Notes from the underground.

NO SHORTAGE OF BALLS on the new Black Furies LP Death Trip Saturday Night on Gearhead Records. These guys have a no-bullshit, straight-ahead, rock-your-fuckin'-neck-off approach that is easy to compare, if that is something that I gotta do to make it so the lowest common denominator, dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks numbskull types can understand. It's simple: think the best stuff from Radio Birdman, Motorhead, Dead Boys, Supersuckers, Devil Dogs, Humpers, Hellacopters (first and second record) if you want to move chronologically (and you could even throw in a little early KISS at the beginning of the list). Shakin' tambourines and wailin' keyboards accentuate the manly boss rock sound; this one has jumped to the top of the list this month. Any chance I can talk you guys into playing in Indonesia over the next couple of months? Indonesia needs this kind of rock. Fuck it, so does the rest of the world... Also from the Gearhead stable is the Lords of Altamont Lords Have Mercy L.P. Straight outta the garage but loud as an alcohol fueled funny car, this shit is foot stompin' and barn burnin,' one foot in the '60s and the other in lock step with a timeless rock and roll lineage. It sure as shit ain't no wimpy V-neck sweater havin', pseudo-surf crap, but rather the kind of record that you could make from collecting the earwax from the ears of the denizens of the darkest, shittiest, loudest, rockingest bars, pounding it flat with a brick and throwing it on yer turntable. Yep, that about gets it... The name of the record is Future Shock, but in plenty of ways the new one from the Pedestrians is a blast from the past. Hoarse vocals + fast pace + loud guitars + anger and angst + short and to the point songs + three dicks and one chick = some classic sounding shit. This one is another kick-ass contender, and it's from those fucking deviants at Criminal IQ Records, so you know its quality dope... Got a kick-ass video in with this month's stuff, and though it ain't really a music video, it's got some great tuneage, from the Buzzcocks and The Specials to Joy Division and even a Neil Young song, with a couple spoken word additions by Mr Charles Bukowski himself. The film's entitled The Strongest of the Strange (a line from Bukowski) and was made by Pontus Alv. It's got mostly European footage, but it's far from a regular skate video, as this one has a way more arty edge to it, including a lot of the work being done in film and not video, and its focus isn't just skating but more the environment in which skating happens (as well as tomfoolery, chicanery, and malfeasance). It's got some sick spots that are easily recognizable, but plenty that aren't, a testament to the fact that there are so many parks out there in the world nobody will ever skate them all. It's organized into themed clips with some people getting parts, but one of the best is the ode to Savannaside, which follows the outlaw cement structure's building, over-popularity, and eventual destruction. I think you can get this one through Emerica or skate shops or something, but it's worth a look...