAS (Brazil)
"An explosive mix of 80's power pop and 60's surf delivered with heavy fuzzed out bass"
KINOCO HOTEL (Japan)
'All girl 1960s ‘group-sounds’ inspired, garage rock 4-piece from Japan'
LES GRYS GRYS (France)
“Fearsome French 60’s r’n’b crazy assed wild men”

http://www.hipsville.co.uk/

☆☆☆SATURDAY AFTERNOON in TiKiViLLE☆☆☆

THE ERROR TEAM (Belgium)
“Instrumental film exotica music with a jazzy twist”

THEE JEZEBELS (UK)
"Three ladies making fuzzed-up, freaked-out, wild rock 'n' roll!"

THEE ANDREWS SURFERS Deluxe (Belgium)
“monstrophonic blend of garage and surf”

'THE DEADLY STABS!' (UK)
"Who you say? It's the return of our fav band but in a different guise!"

 

http://www.hipsville.co.uk/

 ☆☆☆SATURDAY NIGHT in Castle Von HIPSVILLE☆☆☆

THE NINE TON PEANUT SMUGGLERS (UK)
“Sir Baldy’s all-star combo playing authentic, swinging, ska and shufflin’ rhythm’n’blues”

THE ANOMALYS (Netherlands)
“Psychotic, unpredictable and primitive rock ‘n roll trio”
                                                                                       
GIUDA (Italy) “Stompin’ glam punk ‘n’ roll”
FIFTY FOOT COMBO (Belgium)
“aggressive instrumental sounds, ranging from surf to soul, over big beat to fuzz garage”
plus  WANDA DE LULLABIES 'Bride of Frankenstein' burlesque show

☆☆SUNDAYDAY AFTERNOON in TiKiViLLE☆☆

THE SEX ORGANS (uranus)
"The Sex Organs from outer space! Intergalactic sex'n'roll!"
OH! GUNQUIT (UK)
“Trashy, rumble, surf, bop, blitz”
DAVROS and the DEEP SPACE DEVIANTS
"Punk, glam and even 80's pop delivered by leader of the Daleks along with his Deviants from planet Skaro!!"
THE TiKi HEADS (who knows?)
“The world’s foremost enigmatic, legendary and exotic surf group extraordinaire”
plus
WANDA DE LULLABIES 'Creature of the Surfer's Lagoon' burlesque show

www.facebook.com/events/334903240044198/

Then the following weekend, as if it isn't already enough,  and fresh back from the recent 'sejours au soleil' The X-Men are playing their first UK gig of the year in Brighton on the 22nd of May along with The Hillmans, whose new album 'Kings of the Weald Frontier' (out on Western Star Records) should have been released by then. Topping things off are surf meisters from Hastings (or thereabouts),The Sine Waves whose first single 'The Scientific Sounds Of (on Dead By Mono Records) was pressed on the ridiculously small quantity of 50 copies ! So here's an opportunistic appeal going out on behalf of the bereft, in this case me ! If anyone has a spare copy or  can steal a copy off of someone less deserving....let me know please.

FRIDAY 22nd may
The Greendoor store
Trafalgar Arches Lower Goods Yard
Brighton BN1 4FQ
DJ Andy Roseaman Playing garage thumpers
11 quid tickets in advance, more on the door
                                                                    Doors open 7pm  For ticket info call 07449 667581

After party at the Dorset Street Bar 28 North Road Brighton BN1 1YB
Guest DJs from 10.30PM till 1AM   

See you there !

Vince Ripper & The Rodent Show.....Smells Like ? The Cramps !

Out now on CD & Luscious Vinyl...

To coin a phrase....Fooking Hell !  What happens when you take demented 50's raunch & 60's punk sensibilities then put it in the hands of two certifiable nutcases ?........THIS !
Vince Ripper & The Rodent Show have their first slab of wax out this week (March 2015) and what a great piece it is with no less than 5 crazed Cramps covers (Ha, only 4 on the CD) ! On lovely green vinyl too. 'It's Fun To Be A Monster' is the follow up to their CD only release of  'Boneyard A Go Go' from 2012. 
Shock! After Shock! After Shock!!! This record is gunna bake ya, it’s gunna flake ya, it’s gunna boil you up and shake ya. Tune in and stay sick to the sounds of the Boneyard from Vince Ripper and The Rodent Show. The Cramps meet Alien Sex Fiend in a Bonearama Twist Off.....so says the blurb at Screen edge, the bands UK label, can't say that I disagree all that much either !

Stay Sick Purple Knifers !

Cop the Voodoo, JuJu man looking like some kind of Ghoulardi meets Nik Fiend meets Marylin Manson and Psychedelic Jungle era Lux on a bad day ! That's lead boneyard man and MC Zombie Bastard Ratty ! (The Rodent, although I bet his mother calls him something else). Our man Ratty has quite the pedigree in case you were thinking that they had only recently crawled out from some delapidated crypt ? Ratty actually started out in his late teens as drummer for the Blackpool based psychobilly band, The Turnpike Cruisers, he left them in 1987 to take up the sticks when Johnny Haha quit Alien Sex Fiend, the story goes that 'The Cruisers' had several slots supporting ASF on a leg of a particular tour and the 'Fiends' were at the back listening in on his soundcheck, no doubt hatching some dastardly scheme to kidnap him and subject the poor soul to some kind of mind control process, this is more or less what actually transpired, although the brainwashing simply consisted of giving him a shed load of mind altering substances ! For the full lowdown on that particular phase, you should read 'Once Upon A Fiend' the story of how it all came to be.

Vince Ripper (L) & The Rodent (R).

The other half of this dynamic duo, Mr Vince Ripper himself, was a rather renowned DJ plying his trade for 20 years and gaining something of a reputation during his time spinning the wax. Fast forward to late 2010, early 2011 and a chance discusion in a pub over a few beers (never heard that one before !) by two guys bemoaning the fact they didn't feel their musical tastes, The Cramps in particular, were being adequately catered to ! Taking the old addage that more beers lead to more ideas ! the two of them set about getting totally langered and coming up with the notion of  combining a Mad (Mike Myers) Daddy style DJ set with the visual presence of Ghoulardi by way of a 'Vega/Rev' duo, playing 50's & 60's Trash with more than a cursory nod to The Cramps, inevitably this led to them laying some tracks down and the release of Boneyard A Go Go,

Has to be seen to be believed !

however, much more than simply a band covering their favourite Suicide, ASF and Cramps tunes, the experience of a Vince Ripper & The Rodent Show gig is rather mind blowing, something akin to a Hammer House of Horror meets Rob Zombie at a 3D 50's drive in ! With a set of in excess of 40 tunes to choose from, gigs are far from samey, throw in the whole 3D element, yep they have a 3D projector and Ratty distributes out the specs to the unsuspecting audience who are then invited to revel in the surreal, trippy atmosphere. Going back to the newly released album, and to what's (probably) the important bits about the release...The CD version and the vinyl version are actually different due to issues of copyright, the CD being a UK release while the LP is a US pressing, so the mixes are different and their intended cover of 'Teenage Werewolf' is absent from both being replaced with 'Rippersville' a delightfully deranged spin on 'Peter Gunn'....and for those misguided souls among you who mistakenly believe that there is anything remotely 'Gothish' about these guys....I can assure you there isn't !  Even the question of were ASF a 'Goth' band ? is open to interpretation but I'll leave that to be debated among the black clad legions as I don't actually care.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtTyw8r04mA

Give these tunes a listen to and if it's not pure Trashy R'n'R then I'm deaf ! 

UNDER THE WIRES : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y9tadiL_3o     
SOME NEW KIND OF KICK :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVEYlFqKf54
ZOMBIE DANCE :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tNnXJpMwHg



What you have here is a band (duo) that actually 'Get It' !  It's not simply about learning the chords and riffs, it's about fun, yeah there are theatrics but then The Cramps, or at least Lux wasn't opposed to letting rip either ! It's about the references, knowing where it's coming from, not just imitation, some may say "why do covers" ?  "why not do originals" ?  I'm sure they do, but when you have source material as good as The Cramps why bother ?.......they themselves certainly didn't after all ! 

good looking double bill !

With another album in the can due out at the end of this year or very early next year which has at least 5 more Cramps covers including Most Exhalted Potentate of Love, Mystery Plane, Love Me and TV Set.....Means I'm already looking forward to it, the album remains untitled as of yet but when it changes, you'll be among the first to hear about it !
They're also releasing a ltd 7" at some point this year too and there's talk of a possible live album...all in all a very promising 2015 !

You can contact the guys through the usual plethora of social media and their website which incidently should be your first port of call to get your dirty little hands on all manner of goodies including the albums and assorted merch !

Here's a link to a great interview with Ratfink : http://thatmakesitnotinsane.blogspot.ie/2013/12/a-chat-with-andrew-ratfink-wilson.html

Vince Ripper & The Rodent Show Website : http://vinceripperandtherodentshow.com/

Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vince-Ripper-and-The-Rodent-Show/177724172238416 

So, go see them, buy their albums, at the very least the vinyl.......

Stay Sick !

THE CRAMPS.......NEW LP ! Trash Is Neat 6...All Bass Players Are Bad.

250 copies on PINK VINYL ?

Fair amazing people !!! News on this immenant babys arrival broke yesterday and after much frantic emailing, I managed to get the lowdown on this absolutely incredible LP....Jam packed with unreleased goodies and tracks, most of which I'd only heard rumours about...THAT IS, UNTIL NOW !
From scavenging around and pulling in a favour or two, here's what I have pieced together. It looks like that this wicked piece of vinyl will be up for grabs somewhere between the beginning and middle of April, it's apparently been pressed for some kind of LUX memorial bash and will, whichever source you believe, either be Ltd to 250 copies in total or 250 copies in pink vinyl with a naughty(ish) sleeve and 250 copies in a less revealing sleeve on black vinyl....Either way, I'm having one of each ! 

Details From:  mysteryplanepilot@gmail.com

The TRASH IS NEAT Series has been slowly putting together some fantastic releases over the years and is a real work of passion by the folk doing them, only the last two (including this one) have been released on vinyl and both are (were) hyper limited.
This blows any unofficial release before it completely out of the water for the contents rarity value and quality of the recordings. A lot of you will already know my general views on a lot of the crap bootlegs that have appeared for sale and been rehashed, particularly over the last couple of years BUT if you were only ever going to buy two unofficial albums, then Trash is Neat 5 and this platter are all you would ever need !
Brilliantly compiled with attention to detail, precise information with genuine passion gone into the making this.....I think Lux would have approved.

Buy or reserve your copy fast !

Here's the track listing in the case you can't read it from the rear of the cover.

A. Side.
 1. Nobody but Me.

 2. Surfin Dead.

 3. Woodpecker Rock.

 4. Booze Party.

 5. Jailhouse Rock.

 6. It’s Mighty Crazy

 7. Jellyroll Rock

 8. Walked All Night

 

B. Side.

 9. Dinner with Drac

10. Five Years Ahead of My Time

11. You’re Gonna Miss Me

12. Everybody’s Movin’

13. Elvis Fuckin’ Christ

14. Hanky Panky

15. My Flash on You

 

This really won't be around for very long and so to avoid disappointment, I would seriously suggest contacting your man to nab a copy before it's too late !  mysteryplanepilot@gmail.com

Stay Sick !

Messer Chups........WITH OLEG GITARKIN !

Only available as a download.

Now, this is a bit of a scoop as I managed to get hold of the main man himself for this post, none other than one of St Petersburgs finest and a third of the fabulous Messer Chups..Mr Oleg Gitarkin ! I would imagine (and hope) that most of you would be familiar with this long standing and ever so prolific Russian based combo, not to mention the seriously rockin' side projects of The Gitaraculas and The Bonecollectors....if not, you are in for a treat and a half ! Messer Chups started out originally as a formation called Messer Fur Frau Muller way back in the late 90's, 98 or there abouts, eventually morphing over the years into what we now know as the classic core line up of Oleg Gitarkin and Svetlana Zombierella.

Attack of the 50ft babe !

The major turning point in direction for the group came in 2005 when Zombie Girl (Svetlana) joined Oleg, together slowly steering the sound away from the more experimental side of things and adopting a solid guitar based approach, blending this with a heavy Surf influence and more than a generous helping of Rockabilly, throw in imagery from their love of classic Universal and Hammer horror movies, 50's & 60's Sci-Fi, a bit of Tiki Exotica, some campy, kitsch trash and you've a mix which can't go wrong !
Amazingly productive, Oleg has released 15 albums with Messer Chups, some 14 albums or so with Messer Fur Frau Muller plus albums with The Gitaraculas & Bonecollectors, not forgetting credits to film scores. And just check out the dozens of groovy videos they've produced, most of which can be found on youtube and various sites, all well worth seeing !
Zombierella is no slouch either when it comes to filling her time, when not touring or recording she's a pretty mean DJ and can be found filling the dancefloors in clubs around Europe spinning sounds from her own vinyl collection.

We asked Oleg a few questions about the influences and plans for the band and here's what he had to say !

Go Go Gorilla !

Musically, what were your influences in getting started before Messer for Frau Muller? what were you listening to as a teenager growing up in St Petersburg ?

I listened to a lot of teen music by Elvis Presley, Ministry, Front 242, Marlene Dietrich, the Cramps, Sisters of Mercy, Coil and so on. 

Back in the mid 90's, Bomp released a compilation of Surf & Instrumentals called 'Surfbeat behind the Iron Curtain' were you aware that underground groups played these styles in Russia and the Eastern European states during the 60's and later ? and did they influence you in anyway ?

I'm not particularly interested in the youth that played in the 60's Russian groups or what was on the plates of something in the 60's because any music sounded good then.

Prometheus anyone ?

You're obviously a big fan of film 'Noir', the Universal horror movies, 50's and 60's Trash film culture, but could you tell us a little more about the cinematic influences on your music from the Russian movie scene ?

Russia didn't film any horror in the 60's but shot a lot of comedy and science fiction, which even Stanley Kubrick gets excited about, like the movie --- Planet of Storms !

You are a very busy guy, between making music with your bands, touring, working as a commercial composer, producing the videos for your music and running your label Gitaracula Records, how do you find the time for all of this, we assume you must sleep sometimes..............unless !

I sing a lot but I have enough time to do it all.  I just do not do too much of anything, but just the fact that I like to play concerts and record music is fun and it doesn't take up a lot of time, I spend weeks not knowing what to do !

Ahhh, Mr Gitarkin......we've been expecting you !

Can you tell me a little about how you come up with the ideas for your vast number of videos ? obviously a lot of work goes into these (I've spent way too many hours on Youtube with them).

Miscellaneous video was filmed at different times, usually the clips are very simple ideas when I'm on track to finish a script, although not always thought out completely when putting them together but it's always very fast and primitive because I'm too lazy to make something complex.

Get it on vinyl folks !

You've been around recording now for over 20 years and there has been a slow evolution towards a much more surf orientated sound (even though there are heavy rockabilly influences) especially in the last few albums......why the slow move away from using the theremin, the exotica/loungey sound and less of all the sampling and mixing ?

I do at the moment what I like the most, it's that just like that and try to come up with a classic approach, I think all musicians move forward.

What modern bands do you guys listen to at the moment, if any ? Are you aware of The Space Agency (former Vibrasonic) and the music of Simon Jones ?

No, I do not know many of these modern surf bands I like the Fathoms but we listen to a lot of music.

Just like a 1940's movie poster.

This is a subject very dear to my heart, we love all the albums that you have put out over the years even though they can be very hard to get hold of but why are only 4 LPs on vinyl ? (including one Frau Messer LP) 

Seriously Oleg, you design beautiful covers which would look so much better on a vinyl LP sleeve ! any plans to release the back catalogue on vinyl ?

We have three vinyl and two 45's soon we will be releasing a new album, 'THE INCREDIBLE CROCOTIGER'...regarding reissuing old albums, I'm not interested, I like to do something new !

With your label Gitaracula Records, did you set it up for just your own projects or will you use it to release other bands material ?

Gitaracula records is only for our own projects,  I don't plan to publish other people's music.

You guys are always well received when playing in Europe, what about America, how do you think you go down over there ?

The last time we had a problem with America, we've been denied visas twice now, it's a problem for Messer Chups probably because we're unknown Russians ? but we really want to play in America !

Easy Tiger !

Question specifically for Zombierella, How do you feel about being the pin-up for the band ? part Betty Page, part Morticia Addams and part Vampira, your look is great, is this how you are in your daily life ?

Zombierella is........ Zombierella

Grab the album 'Bone To Bone'

Do you find that writing music comes easily to you ? Does the group write songs collectively ? Who comes up with the ideas and themes ?

I compose myself and come up with all of the music, for me it's very easy and simple, Zombierella writes all the text with our friend Voxter,  ideas always come quickly and easily.

Can you tell us a bit about The Bonecollectors and The Gitaraculas, both albums are fantastic but again no vinyl releases and both of these albums would be perfect for LP releases ! Zombierella's vocals work really well for this type of rockabilly (The Bonecollectors).......did you know she could sing before this ?

Yes, and at a future date, we plan to record a new Bonecollectors album.

Who designs your posters (Tour, promotional etc), there are some fantastic pieces of art......short of stealing them off of the walls in the venues, is there anywhere where we can buy them ? 

https://www.facebook.com/messerchups

A lot of people come up with the designs and  lazy list,  but I've also began to make designs too.

Do you have any plans for a dedicated Messer Chups / Gitaracula Records website ? Some of us (me included) don't use facebook and would probably find it a lot easier keeping up if all the info, releases, tour dates, merchandise etc were in one place.

May do in the future, at the moment we haven't a lot of time to do this, just have to use face book for the time being.

Can you tell us about any news for upcoming releases ?

New release from Messer Chups....  very soon in March 2015 spring nazyvatsya is 'The Incredible Crocotiger' we plan to release it on cd vinyl mp3.

One last question.......What is Zombierella's phone number ?

666-66-66 calls after midnight.....

 Discography.

• Miss Libido (2000) MC, CD
• Bride Of The Atom (2000) MC, CD
• Vamp Babes (2000) MC, CD
• Black Black Magic (2002) CD
• The Best Of Messer Chups: Cocktail Draculina (2002) CD
• Crazy Price (2003) CD
• Vamp Babes Upgrade Version 2004 (2004) CD
• Crazy Price (new version) (2005) CD
• Hyena Safari (2005) CD
• Hyena Safari (2nd version)(2006) CD
• Zombie Shopping (2007) CD
• Best of The Best (2008) CD/LP
• Heretic Channel (2009) CD/LP
• Bermuda 66 (2010) CD
• Surf Riders from The Swamp Lagoon (2011) CD
• Сhurch of Reverb (2012) CD/LP
• Jokermobile (2014) 7"
• Rockin' Zombie (2015) 7"

Big Thanks to Oleg Gitarkin and Can't wait for the album.

Cheers !

Bit of a round up, Munster raving Loony party dates, new releases !

http://daztrash.wix.com/munster-raving-loony

Time to be thinking about getting the factor 75 out folks, at least for the pale  & pasty like myself! and for what better reason than to head off to The Munster Raving Loony Party.....3 Days of Garage, R 'n' R and low down partying at Camping Arc De Bara, Roda De Bara on the beach, just south of Barcelona ! From Thursday 30th April to Sat 2nd May. 

Killer line-up with The Masonics, The Rippers, The Jackets, Thee Gravemen, Thee Jezebels,  Miss Ludella Black, The Pukes, The Cheating Hearts, Las Merlenes,  Charm Bag, Biz Naga, Go! Zilla, Leadfoot Tea & Fernando Smogger and some new band called The X-Men ?

Click on the link for ALL the details of how much (50 Euros for 3 days !), Airports and transport links, camping and chalets, full band line-up......And the bearded ladies DJing !

Cramps inspired weirdness.

1st album.

New album from Blackpool's scariest duo, out on 'Slime' green vinyl too no less....following on from where their 1st album 'Boneyard A Go Go' left off. They cover The Cramps 'The Crusher', 'New Kind Of Kick, 'Sunglasses After Dark', 'Zombie Dance' and 'I Was A Teenage Werewolf' as well as Alan Vega's 'Jukebox Babe' and 'Ghostrider'......On Boneyard A Go Go they had covered 'The Natives Are Restless', 'Under The Wires' and 'Strychnine' also a different version than on 'It's Fun To Be A Monster' of 'New Kind Of Kick'.  

Checkout their website for details and all kinds of fun things!

:  http://vinceripperandtherodentshow.com/index.php

 

Those fine people over at Big Beat have released a vinyl version Dean Carter's 'Call Of The Wild' and if you're quick enough you may get a copy of the Orange vinyl edition (I got mine at 'No Hit Records', just click on the link in the panel on the right !).

Incidently, the CD came out in 2002.

14 Tracks (28 on the CD, so why no double album ?) of mayhem from this certifiable lunatic. I'm guessing he got the dials on his time machine a bit mixed up as he looks as if he's stepped out of the 1950's only thing is that these recordings were made in the very late 1960's...So while Vanilla fudgepackers and assorted hippies were dominating the airwaves, this looper is belting out class A Rockabilly !   Talk about turning up late for the party !

Now here's little thing to get all you punksters and mad collectors a bit hot under the collar, over at Squoodge Records : http://www.squoodge.de/prestashop/

Be quick or miss out !

There's the chance to get your hands on some super limited edition vinyl 7"s, one a month in fact with only a 100 (yep, just a hundred) copies being pressed. At 166.80 Euros for the 12 this isn't bad value !  Exclusive tracks from Bloodshot Bill, Marcel Bontempi, Bill Fadden & Dangerous Curves, King Salami & The Cumberland 3 as well as the ever prolific Mr Billy Childish among others means that these will be in demand....well worth the investment in my eyes !If you don't know Squoodge then you're probably missing out on something! They are a mail-order company and a high quality record pressing service, producing some of the best limited editions of Garage, Rockabilly and Punk vinyl on the planet...their attention to detail is second to none !

Soon, Soon, Soon !

News about the long awaited Marcel Bontempi album 'Witches, Spiders, Frogs & Holes' should be in the next post as will be a bit of an interview with the twisted genius himself, where we'll get the lowdown on what's coming next ! Keep an eye on Stag-O-Lee website for when the album becomes available!

Thanks for all the cool messages, appreciated.
Take it easy and Stay Sick.