Holidays are Here
The Rock That Comes To Sweden…
The first thing I ask when I get to a new place is “WHERE IS THE ROCK??” Where do the rockers hang out, where are the shows, where are the cool record stores, and where are the cool bands? Even before I got here, my friend Martin Percival from the UK said that Debaser is his favorite club. So I put that on my list of places to check out.
The next thing I wonder is, who can I hang out with? I REALLY only knew ONE person over there before I came – a woman named Joy whom I had met at a Wildhearts concert in London last year. I arrive on a Monday, get in touch with Joy, and we make a plan to go to Debaser. What do we find out? The band at Debaser is actually a band from Brooklyn!
Ghetto Ways
Ghetto ways is a three-piece high-energy garage rock band with a drummer that does most of the singing. Fast, furious and fun. I have not heard that kind of frenzied howling in a long time. Definitely takes a few cues from The Sonics. Jenna’s guitars are really heavy, too, in song like “Get Up” and “Get Down on the Get Down.” And these guys and gal get up AND get down. I think my favorite song is “Home in your Heart.” We talked to them after, and then I realized we had played a show with them a while back. This time I paid attention. I bought the CD “Solid Brown,” so if you like slammin’ raw rock and roll with riffy guitars, you will like this, too.
Groovie Ghoulies
OK, so my second live show in Stockholm is also a band from the US that I already know. They are playing a party called “Gearclub,” which is the monthly rocker night at Debaser. These are the tattooed, greased-hair, whiskey-drinkin’, drag-racin’, denim-wearin’ guys and gals that you might see at a Viva Las Vegas or Rockaround festival. The Groovie Ghoulies are upbeat pop-punk from Oakland, California. They have the same roots as their most famous counterparts, and during their set someone hollers out, “Green Day!” so they take it in stride. Kepi, their singer, starts ripping through the bass riff of “American Idiot.” Groovie Ghoulies also have a ripping female guitar player- Roach, who is solid and holds down those Johnny Ramone-style rhythms. They also did a really fun cover of Billy Bragg’s “A New England.” Later in the set, a drunk guy yells out, “New England!” People were dancing and getting pretty drunk!
I yelled out for them to play one for New Orleans and they looked surprised. After the show I go up to them to say hi, and they don’t even recognize me, as they are so shocked to see me over here. We talk and catch up for a bit. I check out the merch, and Kepi is also an artist who has a fanzine. There is this little framed painting of a three-eyed purple monster that I think is just the thing to brighten up my dull and dark accommodations. So I go ahead and buy that, and say goodbye to the Ghoulies and wish them a good tour!
Melt Banana
I am on a ROLL with the chicks that rock. Melt Banana is an infamous Japanese noise-rock band. They sure generate a LOT of sound for two gals and a guy. It is amazingly hard to describe. My best friend April was here so we went and met two British friends of Martin’s, and one of them said that the singer sounded like she was being sodomized while singing. Songs are short, fast, furious, intense and of odd subject matter, as only the Japanese can do. They’re part monster movie, part Hello Kitty, with songs like “Phantasmagoria,” “First Contact To Planet Q” and “Iguana In Trouble.” They kind of sound like an iguana in trouble. Melt Banana is an experience. I think you have to see it live to enjoy it and get the full effect. They are not a band that you sit around and listen to on a Sunday afternoon, no matter how puzzling “13 Hedgehogs” may be. The band made such an impression that weeks later, the crew that went to the concert got an e-mail that described it perfectly: “”Japanese No Wave gone berserk; piercing vocals, snarling guitar that sounds like chainsaws, laser guns, explosions, and the occasional dying animal. Strange sound snippets, churning bass, and frantic drums create a ferocious and clattering show that will overwhelm, pummel and confuse you.” It may not be your bag, but it’s certainly not boring.
The Turbo ACs
These guys are an old favorite from NYC. When I started playing in the New York Scene in my all-girl band Starkist, we played a lot of shows together. I’m so glad these guys are still playing and rockin’ it out. They keep true to their rockin’ roots, playing a riff-based AC/DC-style Misfits rock – and I’m talking the Plan 9 Misfits! So if you like had rockin’, whiskey drinkin’, drag racin’, tattoo flashin’ punk-influenced gear-headed rock and roll, this is for you! Anyway, went to the show to meet up with another friend of a friend from the States, Eddie, who is also friends with the Turbo ACs. After a rippin’ show, we do some shots and wind up at my house for an afterparty. Later, Kevin posted a video of me licking a beer can in 7-11, which I didn’t remember until I saw it in my myspace comments! Sabine of Coolgrrrls gave me a cryptic head up though when they came through Germany – “The Turbo Acs were showing me some video of you…” I was too frightened to ask what it was.
Billy Idol
I am a huge Gen X fan, and have almost all their UK singles. I even think Billy’s “Don’t Stop” EP and first album are good. He kicked off the show with hits like “Dancing with myself” but in the middle, had nowhere to go. Brought the show down for like four or five songs at least. Even did Randy Newman’s “Louisiana.” He was bordering on Elvis Vegas camp, and even announced, “this song is Rockabilly Idol” before playing Rebel Yell. Really, the most exciting event of the whole show was Billy stumbling backward into the drum kit. It was the only spontaneous moment of the evening. Steve Stevens is great, and I love his flamenco stuff, but his solo in the straightforward “Ready Steady Go” was a little wanky. When Billy encored with “Hot in the City,” we knew the show was over.
Jason Ringenberg
A boy I was dating suggested I do some “Lefty Country,” because I was kind of on a country kick. Now all I’m capable of is “cryin’ in your beer” country, but in comes Jason Ringenberg, formerly of Jason and The Scorchers. Jason is touring to support his new album “Empire Builders” which is just the kind of “lefty” Country this boy had in mind. He’s got a song about the Tuskegee airmen, a Rebel Flag flying in Germany, one called “New-Fashioned Imperialist” and asks the “American Question.” There are also some personal songs, like “Half The Man,” and an ode to the now recently deceased Link Wray. Check out this disc for good American music with heart, soul and conscience. He even has a “Farmer Jason” CD for kids, so I wanted to support him in that and I bought one for my nieces and nephews!
Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds
You may know Kid Congo from such legendary bands as the Cramps, The Gun Club and Knoxville Girls, but what he is doing now is still pushing the boundaries of Rock and Roll. It’s really hard to explain, but I usually refer to music that goes outside the norm as the antidote to rock and roll. If you are sick of bands who sound the same and want to wipe your brain clean, go see these guys. If you like the Cramps or the Gun Club, go see these guys. Kid Congo is an engaging performer who does better when he puts down the guitar. It’s like he’s telling a story in song, and it ain’t your normal bedtime story, either.
Adam West
I have not seen Adam West in MANY years, and boy, have they become a hard rock and roll powerhouse! With the addition of Dan-O on guitar, it made it extra special for me to have old friend Jake and Dan-O on stage together! Jake’s voice is powerful and he commands notice, Dano-O is flashy and trashy on stage, pulling out all the Steve Stevens moves. The Rhythm section is hard and that drummer is an ANIMAL! Their new album, Power to the People, is rock solid, so check it out and rock out!
Arctic Monkeys
The UK had gone MAD over the Arctic Monkeys, and they don’t even have an album out yet. The review from jaded ‘ol New York, was that the crowd went wild and were completely won over. So what’s the big deal? Clever songs, catchy hooks, and your neo-dance rock that’s not-so-predictable. AND they are cute English boys about half my age. What’s not to like? “I Bet You’d Look Good on the Dancefloor” will have pop fans asking “Franz WHO?” Clever, but not too precocious, and certainly not contrived. Check them out as soon as you can, because once they break, you’ll have to see them in a stadium. The show might lose its charm on the big stage.
The Kills
This might be the third or fourth time I have seen this band live, and I will go again and again. First of all, their music is original, visceral, primitive and mesmerizing. Second of all, they make two people standing on stage with almost no gear fascinating. The main singer, VV paces around the stage like a hungry panther in a cage. Hotel works up a mean sweat and bangs furiously on his guitar. The songs they sing and play guitar together on, they take their mikes and face each other on stage. Half of the curiosity is to try to see what VV looks like under all that hair. Anyway, ‘Keep On Your Mean Side’ is still in heavy rotation with me, and the latest album, ‘No Wow,’ has some great songs in “Rodeo Town,” “The Good Ones,” and “Love is a Deserter.”
Teenage Fanclub
Ummmm, yeah. Great band. Perfect pop songs. I am a power-pop nut and they are right up that alley. As for the show, I had been drinking margaritas since 2 pm, arrived late and left after an hour and they were still playing. THEY were great. I was not. I don’t remember anything from this show, so I am utterly useless as a show reviewer, but I can tell you they are worth seeing and they play a LOT of songs, so you will definitely get your money’s worth!
SO, that’s all the rockin’ shows from the UK and the States that I have seen up until these fabulous holidays. I hope you all have a great New Year’s as well. I will be back with THE BEST of Scandinavian rock since I have been here with ALL the greats: Turbonegro, Gluecifer, The Hellacopters and Flaming Sideburns!
Next time I will be back in the States is for Punk Rock Bowling January 20-22nd in Las Vegas at Sam’s Town. Kitty & The Kowalskis have a show Saturday, January 21st at 10:30 pm at The Double Down. Feel free to c’mon down, as we always need team cheerleaders!
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