Just last week I was talking about how much I was enjoying the local classic rock radio station one weekend because I don’t listen to this stuff much anymore. My whole point was that you cannot deny the impact of “Classic Rock” on the rock and roll of today and that listened to in moderation, this is still great stuff and a lot of fun. Well I am happy to add Rebecca to the fold here at The Rock and Roll Report as she delves into her record collection to give you some examples of albums she thinks you should own. You can contact Rebecca at her MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/metalmuffin. Take it away Rebecca!

Hello everyone!

My name is Rebecca. I love music. Specifically, rock and roll music.

Every week I will be sharing an album with you. It could be an album from the 60’s, the 70’s, or the 80’s. These albums will all have one thing in common. You should own them.

You might ask, “Why the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, Rebecca?”

I might answer, “Well, being (cough-cough) 40-ish, these are the eras I know the best. I was in high school in the late 70’s-early80’s, and my main hobby was going to concerts and buying albums. I still own many of these albums on vinyl, (That’s the stuff they used to make records out of) not counting the ones a certain ex-boyfriend took off with.”

I still attend a lot of shows, and regard many musicians as friends. I myself am not a musician. I own a sweet Stratocaster, which I play badly. While I was researching these albums, I asked many musicians to tell me the albums that had influenced them the most, the music that made them decide that they had to make music themselves. I got a surprising variety of answers, and I still think that it’s a fascinating question to ask someone.

So, check out my column…you never know, you might learn a little rock and roll history. At the very least, you’ll find out about an album that rocks!

AC/DC Highway To Hell

Track List
1. Highway To Hell
2. Girls Got Rhythm
3. Walk All Over You
4. Touch Too Much
5. Beating Around The Bush
6. Shot Down In Flames
7. Get It Hot
8. If You Want Blood (You Got It)
9. Love Hungry Man
10. Night Prowler

all songs written by Young, Young, and Scott
Released July 1979 on Atlantic Records
Produced by Mutt Lange

Band members
: Angus Young-lead guitar, Malcolm Young-rhythm guitar, Phil Rudd-drums, Cliff Williams-bass, Bon Scott-lead vocals

When “Highway To Hell” came out in the summer of 1979, it was a most welcome antidote to the other albums being released at the time. The crunchy power chords and thumping bass line were present, but producer Mutt Lange had colored the songs with his own crisp, clean sound. It was much more polished than the band’s previous albums, but still managed to stay raunchy, dirty, and loud. Bon Scott, who died of alcohol poisoning just seven months after “Highway To Hell” was released, once said, “All the songs we do are about one of three things…booze, sex, and rock and roll.” Hell yeah.

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Two things you should know about EndeverAfter; (1) they rock hard; (2) their new CD Kiss or Kill is coming out on my birthday (hint, hint). On Baby Baby Baby they remind me a bit of Jet and I guarantee you have not heard I Wanna Be Your Man played like this!

This is classic hard rock that harkens back to the late ’70s with no apologies made and it’s nice to see bands like Endeverafter rocking out with abandon. Keep an eye out for these guys.

You can listen to some tracks and watch some videos on their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/endeverafter

Check out their video for Baby Baby Baby. Low slung Les Pauls and hot girl on girl action. What’s not to like?

Later.

Mark

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So says Brian Slagel, the man behind Metal Blade Records which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In an interview with the Ventura County Star Slagel states that “What’s happening now reminds me so much of the early ’80s,” he said. “I think there will be a second big wave of heavy metal.”

One thing that is fascinating is his take on running an indie label and the one thing that makes it such a challenge:

If metal gets big again, Slagel concedes that Metal Blade might face the same issue it did in the ’80s — losing bands to major labels. Back then, about 15 bands defected (although some would later crawl back). Slagel admitted that sometimes that hurts, after doing “all the dirty work” to help bands grow. But part of it, he added, is natural career progression.

That is the unfortunate situation of a lot of indie labels. They are like the minor leagues of rock and roll in some ways and tend to do all the work only to be usurped by someone bigger. Such is life in the rock and roll jungle. It doesn’t sound like Brian Slagel is complaining too much.

Later.

Mark

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Photo copyright Mick Rock 2007 - www.mickrock.com

Mick Rock has published a stunning photo book on the late, great but also very fucked up Syd Barrett called Psychedelic Renegades. Rolling Stone has an online preview of what to expect and the shots are just….chilling. Could the story of Syd Barrett be the saddest sorry in rock? If not it’s pretty damn close.

Later.

Mark

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Well the upcoming Ramones DVD It’s Alive 1974 - 1996 will be well worth it with more than four hours of rare and unreleased performances. Set to be released on October 2, 2007 by Rhino Records this double-DVD features what looks like a shitload of cool stuff. Check it out:

Disc 1
CBGB — New York, NY (9/15/74)
1. “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”
2. “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement”
3. “Judy Is A Punk”
Max’s Kansas City — New York, NY (4/18/76)
4. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
5. “53rd & 3rd”
The Club — Cambridge, MA (5/12/76)
6. “Chain Saw”
Max’s Kansas City — New York, NY (10/8/76)
7. “Havana Affair”
8. “Listen To My Heart”
My Father’s Place — Roslyn, NY (4/13/77)
9. “I Remember You”
10. “Carbona Not Glue”
CBGB — New York, NY (6/11/77)
11. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
12. “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
13. “Beat On The Brat”
14. “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”
15. “Rockaway Beach”
16. “Cretin Hop”
17. “Oh Oh I Love Her So”
18. “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”
The Second Chance — Ann Arbor, MI (6/26/77)
19. “Rockaway Beach”
20. “Carbona Not Glue”
The Ivanhoe Theater — Chicago, IL (7/6/77)
21. “Pinhead”
22. “Suzy Is A Headbanger”
The Armadillo — Austin, TX (7/14/77) Early Show
23. “Commando”
24. “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”
The Armadillo — Austin, TX (7/14/77) Late Show
25. “Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy”
26. “53rd & 3rd”
27. “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”
Liberty Hall — Houston, TX (7/15/77)
28. “Loudmouth”
29. “I Remember You”
30. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
Liberty Hall — Houston, TX (7/16/77)
31. “Oh Oh I Love Her So”
32. “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World”
Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert — L.A., CA (8/9/77)
33. “Loudmouth”
34. “Judy Is A Punk”
35. “Glad To See You Go”
36. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
The Camera Mart Stages — New York, NY (9/3/77)
37. “Swallow My Pride”
38. “Pinhead”
39. “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
It’s Alive, The Rainbow Theatre — London (12/31/77)
40. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
41. “I Wanna Be Well”
42. “Glad To See You Go”
43. “You’re Gonna Kill That Girl”
44. “Commando”
45. “Havana Affair”
46. “Cretin Hop”
47. “Listen To My Heart”
48. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You”
49. “Pinhead”
50. “Do You Wanna Dance?”
51. “Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy”
52. “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”
53. “We’re A Happy Family”

Disc 2
Musikladen — Bremen, Germany (9/13/78)
1. “Rockaway Beach”
2. “Teenage Lobotomy”
3. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
4. “Don’t Come Close”
5. “I Don’t Care”
6. “She’s The One”
7. “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”
8. “Cretin Hop”
9. “Listen To My Heart”
10. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You”
11. “Pinhead”
The Old Grey Whistle Test — London (9/19/78)
12. “Don’t Come Close”
13. “She’s The One”
14. “Go Mental”
Top of the Pops — London (9/28/78)
15. “Don’t Come Close”
Oakland, CA (12/28/78)
16. “I’m Against It”
17. “Needles And Pins”
San Francisco Civic Center, S.F., CA (6/9/79)
18. “I Want You Around”
19. “I’m Affected”
20. “California Sun”
The Old Grey Whistle Test — London (1/15/78)
21. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School”
22. “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?”
Top of the Pops — London (1/31/80)
23. “Baby I Love You”
Sha Na Na — L.A., CA (5/19/80)
24. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School”
Mandagsborsen — Stockholm, Sweden (10/26/81)
25. “We Want The Airwaves”
TVE Musical Express — Madrid, Spain (11/17/81)
26. “This Business Is Killing Me”
27. “All Quiet On The Eastern Front”
US Festival — San Bernardino, CA (9/3/82)
28. “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?”
29. “Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment”
30. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School”
31. “I Wanna Be Sedated”
32. “Beat On The Brat”
33. “The KKK Took My Baby Away”
34. “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”
35. “Chinese Rocks”
36. “Teenage Lobotomy”
The Old Grey Whistle Test — London (2/26/85)
37. “Wart Hog”
38. “Chasing The Night”
Obras Sanitarias, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2/3/87)
39. “Blitzkrieg Bop”
40. “Freak Of Nature”
41. “Crummy Stuff”
42. “Love Kills”
43. “I Don’t Care”
44. “Too Tough To Die”
45. “Mama’s Boy”
Provinssirock Festival, Seinajoki, Finland (6/4/88)
46. “I Don’t Want You Anymore”
47. “Weasel Face”
48. “Garden Of Serenity”
49. “I Just Want To Have Something To Do”
50. “Surfin’ Bird”
51. “Cretin Hop”
52. “Somebody Put Something In My Drink”
53. “We’re A Happy Family”
R.I.T., Rochester, NY (10/8/88)
54. “Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio”
55. “Wart Hog”
Rolling Stone Club — Milan, Italy (3/16/92)
56. “Psycho Therapy”
57. “I Believe In Miracles”
58. “I Wanna Live”
59. “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)”
60. “Pet Sematary”
61. “Animal Boy”
62. “Pinhead”
Top of the Pops — London (6/29/95)
63. “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”
River Plate Stadium — Estadio Antonio V. Liverti — Buenos Aires, Argentina (3/16/96)
64. “I Wanna Be Sedated”
65. “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”
66. “Blitzkrieg Bop”

Later.

Mark

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From Dallas, Texas come the Backsliders, another very cool unsigned band loaded with soul and hooks. I absolutely love Fat Girls which is slated for their upcoming CD You’re Welcome scheduled for release sometime this fall.

Have a listen to Typically I Don’t Mind and the beautiful Pass On All Your Fears for a nice variety in sound and texture. Kim Pendelton has just enough of that scratch in her vocal to make this worth multiple listens. Great stuff.

Check out their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/thebacksliders and have a listen for yourself.

Later.

Mark

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Internet Radio is increasing it’s listener base by leaps and bounds every year, especially with people at work during the day who tune in on their computers and yet the very diversity of the medium is under threat. In the United States, the organization tasked with collecting royalty payments on behalf of 90% of all artists is putting the screws to Internet radio stations by insisting they pay a massive increase in their royalty rates based on a per-song basis. What that will do is drive out the hobbyist broadcasters, those who are in it more for the passion than the profit, something covered very well in the New York Times article Online and On the Edge.

I shake my head that the mainstream music industry continues to miss the opportunities that new technology presents to them. Hobbyist Internet broadcasters, just like podcasters bring something that no publicity firm can buy and that is passion. Passion for the music they play, passion for the artists they support and passion for wanting to promote them to anybody that will listen, And while the scale may be small, in this Web 2.0 world great things can emerge from small, grassroots movements.

The thing about all of us who write about and broadcast the music we love just for the love of it is that we are in many ways more pro-artist than organizations like Soundexchange and most major labels. The last thing we want to do is screw the artists we are playing and promoting. As a matter of fact, I make it a priority to feature as many ways as possible for people to connect with and buy the music from the artists that I feature because they need the money to keep doing what they do. It is much more of a partnership than anything the mainstream music biz offers mainly because the artist is the one calling the shots.

It would be a real shame if the small-time Internet radio broadcasters are driven out of business due to the complete lack of understanding of this Web 2.0 world that we live in. While music is a business, passion is what leads to profits and short term greed will just result in long term grief. As more and more artists start taking control of their masters and rights and forging partnerships with podcasters, bloggers and small Internet radio broadcasters, mainstream media will only have itself to blame for missing the proverbial boat. Don’t slam the door on the way out!

Later.

Mark

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I have written about the connection between porn and rock and roll a number of times (Porn and Rock and Roll, More Porn and Rock and Roll) and the connection continues to grow stronger. I’m not sure what that says about rock and roll since it is by definition a very sexy thing but it certainly points the way towards the continued mainstreaming of the porn industry. With everybody from Eddie Van Halen writing two songs for the soundtrack to the porn film Sacred Sin to Dave Navarro directing the porn flick Broken with Tera Patrick to Gene Simmons’ soft-core antics and the increasing popularity of Playboy mansion parties again, porn seems to be stepping from the sidelines and on to center stage, often with a rocker draped on her arm.

This trend continues with the announcement that Pleasure Productions has released their latest heavy metal series called Radium. The brainchild of director Matt Zane, it features the latest metal videos, band interviews, and “loads of hot and heavy porn.” According to Zane:

“The combination of Metal and Porn has finally been linked within the mainstream world. Tera Wray was just on the entire Ozzfest Tour. Their is no one better to front this new video series.”

Pleasure Productions starlet and Kentucky native, Tera Wray, hosts this new series. Wray interviewed some of metal’s hottest up-and-coming acts. She also plays a diverse mix of new metal videos, and addresses all things metal – culturally, musically and sexually on “Radium.” Creating the perfect marriage of extremity, the premier episode of “Radium” features the entire Earache Records roster – including videos from MUNICIPAL WASTE, THE BERZERKER, MORTIIS, and WITH PASSION. This issue also includes a live interview with Tera Wray and WITH PASSION at the California Metal Fest, as well as Tera getting a drum lesson from SOCIETY 1 drummer Berzerk Kirk.

Matt Zane will be producing the series, firmly standing by the budding alt-porn industry, recognizing the relevance of this union stating “people always will want to see porn, and metal has been around since the 70’s.”

Like I said, porn is going mainstream and is no longer relegating to the dressing room or closed hotel rooms. Like it or not the sex is back big time in Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. The rebellion rolls on…

Check out the trailer but don’t be an idiot and open it up at work!

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I would be extremely negligent if I didn’t mention that our very own Pop Montreal is coming October 3-7, 2007. Featuring bands too numerous to mention plus seminars as part of the Pop Conference and a Film and Art festival, check out the website for all the details and by all means let me know if you will be in town. I still haven’t made my plans but I will be out and about for sure.

Later.

Mark

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Well it was a bit of a crazy night last night as the 3 Amigos took over the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM for another hour of rock and roll. Let’s see there was a fire just up the street from the studio, people were running around in their underwear and Shanks found out he was going to be a dad 3 minutes before airtime! And we still had time to play some music. This is what we played:

Song - Album - Artist

1. Hypnotized - Start Again - The Singles
2. Destination Nowhere - Full Breach Kicks Sampler - Street Brats
3. Dynamo - Big Eye Little Eye - The Golden Dogs
4. 1000 Years - The Road from Here… - The Underhills
5. I Found Out - Wait For Me - Pigeon Detectives
6. Television - No Cover Art - Hard Fi
7. Wait For the Radio - Hats Off to the Buskers - The View
8. Waiting - Stereomovers - Stereomovers
9. White Tiger - Wine for My Weakness - Petur Ben
10. Rumors - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter - Josh Ritter
11. Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe - The Stage Names - Okkervil River

drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast

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I just wanted to fill you all in on what has been happening with the podcast because it is the main reason that I have not been updating the site as regularly and with as much content as usual.

Things are moving ahead on the Rock and Roll Report podcast. The playlist for episode one is set and I spent the whole weekend basically testing out two microphones and conducting countless fiddling on the mixer and in the software to try and get the podcast to sound the way I want it to sound.

Now I know that podcasts are not radio (thank God!) and there are a lot of people that think the “rougher” sounding the better but I don’t buy that. I want the Rock and Roll Report Podcast to sound as good as Rock and Roll Report Radio. OK that’s tough on my miniscule budget but it is achievable; I just need to work at it. I have a new microphone on order and I am off to pick up a pop filter but I think I can make things sound good right now and hopefully even better as I get comfortable in the whole post-processing, audio engineering thing.

So things are moving ahead, the podcast should be a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy listening to some amazing rock and roll that just so happens to be produced by unsigned artists or bands on indie labels worldwide.

By the way, if you want to be considered for the podcast you can submit your stuff through SonicBids, a great service which I highly recommend or alternatively send me an email at rockandrollreport@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you. Remember that I only play what I like and sometimes it takes me awhile to wade through all the submissions but have patience and I will get to it ASAP.

By the way, the picture above is of my set-up for the Rock and Roll Report located somewhere in the hills of Hollywood….or my spare bedroom in Montreal but you get the point. It’s not normally that clean but you know, gotta make it look good for the camera!

More details soon.

Later.

Mark

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Here’s some great, raunchy fun power pop from the Singles with Hypnotized. And a one, and a two….

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I saw this over at Blabbermouth.

Canadian label Moshpit Tragedy Records is accepting demos from punk and metal bands for consideration for their new free downloadable music series. Send your band links to http://www.myspace.com/mptrecords but do not send any MP3 files and make sure your stuff is professionally recorded!

More details can be found at the Moshpit Tragedy Records website at http://www.moshpit-tragedy.com/

Later.

Mark

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So it appears that Hilly Kristal was really loaded when he closed down the famed CBGB club last fall due he said to an increase in rent. Not really sure what to make of this since CBGB was really a hole if you ever had the pleasure of visiting, rock and roll history be damned.

On other CBGB-related news, MVD will be releasing a series of live recordings from the club recorded from the ’80s to the ’00s. The initial offerings will come from Mooney Suzuki, The Queers, and H2O. More are expected to be announced in the fourth quarter of 2007, including some limited edition vinyl releases.

I certainly don’t deny CBGBs and Mr. Kristal their due but I don’t buy the reason why it was closed and then magically an announcement comes that they will re-open in Las Vegas. It’s just another rock and roll asset to be exploited, just like the famed “Fillmore” name which is now gracing a whole bunch of venues with no relation to the Fillmore’s East or West. More power to them I suppose but let’s not forget what made those clubs the institutions that they became. It was all about the music baby…

Later.

Mark

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Just a quick reminder that the 3 Amigos are on the air tonight from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST.

Just head over to www.ckut.ca and join in on an hour of quality rock and roll and plenty of shits ang giggles, hopefully more giggles than shits naturally!

Later.

Mark

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Subject - R.E.M.’s Reckoning and the Talking Heads’ Little Creatures, with cover paintings done by the Reverend Howard Finster

The late Reverend Howard Finster (1916 – 2001) was one of the country’s most talked-about folk/outsider artists. In 1965, he said that he heard a voice from the Lord which told him to transform two acres of land in Summerville, GA into a “Paradise Garden.” Using junk, broken dolls, tools and clocks, he embedded these materials in concrete walls which surround both a 30-foot tower built of bicycle parts and his own church called “The World’s Folk Art Church.”

Rev. Finster w/D. Leonardis All images Copyright 2007 David Leonardis Gallery – www.dlg-gallery.com

“Paradise Garden” was an ongoing project that expressed his religious convictions and creativity and he explained that he assembled the pieces for a purpose -”to mend a broken world.” In 1976, he had a vision of a tall man at his gate (the Lord) who directed him to begin painting “sermon art” because, “preaching don’t do much good - no one listens - but a picture gets on a brain cell.” The voice commanded him to paint this sacred art and to create individual paintings and portraits of personal heroes, religious and patriotic images and to pass on his spiritual messages to the world. Finster’s paintings have evangelical themes and inspirational images which come from his own interpretations of the Bible. Angels and saints as well as earthly characters are often portrayed, and all of his paintings contain witty, printed quotations known as “Finsterisms.”

Several of his paintings show how he was influenced by the imagery on postcards, popular magazines, cultural icons like Elvis Presley, historical figures and, of course, figures from the Bible. Some of his creations have joined the contemporary art and music world through his paintings for the album covers of the rock groups REM and The Talking Heads. Other artists to use Finster art on their record covers include Memory Dean, Pierce Pettis, and Adam Again.

Finster made art out of nail heads, gourds, bottles, cement, mirrors, plastic, snow shovels and even an old Cadillac. However, the majority of his works were usually made out of plywood or heavy canvas, with the works ranging in size from a few square inches to 8-9 feet in height. His art was original, innovative and expressive. In 1994, a portion of his Paradise Garden was installed as part of the permanent collection of Atlanta’s High Museum.

He believed he came from another world and is often referred to as “This Stranger From Another World.” Finster believed the more he painted, the more people he would save, and went on to create over 46,000 works of art. The works are presented in many forms, sometimes called “paintings in tongue,” visions of other worlds where people live in harmony. Finster had his visions for the future. “A day when one computer will run the earth and the final day when giant tidal waves will cover the world. And then the time will come for G-D to create men again - men like the Reverend Howard Finster.”

Chicago-based art gallery owner, Finster historian and owner/curator of the new Howard Finster Vision House museum (located directly across the road from Finster’s “Paradise Garden”) David Leonardis worked for a number of years with the Reverend (until his death in 2001) and spoke with him about “the making of” the two record covers he’s best-known for – R.E.M.’s Reckoning and the Talking Heads’ Little Creatures. He shared his insights with Cover Stories in a September, 2007 interview, highlight of which are detailed below…

All images Copyright 2007 David Leonardis Gallery – www.dlg-gallery.com

On R.E.M.’s Reckoning - The Summerville, GA evangelical preacher and folk artist first gained national fame after collaborating on a number of projects with the Athens, GA – based rock band R.E.M.. Both Finster and the band had appeared in a documentary (released in 1987 and featured on MTV in both their Cutting Edge and 120 Minutes series) about the Athens, GA music scene by writer/director Tony Gayton titled Athens, GA: Inside/Out and, in 1983, the band chose to film the promotional video for their debut recording “Radio Free Europe” at Finster’s “Paradise Garden” compound. The following year, the band’s creative lead, singer Michael Stipe, collaborated with Finster on the painting for the cover of their second LP titled Reckoning. The relationship continued into their third record (Fables of the Reconstruction) as the band wrote the song “Maps and Legends” in honor of Finster.

Reckoning was the second studio album by the band, released in 1984 by Miles Copeland’s independent label I.R.S. Records to both critical acclaim and much improved record sales that their debut album (Murmur), reaching #27 in the U.S. and becoming the band’s first charting album (peaking at #91) in the U.K. Songs such as “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)”, “Pretty Persuasion”, “Time After Time”, “Little American” and “(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville” have gone on to become R.E.M. standards, and with Michael Stipe’s unique lyricism, singing style and intense stage presence emerging at this point, Reckoning has, over time, established itself as one of the most-influential records of the 1980s.

According to David Leonardis, “As an art student in the Athens, GA area, Michael Stipe had heard of Reverend Finster and his folk art church, and both were featured in the documentary film called Athens, GA: Inside/Out about the mid-1980s music scene in Athens, Georgia. As Finster recalled it, when Michael needed a collaborator for the painting for the cover of R.E.M.’s 2nd record (Reckoning), he came to Finster and started the work by drawing the outline of the snake that is at the center of the image. Howard then did the rest. I’m not exactly sure where the snake image came from – perhaps it was a sexual reference, or perhaps it was derived from Michael having seen the large ‘Snake Mountain’ that was found in the Paradise Garden, which was a cement sculpture Howard had done. R.E.M. used a similar snake-inspired design in creating a collectible bandana for fans, and also produced a poster for the band that featured Finster’s ‘Snake Mountain’.”

All images Copyright 2007 David Leonardis Gallery – www.dlg-gallery.com

On the Talking Heads’ Little Creatures - The winner of the “Best Album of the Year” in 1985 in writer Robert Christgau’s annual “Pazz and Jop” poll for The Village Voice, the Talking Head’s Little Creatures (on Sire Records) found the band writing songs that were much more mainstream (though, in my opinion, no less unique and interesting) than some of their earlier records. Riding on the success of its well-received singles – “And She Was”, “Stay Up Late” and “Road To Nowhere” – and coming off of the commercial success of their Top 10 hit single/video (“Burning Down The House”) and the tour that was documented in the Jonathan Demme film Stop Making Sense, Little Creatures sold well and eventually went Platinum.David Leonardis recalls – “The Talking Heads commissioned a Finster painting for Little Creatures in 1985. There was a fine art dealer in Chicago (now in NYC) named Phyllis Kind who was Finster’s principal dealer and was also friends with David Byrne, so she acted as the producer/liaison and lead the project to create the painting. Howard had done a painting that showed himself holding the world on his shoulders, and that served as the basis for this new image. Howard received photographs of the band members and then incorporated their likenesses into the new composition. The final image was so different and appealing that it was later selected as ‘album cover of the year’ by Rolling Stone magazine. He went on to also design the covers for four Talking Heads singles, including ‘And She Was’ and ‘The Lady Don’t Mind’.

Years later, David Byrne and Finster finally met during a trip Howard took to New York (Finster addressed him as ‘David Burns’!). Byrne is an accomplished graphic artist himself (Ed. note - he was a graduate of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design), and he owns the original painting and has it on display in his home.”

And while Howard Finster may have been responsible for introducing millions to folk art, he remained focused on spreading the word of God. He said of the Talking Heads album, “I think there’s twenty-six religious verses on that first cover I done for them. They sold a million records in the first two and a half months after it come out, so that’s twenty-six million verses I got out into the world in two and a half months!” (Finster 1989, p. 197).

About David Leonardis and the DLG Art Gallery –

At the height of the Recession in 1990, David Leonardis started collecting art. When he realized he wanted to collect more art than he could afford, he got a job working at a gallery. Eight months later, allied with artists Howard Finster, Chris Peldo, Glenn Wexler and Andy Kane, he turned a few profitable art sales into a commitment to own and operate the David Leonardis Gallery. Fifteen years later the Wicker Park (Chicago) gallery is at the forefront of 21st Century American art. In September of 2006, DLG expanded to another location in the prestigious River North Gallery district in order to reach an even broader demographic of art lovers. DLG also carries 19th century French lithographs and 20th century Contemporary, Pop, Folk Art and Photography and focuses on making people and corporations happy by selling them art. The DLG features an “Instant art collection” group show yearly. DLG suggests that you buy one of each of all artists exhibited.

http://www.dlg-gallery.com/index.html

To learn more about the new DLG-run Finster museum in Summerville, GA, please visit http://www.myspace.com/howardfinstervisionhouse

To see examples of Howard Finster’s record cover artwork available at RockPoP Gallery, please visit http://rockpopgallery.easystorecreator.com/items/howard-finster/list.htm

To see more examples of artwork related to R.E.M. and the Talking Heads in the RockPoP Gallery collection, please visit either/both of the following pages – http://rockpopgallery.easystorecreator.com/items/r.e.m./list.htm
http://rockpopgallery.easystorecreator.com/items/talking_heads/list.htm

About “Cover Stories” - Our weekly series will give you, the music and art fan, a look at “the making of” the illustrations, photographs and designs of many of the most-recognized and influential images that have served to package and promote your all-time-favorite recordings.

Every Friday and the followinf week on The Rock and Roll Report, we’ll meet the artists, designers and photographers who produced these works of art and learn what motivated them, what processes they used, how they collaborated (or fought) with the musical acts, their management, their labels, etc. - all of the things that influenced the final product you saw then and still see today.

We hope that you enjoy these looks behind the scenes of the music-related art business and that you’ll share your stories with us and fellow fans about what role these works of art - and the music they covered - played in your lives.

All images Copyright 2007 David Leonardis Gallery www.dlg-gallery.com
Except as noted, All other text Copyright 2007 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

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What happens to punks when they grow old? Do their ideals go in the attic with their Damned records and ripped jeans or is there something more to the culture? This is what the upcoming independent documentary All Grown Up looks to answer. All Grown Up is a documentary about older punks in the punk scene and how, contrary to popular belief, it’s not just a phase! I briefly chatted with executive producer Andrea Witting of the film to find out a little more about it.

Rock and Roll Report: How do you define punk since to a lot of people it is a stereotype that is not always favourable. What is a punk and how does punk culture differ from more mainstream culture?

Andrea Witting: This is a hard question because for me there is no definition of a feeling – and that’s just what it is. How would you define being in love? For everybody it’s different – it’s the same thing with punk. It’s not what you look like, where you shop, or what you do for work – it’s what’s in your heart. It’s something that you feel everyday that you can’t explain but it’s always there and it never goes away. To be a punk you don’t have to listen to punk music or have a Mohawk or be outrageous – you just have that feeling. Punk isn’t something that started in the 70s, it’s something that started in the beginning of mankind – it just wasn’t labeled punk until the 70s. The media portrays it as something negative because if they did news segments or articles on what it’s really about then people wouldn’t care because they just want to see controversy. I think the difference between being into punk as opposed to the mainstream is that we think more about things (not to say that there aren’t people who think the same way we do who aren’t into punk). We don’t believe everything we’re told and we don’t take life for granted. Most of the punks I know have fun living their lives for them and not for somebody else whether it’s a boss, government, or any type of authority.

RRR: Your film is about older punks and how they have not abandoned the ideals of punk. For some people punk is a phase but for others it obviously lasts a lifetime. What is the appeal in the punk culture? Is it the music, the cloths or something deeper?

AW: For me it’s definitely something deeper. I agree there are people that get into it and then drop out but I don’t think those people were ever punks in the first place. Sometimes people try new things and it doesn’t work for them (and that’s totally fine), but punk isn’t something that you can grow out of. It’s who you are – it’s what’s inside of you and nobody could ever possibly grow out of that. You may stop listening to the music for a while, dress differently, and change who you hang around with – but once a punk always a punk. I think the reason why it appeals to so many people is because it’s a place where finally people can be themselves and not be scared of what others will think of them. Here you don’t need approval from anyone else but yourself – it gives you confidence, self belief and independence. If that’s not appealing then I don’t know what is!

RRR: This film is indie in the true sense of the word. How have you approached making this film?

AW: I think this can be answered in a couple different ways. For funding I worked 80 hours a week for the past two years to save up enough money for equipment, travel, and other necessary expenses. Everyone involved with the movie has been extremely supportive and devoted their time because of their love for the cause. For the European interviews I found friends of friends of friends who were interested and I consequently traveled around Europe for 3 months bouncing to and from everyone’s houses. Since it’s such a tight-knit family it was easy for me to find people.

RRR: When is “All Grown Up” scheduled to be released? How do you plan on distributing it?

AW: The release will be in the beginning of December of this year. I’ll be distributing it with my company, Psyko Punk Productions and it will be available for purchase directly from me through the website. I’ll also be sending it out to tons of different punk shops all over the world so that we can reach the farthest corners of nowhere with it! I already have some connections with places in South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, and Russia to name a few outside of the US.

RRR: Anything else that you would like to add?

AW: Yes! Thank you so much for the opportunity to spread the word about this even further! I hope that you guys all enjoy the movie and if anybody ever has any questions or comments please feel free to send them my way at allgrownupthemovie@yahoo.com! Thanks again

You can get more information on the film at http://www.allgrownupthemovie.com. They also have a MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/allgrownupthemovie

Here’s the trailer for a bit more of a sense of what the film is about.

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If you have listened to Rock and Roll Report Radio or read The Rock and Roll Report for any length of time you will know that the whole purpose behind them (as well as the upcoming podcast) is to shine a light on unsigned and indie artists who represent to me the spirit and sound of what rock and roll is and should be. As such I tend not to listen to too much commercial rock radio but that does not mean that I have abandoned it completely. Let me tell you a story to illustrate why.

About a week ago I was driving around on a Saturday running errands and generally dumping more CO2 into the atmosphere as I attempted to get done all those things I needed doing. Normally when I am in the car I listen to CDs sent to me for review by various artists or a Rock and Roll Report Radio CD-R that I always make for the show. If I do listen to the radio and nothing is on CKUT I will either listen to the local classic rock radio station CHOM FM or the nearby “alternative rock” station The Buzz. I tend to constantly flip back and forth between the two since listening to the same song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is just as bad as listening to the same song by the Eagles hence my frustration with commercial radio.

As I flipped over to CHOM they were playing The Ocean by Led Zeppelin and I cranked it as I have always loved that song. After that was an oldie by April Wine and then something from Fleetwood Mac and finally an AC/DC track. The thing is, I was loving all of it and the reason is quite simple. Despite the fact that I grew up with this stuff, I don’t listen to it much anymore mainly because there is too much great new stuff to listen to but I will never deny (and you’d be insane not to) that rock and roll today is shaped as much by what has come in the past as to the technology and influences of today. And the thing of it is, when it is not constantly shoved down your throat it’s a blast to listen to! “Classic” rock and roll (for want of a better word) is still great music, it is just the unfortunate fact that having been played to death, the sheer joy of listening to it has been lost. I recently pulled out Exile on Main Street and listened to that thing like it was my first time, precisely because I have not had it foisted on me by annoying rock jocks who are more concerned with selling stereos and trips to the Dominican Republic than rock and roll and man was that a blast!

The moral of this long winded, poorly constructed story? Classic rock is not “bad” in the way that French fries are not bad. Constant exposure to both will lead to problems down the road but indulging every once in a while is not only a lot of fun but your enjoyment level will be that much higher. When I hear some indie rock dude complain about the Beatles or boast how they don’t own a record by the Doors I have to laugh because they are denying themselves an important part of rock and roll history. Yes classic rock radio has sucked the life out of rock and roll by not supporting emerging artists that I know will appeal to fans of Queen and David Bowie but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. The future is well taken care of and there are more than enough bands and artists to satisfy my rock and roll urge but taking a look back at all the great rock and roll that has come before is not an act of nostalgia in my books. It is simply acknowledging that rock and roll is a living, breathing creature with a past, a present and one hell of a future.

Too much of a good thing is no good but abstinence is just denying you some great music to listen to. So pull out that old CCR album and have a listen. You will be surprised at what you are missing. Then crank it up and enjoy.

Later.

Mark

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A close friend of mine sent me this quote and I just felt like sharing it. It can apply to pretty much anything you set out to do for yourself. Hope you like it.

THE FUN OF BEING ALIVE IS REALIZING THAT
YOU HAVE A TALENT AND YOU CAN USE IT
EVERY DAY, SO IT GROWS STRONGER…AND
IF YOU’RE IN AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE THIS
TALENT IS APPRECIATED INSTEAD OF JUST
TOLERATED, WHY, IT’S JUST AS GOOD AS
SEX.
-LOU CENTLIVRE

Later.

Mark

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Due to massive partying, international intrigue and falling commodity prices I have neglected to give you the playlists for the last two shows by Armitage Shanks on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM. In the interest of rectifying the situation and give Mr. Shanks his due I present to you his last two shows. Ckick away!

ARMITAGE SHANKS PLAYLIST — 3 SEPTEMBER 2007

Artist - Album - Track

The Boyfriends - The Boyfriends - Once Upon A Time
Nine Black Alps - Glitter Gulch EP - Over the Ocean
Apartment - The Dreamer Evasive - Everyone Says I’m Paranoid
The Twang - Love It When I Feel Like This - Two Lovers
Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future - Its Not Over Yet
Jamie T - Panic Prevention - Sheila
Editors - Q Covered - Best of 86/06 - Orange Crush
Damien Rice - 9 - Rootless Tree
Paolo Nutini - These Streets - Jenny Don’t be Hasty
Arctic Monkeys - Flourescent Adolescent EP - The Bakery
Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City - I Still Remember
We Are Scientists - The Bands 06 - Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt

ARMITAGE SHANKS PLAYLIST — 17 SEPTEMBER 2007

Artist - Album - Track

Hard-Fi - Once Upon A Time in the West - Television
Kate Nash - Made of Bricks - Foundations
Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future - Its Not Over Yet
The Enemy - We’ll Live and Die in These Towns - Had Enough
Cherry Ghost - Thirst for Romance - 4:00 AM
The Pigeon Detectives - Wait for Me - Take Her Back
Paolo Nutini - These Streets - These Streets
Jamie T - Panic Prevention - Salvador
Amy MacDonald - This is the Life - Poison Prince
Stereomovers  - One EP - Waiting

Later.

Mark

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Shit kicking, rockabilly flavoured smash bang rock and roll is what I got out of Toronto’s the Brown Hornets. Coming Down Easy sounds like the Doors on a sequel to Roadhouse Blues and Rooftop Sniper locks into a tasty riff with great organ swells that will satisfy any rock and roll craving.

Currently on tour all over Canada and select U.S. cities, this is mean and nasty rock and roll like it should be played and if you are on MySpace for any length of time have a listen to JellyRoll. Can’t wait to hear this live.

http://www.myspace.com/thebrownhornets

Later.

Mark

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Billed as a podcast dedicated to the “do it yourself” musician, the CD Baby DIY Music Podcast is a veritable treasure trove of useful information for the independent musician looking to make it in the biz on their own terms. Featuring both helpful information on the podcast blog as well as the podcast itself, this is a great place to find achievable stuff that is aimed at the working musician (i.e. one who doesn’t have a lot of cash).

This week’s episode is all about video and how it can help your career. Extremely helpful and they always play CD Baby artists so I would consider the podcast a “must listen” if you are a working musician. Check it out.

Later.

Mark

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(PR) Guitar Center’s Drum-Off 2007 local competitions will launch this week at over 200 stores across the nation. Store preliminaries start today, Wednesday, September 12, and take place every Wednesday ending with local store finals on October 3rd. Now in it’s 19th year, Drum-Off continues to bring together thousands of the nation’s top undiscovered drummers for the chance to compete for incredible prizes, national recognition and the bragging rights of being crowned Drum-Off Champion. Visit www.guitarcenter.com.

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All images Copyright 1981 & 2007 Mick Haggerty – www.mickhaggerty.com

Subject – The Go-Go’s – Vacation - a 1982 release on I.R.S. Records (distributed in the U.S. by A&M Records), with cover art/photography by Mick Haggerty

In 1981, Southern California’s The Go-Go’s became first all-girl band of musicians/songwriters to have a #1 album on the Billboard Magazine Pop Charts with Beauty and the Beat. Their music conveyed a vibrant, fun-filled sense of the So. Ca. lifestyle, mixing rock, punk and surf music basics into an extremely radio-friendly package, as was well-demonstrated in their hits “We Got The Beat” (which had been released independently on Stiff Records) and “Our Lips Are Sealed”.

Signed to Miles Copeland’s I.R.S. records, home of The Police (and, within a short time, The Bangles, The Beat, The Buzzcocks, The Cramps, R.E.M, Timbuk 3, and a host of other acts), the band toured extensively, were nominated for a Grammy for “Best New Artist” at the 24th Grammy Awards (losing to Sheena Easton) and then continued on its hit-generating way with the release in 1982 of their follow-up record Vacation. While Vacation did not hit #1 again (rising as high as #8), it was home to a couple of well-loved singles, including “Get Up and Go” and “Vacation”, originally penned by bassist Kathy Valentine for the group she was in prior to The Go-Go’s and remade into the classic title track.

And while health issues, personality/creative conflicts and the disappointing sales of their subsequent records lead to the break up of the band in 1985 (although they have regrouped to do special performances - and released the critically-acclaimed “God Bless The Go-Go’s” record in 2001 – as well as continuing on with their solo careers), the band will always be remembered as one of the few bands of the era that truly enjoyed (and deserved) a broad-based appeal and throngs of fans world-wide.

One of the first truly multi-media artists on hire to the music industry, Grammy Award-winning designer Mick Haggerty was brought on to create an eye-catching package design for Vacation and, as he explains in today’s Cover Story, he used the opportunity to develop a concept that succeeded as the basis for a wide variety of promotional needs…

In the words of the artist, Mick Haggerty (interviewed September 2007) –

“I was a friend of Ginger Canzoneri (The Go-Go’s manager), as well as Mike Doud, who had art-directed their first record package. I saw the band play at Brendan Mullen’s club in Hollywood - The Masque - and met (lead singer) Belinda (Carlisle) one night with him.

I maybe have the chronology wrong, but I was also working for The Police around that time and I think that The Go-Go’s were the openers for their tour (ed. note – yes, they were!)… that is, they were the openers until they became more popular than The Police and half of the crowds were leaving before the headliners went on!

The basic idea for the cover was Ginger’s. We were both saturated in kitsch and Americana and both loved movies in which singers were filmed against obvious rear projections - like Elvis singing while he was surfing. I think she may have had a postcard of water skiers; we just started from there and let it snowball.

I had worked for A&M, their label, many times and they just let me loose to work directly with the band. Record companies around this time had only just realized that artwork and image actually effected sales, and I exploited that by presenting this image not as just an isolated cover but as a concept which could work in all media - video, press, merchandise, etc. Of course, this meant more fun and work for me, but it also pushed the promotional possibilities for the band and, if it all worked, we would all do well.

I researched the world of water skiing shows and soon found out that Cypress Gardens in Florida was known as “the best”. Since I wanted not only to shoot cover stills of the girls but also to film the backgrounds that would be used in making the video, the deal was sealed when I found out they had a camera boat I could use.

I knew I had to strip the bands heads onto the bodies of the girls I shot in Florida, so in order to get the Go-Go’s heads and someone else’s bodies to match, it meant I had to do some very careful measuring of everyone before I left. This in turn led to a quite bizarre moment when I arrived in Florida. No one there knew who The Go-Go’s were, but because they knew I needed to choose my skiers carefully, the Cypress Garden management had about sixty different women in swim suits lined up for my examination - many of them were just amazing!

But let’s be diplomatic here - I was not interested in their faces and I was not trying to match leggy bathing beauties or aqua athletes, but rather the band members who had more, lets say, “girl next door” bodies. I sheepishly got out my tape measure and ended up with a very odd choice of five girls, and the rest must have thought I was completely nuts. Luckily, the weather was fine, the sky was blue and we shot it all in one day, completing the rest of the shoot with the band on the West coast at the Charlie Chaplin stage at A&M.

I made the promotional video with C.D. Taylor, who was my partner on many video productions. We used all “old technology” - rear screen projection - not the ever-popular blue screen video. The film I had shot of the skiers was projected on to a screen from the rear as we filmed the girls - hamming it up with swimsuits, and doing their best lip-synching - in front. For the package cover shoot, I matched the lighting as closely as I could while I photographed their heads. These being the years of analog, the grain on the film had to match, so I ended up shooting from way up on the soundstage roof. We later made very saturated die transfer prints and retouched the hell out of it all for the final image.

They were great to work with and I liked them all. Looking back, it seem that there were very few problems - they were willing to try anything and, being at the start of their career, had nothing to protect or to argue about (things got more complicated down the road I think).

During one of the many breaks in the day’s activities, I remember the band and I walked out of the lot and strolled up the street and we all sat down on a bus bench on the busy corner of Highland and Sunset Blvd. and just smoked and talked and all the while with them dressing in their full tiaras and tu tu’s. This being Los Angeles, no one seemed to notice - just a few more weirdos in Hollywood.

Of course, as a designer, I went crazy with all the spin-off advertising and merchandise – we did everything from beach towels to disposable cameras. To this day, I think the package still looks like the music sounds.”

Interesting trivia bit from Mike G - “Vacation” was featured in Michael Moore’s hit movie Fahrenheit 9/11, serving as the soundtrack of footage of President George W. Bush enjoying a round of golf just prior to the 9/11 attacks.

About the artist, Mick Haggerty –

Mick Haggerty, with Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin and Kathy Valentine.

I interviewed the respected British designer, illustrator, art director, photographer and teacher just a few days prior to his leaving on a tour of Africa. Born in England, he lives, works and plays these days in Los Angeles. As a freelancer, as well as in his roles as the Art Director for Virgin and Warner Bros. Records, he has put together a hugely impressive list of accomplishments, developing memorable designs for a wide variety of musical artists. He has also influenced many of today’s best new designers in his role as chair of the Design Department at the Otis/Parsons School of Art & Design in the LA area. Here’s just a sampling of Mick’s well-known works and achievements:

All images Copyright 1981 & 2007 Mick Haggerty – www.mickhaggerty.com

Grammy Awards – In 1979, Mr. Haggerty won the award for Best Album Package (along with the late Mike Doud) as the art director for Supertramp’s Breakfast in America. And again in 1983, Haggerty, (along with Ginger Canzoneri - the GO-GO’s manager) was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album Package for The Go-Go’s Vacation

Other well-known artists/covers he’s created include:
David Bowie – Let’s Dance, Never Let Me Down and Tonight
The Police – Ghost In The Machine
ELO – Face the Music
The Goo Goo Dolls – Gutterflower
The Smithereens – 11
Stevie Winwood – Roll With It
Dave Mason – Let It Flow
Plus works for OMD, Disturbed, PiL, King Crimson, Richard Thompson, Roxy Music, Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Richards, Aerosmith, Sammy Hagar, Roy Orbison, Boz Scaggs, the Violent Femmes and, recently, Josh Groban and Michael Buble’

To see more of Mick Haggerty’s work, please visit his website at http://www.mickhaggerty.com/

To see examples of his work in the RockPoP Gallery collection, click here.

To see other examples of artwork related to The Go-Go’s in our collection, click here.

About “Cover Stories” - Our weekly series will give you, the music and art fan, a look at “the making of” the illustrations, photographs and designs of many of the most-recognized and influential images that have served to package and promote your all-time-favorite recordings.

Every Friday and syndicated the following week on The Rock and Roll Report, we’ll meet the artists, designers and photographers who produced these works of art and learn what motivated them, what processes they used, how they collaborated (or fought) with the musical acts, their management, their labels, etc. - all of the things that influenced the final product you saw then and still see today.

We hope that you enjoy these looks behind the scenes of the music-related art business and that you’ll share your stories with us and fellow fans about what role these works of art - and the music they covered - played in your lives.

All images Copyright 1981 & 2007 Mick Haggerty www.mickhaggerty.com
All other text Copyright 2007 - Mike Goldstein & RockPoP Gallery (www.rockpopgallery.com) - All rights reserved.

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Alright, alright! 3/4 of Led Zeppelin are reforming for a special one-off concert on November 26th and I suppose the question has to be: will this be more like the Page/Plant tour, which I thought was great or the Live Aid/Atlantic Records reunion which everybody agress was horrible.

I personally think that they will pull out all the stops and rehearse like bastards for this sucker knowing that this is probably the last time they will ever play together. I certainly hope so as I remain a huge Zeppelin fan despite the fact that I can’t remember the last time I listened to them.

NME has put together a very cool Top 10 Led Zeppelin Video Moments that you can use to revisit their glory days. At least in Novemeber Page won’t be all strung out on smack!

Later.

Mark

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