Well they warned Canadians it was going to happen and it has. The major record labels through the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) are formally requested that five of the major Canadian ISPs hand over the addresses and personal information of 29 alleged “large-volume song swappers.” Apparently four of the five will argue that this violates Canadian privacy laws while the fifth, Videotron, will meekly comply without putting up a fight. Keep in mind that in Canada it is not illegal to download music on the Internet for personal use, it is just illegal to upload it. Of course, despite my legal background I would not recommend that you take legal advice from a little ol’ blog so beware fellow canucks, beware!
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Ride the waves of reverb as Devlar Radio broadcasts “Surf, Spy, Space, Lounge, Exotica, Hot Rods, Garage, Go-Go and ‘60s first wave to present.” Phew! Lots of absolutely first-rate stuff. A very cool idea is to listen to Devlar Radio at full volume when the temperature is minus 30 Celsius outside. Almost makes you forget about winter. Another Live 365 winner!
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As we approach the first anniversary of the horrific club fire in Rhode Island, Club Fire Still Smolders for Survivors, Tour Biz points out what has changed since that fateful day on February 20th, 2003. It is still shocking to the system to realize so many people died simply for wanting to have a good time listening to rock and roll. My heart goes out to all those still touched by this tragedy.
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Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo will be the captain of the Rock Jocks, a hockey team comprising of a bunch of Canadian rock and rollers as they face off against a bunch of Canadian MPs on February 21st in Ottawa. Hack the bone guys, hack the bone!
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I haven’t covered many instrumental bands here at The Rock and Roll Report. Actually, I haven’t covered any instrumental bands on The Rock and Roll Report but today I make up for it by featuring an amazing surf/rock and roll instrumental band from the warm, sunny climes of …..Finland. That’s right I’m talking about Finland’s own Laika and the Cosmonauts. Praised by all those who have heard them, people like Dick Dale, Al Jourgensen and Peter Buck, Laika and the Cosmonauts are still going strong after 17 years and man these guys know how to rock with the bonus that no matter what language you speak you can still enjoy them since they don’t sing! With a new album out called “Local Warming”, these guys exist simply to melt your snow. You can check out some MP3s of their stuff here. A surf band from Finland with a name like this, how can you go wrong? The simple answer: you can’t.
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Hey this is cool. Patti Smith is scheduled to be back with a new album called “Trampin’” on April 27th. And yes, Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty are along for the ride. Like I said, cool.
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When David “Dizzy” Holmes, modern day mod and record collector extraordinaire had a brutal scooter accident that left him wheelchair bound, he did the only logical thing for a person obsessed with rock and roll, he started a UK based record label called Detour Records. And what a great record label it is. If you like power pop, beat and mod, or just want to hear some good rock and roll, Detour Records is a great place to start. The label actually encompasses three imprints. Detour Records is the original label, still going strong with a wide selection of great mod influenced bands. Bin Liner Records is a label dedicated to releasing stuff from log lost and mostly forgotten punk bands from the original punk explosion that occurred in England in 1977. Finally, The Introducing Series was set up for incredibly talented bands that don’t have the funds to do a full record pressing run. Introducing puts out records by great bands in limited 300 record runs. As usual, here is a record label run by a real rock and roll fanatic. The label has grown, not from savvy and clever marketing or huge million selling CDs but from a one dimensional fixation on what one person (actually there are a couple of people now involved in the label) believes is good music that should be released to the world, economics be damned. Although Detour Records is just one of many, their passion and quality makes them stand out as an inspiration to all of us who love our rock and roll. Check them out, it is time well wasted.
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OK, this is a bit bizarre for me. Lemmy, yes that “Ace of Spades” Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead is in a rockabilly group with Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats (who will be touring this summer) and Danny B. Harvey of the Rockcats and they will be releasing a DVD this spring. They even released an album in 2000 called “Rock ‘n’ Roll Forever.” I think I will have to buy this just to put my curiosity to rest because I just cannot envision Lemmy singing stuff by Jerry Lee Lewis. The other way around perhaps but this is just too weird even for me.
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Again I raid the website of Blast of Hot Air, the newsletter of primo free form radio station WFMU for a Friday Fun feature. Do you remember back in the days when your turntable was the only means of listening to music (outside of the 8 Track in your mom’s car)? Remember when you would sometimes get those flexidiscs stapled into magazines featuring everything from Ernie and Bert singing “Rubber Duckie” to “Your first free lesson in how to speak Italian?” Well check out The Internet Museum of Flexi/Cardboard/Oddity Records for tons of these oddball discs. Metal records! Well I never!
Have a great weekend everybody!
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I am not a huge comic book fan but I think that might change after visiting Flying Colors Comics & Other Cool Stuff. Holy cow is this a cool site. Their goal as stated on their website is “to have a comic book store that’s fun for the whole family, with excellent customer service and an environment that is friendly, convenient, clean and fair.” Now I don’t know about their store in Concord, California (although it looks like it is an amazing shopping experience) but their website is a blast. On top of that, their music section is really cool featuring an original take on the Audities 2003 poll! The site has all kinds of article, links and an art gallery so even if you are not interested in buying any comics at their retail store you will be plenty entertained. As a matter of fact, because the site is so cool you might actually end up buying one of those cool T-Shirts that they sell online. I like it!
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Currently in the studio recording a record with producer Gord Sinclair of The Tragically Hip, Peterborough Ontario’s own The Spades are a rollicking good time. Whether they play acoustic or rock out, you will definitely enjoy these Canadian boys. You can download a copy of “The Spades Pirate Radio: Join The Spades with many special guests as they play the shit out of Canadian music!” Great band.
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The response I have had to my post on KCDX as my Rock and Roll Station of the Week back in November has been phenomenal (at least in Rock and Roll Report terms). So far people have posted 9 comments to the Blog Critics post and 3 comments to The Rock and Roll Report post and all have been in praise of KCDX as rock and roll radio done right. To me this only goes to prove 2 things: 1. Radio is still the most personal of mediums as listeners assume an emotional attachment to a good radio station that is just not possible in television, and 2. Rock and roll radio done right is such a joy and a shock to the system at the same time that it makes it extremely difficult to listen to the pap broadcast on other corporate controlled radio stations. A loyal listener of KCDX has e-mailed me to let me know that there is in fact a KCDX website which posts a continuously updated playlist of what has played and is currently playing on the station. The website does state that there will be more features soon but judging from the e-mail I have received and the comments about KCDX, everybody is clamoring for the same thing: When will KCDX start streaming over the ‘Net? I in fact do not have the answer but I have e-mailed the “KCDX Guru” to find out if it is even in the cards. It is a shame that something this good can only be heard by so few. A lot of us non-Arizonians (does that sound right?) would love nothing better than to be able to share in this incredible rock and roll radio station. As I have showcased throughout the short history of The Rock and Roll Report, rock and roll radio is still alive out there on the odd terrestrial radio station willing to buck the corporate trend (Little Steven’s show being one of the notable exceptions) as well as on the hundreds of Internet only stations that keep the rock and roll fires burning but I think that a lot of rock and roll fans desperately hope that KCDX will join the party and start webcasting to the world so we can all point to it as one more example of how the tide in the battle for radio diversity is being slowly but inevitably won. As the Beach Boys so aptly put it “Wouldn’t it be nice…”
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Although not exactly rock and roll specific, I urge you to check out World of Ends: What the Internet Is and How to Stop Mistaking It for Something Else by Doc Searls and David Weinberger. The authors list 10 things that the Internet is and basically what it isn’t or shouldn’t be and it is quite an interesting read. The bottom line is that the ‘Net is merely a protocol that allows a bunch of networks around the world to easily connect to each other, nothing more and nothing less. If a record or movie company wants to “build value” using the Internet, they should start by understanding what the Internet actually is and this is a great place to start. (Cue announcer) If you found this interesting please visit your local public library to learn more about the Internet :-).
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Despite being produced by Wall of Sound mastermind and gun toting maniac Phil Spector, Starsailor appear to be going from strength to strenght according to “Starsailor: Silence is Golden.” These guys are good, very good. Give ‘em a whirl.
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The Stills are causing a real sensation State-side but they are not from New York friends, they are from Montreal OK. Don’t want to lose them so soon to American rock and roll stardom. Check out “The Stills: Lots of Logic” for details on these Montreal sensations.
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Everybody’s favourite Swedish rock and rollers The Hives are currently “holed up in the studio” (as rock writers like to say) preparing a new album for the spring according to “The Hives work hard and fast.” I am all a tingle!
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I just came across an excellent E-Zine called Power of Pop which is really cool featuring some great new rock and roll from all over the world. Check it out!
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U2 are pulling out all the stops on their way back to rock and roll relevance. They have even lured Steve Lillywhite back to the fold to helm their latest record. As I continue my U2 education (I’m currently at “Pop”) I am getting more intrigued every day with what Bono and the boys are up to.
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If you happen to be in London at the end of February and you are interested in seeing some free rock and roll, then listen up. They are filming a live television program called “Carling Live Kings of Rock and Roll” and a couple of bands will be performing for free. Who? How about Jet, The Vines and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to name just a few! Details can be found here.
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There are some pretty cool things to check out on the ‘Net this month so without further ado here they are:
The latest edition of Fufkin is out and as usual it is excellent. Some really cool Beatles related stuff but the usual assortment of reviews and columns to satiate all your powerpop needs. A good read.
The February edition of The Lance Monthly is out as well with another batch of great articles and interviews and some neccessary reading if you are a Buddy Holly fan.
The Village Voice Pazz and Jop Critics Poll is also out with The White Stripes front and center although sadly they were only voted #2 album and #3 single.
Finally, the latest Exiled on Main Street is out (#37) which is always a fun read.
That’s it for this weeks round-up. I’ll try to make this a regular feature in the future and if you have any e-zines or magazines that you want featured than e-mail me and I’ll check them out.
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Dewey Beach, Delaware USA. Sound cool? Not really huh? Well cool it is, at least on April 23-23 when the Dewey Beach Popfest hits town with “Over 60 PowerPop/BritPop/PunkPop bands from all over the Country on 6 Stages.” Now you know what I’m talking about! Check out their site from last year to get a taste. Surfs up!
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Rock and roll lives where you live whether that be Saskatchewan or Serbia. That’s right Serbia, the home to Popism, an extraordinary rock and roll radio show hosted by Goran Obradovic. Goran plays an absolutely fantastic mixture of rock and roll broadcast every Thursday on both Radio MBI, Becej and Radio Fedra, Zrenjanin in Serbia. The only down side is that you will have to be in Serbia to listen since Popism isn’t streamed on the Internet, yet. If you want a taste of what Goran plays, subscribe to his playlist which not only features a list of the bands that he plays on his show every week but interesting commentary and band and record label links so you can check out the bands for yourself. On top of all of that Goran reviews all the music he plays (and more) on Torpedo Pop, a very cool record label out of Malmo, Sweden that warms the cockles of my heart because, as they state on their site “We think that there is so much great pop, powerpop, garage rock, modpop, surf etc that has been made, and are being made right now that don’t get the attention it deserves in the media today.” Halleluiah! Not only is Torpedo Pop a cool record label but it also features reviews, articles, links and a mail order business. So you see, even if you can’t listen to Popism yet, you can still be a part of the experience. Hopefully it will be streaming on the ‘Net soon but until then, keep burning the rock and roll light brightly Goran, you are doing one hell of a job.
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Clamor Magazine is getting ready to host a U.S. wide music festival on February 28th to promote awareness of independent media while raising funds for various local organizations. According to Clamor “The festival is based on some basic principles that we believe all media should follow: accessibility, community control, and mutual aid. But most of all, the shows are gonna rock. 28 cities, 32 partners, 81 bands, 1 party.” Sounds great. Full details can be found at their festival website. Support ‘em if you can.
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The top ten are as follows:
1: Nirvana
2: Metallica
3: Guns N’Roses
4: U2
5: Radiohead
6: Linkin Park
7: Red Hot Chili Peppers
8: Green Day
9: Pearl Jam
10: No Doubt

Do not shoot the messenger despite the fact that I consider MTV to be the Rolling Stone Magazine of television. I can hear the collective gasp from here. No Doubt? Pleeeease. Full details can be found here.
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Don’t let the fact that their February 2004 updated look is not ready yet because Mohair Sweets has a fantastic record review section that you will return to time and again. They also feature news and interviews but just reading the record reviews part of their site tells you that these guys have great rock and roll taste, but what else should you expect since they’re Canadian!
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