Don't Read That. Read This.

Music Trader hooked me up (for $10) with a great find in the Madness' One Step Beyond. The title track is one of the best, and actually is a great memory from my youth when I used to see the music video on Much Music Retro. That was back when there were video themed programming on Much rather Bring It On in 53 different versions. I loved the beginning which also started the Much Retro commercial. "Don't Watch that. Watch this."



This album is one for those that are into a more old school type of ska, although it is by no means "real" ska, it does have a lot of instrumentals, and it is definitely made for people that are looking to have a good time. The songs are fast moving, and have beats that make you want to get out of your seat and skank.

Some other highlights on One Step Beyond are The Prince, Rockin' in a Flat, Land of Hope and Glory, and one wierd one that you may very well dig becuase it is catchy, but I'm sure how may times I could listen to it in one day. If today is any indication, once.

Screeching Weasel Back With A New Album... Finally

Yes even though Ben Weasel is rumoured to be in some legal troubles, but that didn't stop Fat Wreck Chords coming through the first new Screeching Weasel album in 11 years.

The First World Manifesto is a nice mix of classic style Weasel, with a new vibe the is lighter, and seems a little less surf, and more poppy. Don't let poppy turn you away from this album though. I t full of the usual mix of snotty/love songs, and is a great variation of the classic sound that makes Screeching Weasel on of the best, if not the best band to come off of Lookout! Records.

Have a Blatz - if that's what you are into.

The Sonata of Beethoven Blatz by Armin Wiebe was much different than I had originally believed it would be. I have not been to many plays in my life, but of those that I had seen Miss Saigon probably had the most
Bawdy humour, and there wasn’t much. Thank God I, because it was a Christmas present to my mom.

I tell ya one thing I would be mortified if I had to watch this play with my mom. From the poison crotch to the almost violet “love” scene on the piano. I half expected the baby to be another nationality just to throw a bigger twist at the end.

People leaving in the middle of the play surprised me a little although I think a few may have left due to the religious content, and that it was being played with in a light religious manner. These are topics that don’t really bother me, but coming from a religious home I thought that could be offensive to some.


I do have a few criticisms of the play and following talk, mostly with the talk. I didn’t think that Wiebe did a very good job of explaining his inspiration, or the reason for some of the scenes and characters. Wiebe, I thought, referenced making decisions, because that was the story, or that is the character. I kind of wanted to know more about Susch and Beethoven. Did these two have a deeper connection other than being set up by Obrum. I thought that Obrum is kind of a unique thinker, so I wasn’t to surprised by his decision to procure Beethoven’s assistance, but (and this just may be because this was my first experience with live implied sexual content) I didn’t see Susch getting so into it - or at least not so hardcore. And I half expected Beethoven to lose interest half way through, and jump back on the piano, and then maybe get back to work.

I thought the actors did a great job with a script that they really brought to life, and Wiebe for making the dialogue unique, while not leaving those of us that had trouble with the dialect changes behind not fill in blanks throughout the story.

Overall I thought the play was very entertaining, but there is something about weird love triangles that creep me out a little. Maybe I’m just over sensitive.

Set A New Record

If you are anyhting like myself, whenever there is a chance to pick up a 7 inch (or a 45 if you are from the vinyl hayday) at a concert you do. If you are even more like me until a few days ago you didn't have a place to play those albums becuase your record player was ancient, and passed away last summer, so you are left wondering what hidden gems are on records such as the Casualties' Who Is In Control.

Well now that I picked up a turntable from War On Music I am happy to let you know that all four tracks on Who Is In Cotrol are dynamite, and getting a digital turntable hooked up to your itunes is super easy.

All you need to do is insert the software disc, let that noise load up, then plug the turntable into the input slot. You are ready to go. All there is left is selecting what album you download first and hitting record on both your computer, and turntable. Enjoy!

You can pick this kind of stuff up at everyone's favorite store for the hardcore War On Music.

The Real Deal

Real Mckenzies live tonight in Winnipeg at the Royal Albert.
If you like celtic rock, or celtic punk like the Pogues get down to the Albert and check out one heck of a show. The Mckenzies shouldn't be on until 11 or 12 so if you catch this post soon you should be able to get down there and rock out to my favorite Mckenzies' tune Get Oot.
Get Oot to the Albert and take in one of the last surviving true punk bands left in the world. It is worth the 17 bones.

Flatliners Tuesday April 5 - Park Theatre

The Flatliners are in town tonight, and if you have never heard of this group, or scene them live make sure you get down there to see one heck of a show.

Some fans, myself included, are a little disappointed that they don't really include ska tracks on their albums too often any more, but the new album, Cavalcade is still chalk full of great tunes like Bleed, Shithawks, and the first track The Calming Collection, which are all real hard, real fast tunes that are similar to Bigwig, especially on their Reclamation album which is one of the best albums I picked up in 2004. Right now Cavalcade is one of the top five new albums I have picked up in 2011.

Just to prove that the ska and reggae vibes they pumped out on Destroy to Create are not completely gone check out track three from Cavalcade.



As I have siad before on this blog intros are usually crap, but there are a few funny ones on Cavalcade including the one that is taken from Spinal Tap. Hilarious movie if you have never seen it. Spinal Tap will have to be a blog topic after I rewatch it.

Give me some comments if there is anythng you want me to touch on in particular in Spinal Tap.

Live It Up With The Flatliners

Wicked show coming up in the Peg.
Flatliners at the Park Theatre TUESDAY APRIL 5.

These guys put together a nice mix of 90s skate punk, and a little ska-core. Make sure you check this show out, and get there early for kids on fire. These dudes are on fire if you will.

Punk From The Peg

I was a little stuck on what to write about today, so I thought I would take it easy and just give everyone a list of my favourite Winnipeg bands of all time.

5. Whole Lotta Milka
4. Figure Four
3. Subcity
2. The Afterbeat
1. Propagandhi

Honorable mentions go to Comeback Kid, Kenmode, RWPO, Mung, the Barrymores and the Weakerthans.

The War Is On… Music

Today I have been granted permission to get my War On Music promotional campaign off the ground pending a signature from the heads down at 42 Albert Street. Good group, don’t see any problems there.

One problem I do see is my first endevour into promoting shows. Can’t play an instrument, may as well promote those that can. Check out acts like The Afterlife, and good ol’ CreComm brother Jeremy Williamez, as the War On Music concert series get ramped up to begin at the end of August.

Here is a taste of Evil Survives, one of many bands that are featured in War On Music’s selection of Vinyl, CD, and even cassette.

I’ve Been Feeling Suicidal

You can all stop cracking campaign, because the title is referring to the Suicidal Tendencies. I not going to hurt my self unless less it is for money, or excessive thrashing to some rockus tunes on my latest ST pick up - Join The Army from 1987.

Join The Army is classic ST. War inside my head is one of the best with a rockin. intro, and then some great group war inside chants from the boys (the video is found at the end of this entry). ST has always made a habit of writing great songs, with strong bass lines, and fans will not be disappointed with this effort; nor will fans of classic thrash bands like D.R.I..

I love You Got, I Want, because it not only a classic killer ST tune, it has that very ST style name. My other favourite tune on the album is definitely Possessed To Skate. It is super fast, and the vocals are just amazing as Mike Muir blasts out the words in time with the speed changes that keep this track rocking till the end. Any CreComms that have an opinion if I should do a skate video for montage let me know in comment form.

One disappointment for me was when I thought I had finally tracked down the album with Cyco Vision on it, but no, this album has just plain Cyco, but hey if you aren’t getting Cyco Vision, you may as well just go Cyco right. Cool.

I just picked up Join The Army Tuesday from WAR ON MUSIC - NEW LOCATION 42 ALBERT STREET IN WINNIPEG. If my IPP gets approved check War On Music out in blog, and Twitter form.

Two Groo Gou - World Contact Day

I just want to say that I hate intros, but the intro on World Contact Day is hilarious as an aliem threatens to destroy Earth becuase of the annoying, crappy rock we transmit through the universe.

The first song Hello Again is a great Ghoulie style tune, and its Ramones style keeps going throughout this album, only the Ghoulies' songs don't sound the same, although the rifts in some sound very similar to the Ramones.

This album is just good n' fast. Goulies Are A Go!, The Island of Pogo, and Island of Pogo Pogo are three of the best tunes the album, but iot goes al over the place bringing you the best of surf style punk, and some pretty great lyrics that are classic Ghoulies.

Groovie Ghoulies Do It Again

I was all fired up to find a Groovie Ghoulies album that I never knew existed - Fun In The Dark. This album I believe is as good if not better than their World Contact Day album. Both of which I picked up at War On Music.

She Gets All The Girls is one of the best songs I have heard in years I played it on The On-Slot (Wednesdays 6-7PM on 92.9 KICK-FM)and it blew my mind. Hilarious lesbian song that doesn't play on the lesbians are hot aspects clowns in pop always use. Other great tunes are Carly Simon, the title track, She's My Vampire Girl, and the second best track on the CD I feel Don't Make Me Kill You Again. If you want an explanation on what it is about I got nothing other than Kepi Goulie doesn't want to have to kill someone or something again, and he has done it several times already.

Long story short if you like the Lookout Records style of music this is a must find. Same goes if you are into tunes like Teen Idols, Diesel Boy, and many other former Honest Don's Records artists.

This is a song off World Conact Day, but it is as good as the stuff on Fun After Dark. Tommorow tune in for a World Contact Day review and vid.

I'm going for at least a week straight of posts so tell your friends.

Williamez inspired. Truck stop approved.

Anyone who was at the CreComm IPP Presentations on Thursday were witness to one of the funniest tunes I have ever heard created by Jeremy Williamez. We didn’t get a name for it, but it was about man love at in a restroom. Now I don’t have an album to talk about, but as a consolation prize I will review Tenacious D’s self-titled release.

The sexual content of a Williamez hit is in this album, but not near the surprise, although Tenacious D has three members on including Jack Black, and Kyle in the funk-crooned number named Double Team, in which they are clear that they don’t mind sucking on toes, and do have access to lotions and perfumes - even a French tickler. The Drive-Thru skit does have a reference to onion rings in an azz.

Other great songs on this album: City Hall, Rock Your Socks, The Road, Explosivo, Dio, and of course Tribute, which is about the greatest song ever played.


Some think of Tenacious D is just shtick, but I can assure you these guys rock pretty well. And if you cannot hard f as well as you like they call that into question with F Her Gently.

Check out City Hall as well, and check out the On-Slot on 92.9 KICK-FM.

Two Things In One

Flaming Cramps

Flamejob is my favourite Cramps album, and that may be a faux pas to the veteran Cramps listeners, but this album is a little less experimental, and faster than the other two albums I own.
Naked Girl Falling Down the Stairs is a rockin’ tune that keeps with the Cramps style of bizarre sexual lyrics. This girl didn’t just fall, Lux Interior tells us that she was shoved.
Other songs that really stand out Sodo County, Big Eyed Rabbit, and I’m mean.



Psychedelic Jungle

The Cramps Psycedelic Jungle/Gravest Hits is a bit more of an experimental album, but you do get some classics such as Goo Goo Muck, Human Fly, and a particularly entertaining cover of Surfin Bird. The Surfin Bird cover does go a little long into some distorted music, and I have to admit it is not as wacky as the original recording.
I like this album, although it is a little slow, but it has some of the weirdest songs found in the Cramps’ library. My favourtie for weird lyrics in Don’t Eat Stuff Off The Sidewalk, which is a strange tune at a good pace, and it is not too long.
A couple of the other more rocking tunes are Voodoo Idol, and the Crusher.
If you are in to the psycho Billy scene all three of the Cramps albums I have suggested will be a great choice for you.

Bad Music, Bad Meaning Good

I listened to the Cramps Bad Music For Bad People today at work with my buddy Dillon (Die-Lawn if you watch Chapelle Show) and we agreed that the Cramps have as much strange noise content, as they do lyrical content. Then the last track played (we had it on random)She Said, and we ran into the E-O-ooo-a-a, and realized that the content in a Cramps song is an entity all its own. Half of which is wierd noises.
The Cramps are a band that for the most part is slower than a lot of the tunes I listen to, but they rank in my top 50 (I got a lot of favourites) because of the lyrical content. Lux Interior had a great voice, and when combined with the freaky guitar, bass, and drums the Cramps really put together on heck of a production.
These guys are the psychobilly originals. They remind me of the Misfits not only becuase they sing about The Fly, but the way they play music that sounds harmless, but is filled with wild lyrocal content such as "I want to give you milion hugs," nice right "but you look so good covered in blood." There are loads of great songs such as Goo Goo Muck, New Kind of Kick, and Drug Train. Most of the songs are about girls, or drugs so it is not surprising, but still disappointing that Lux Interior died just over two years ago. I hope the Cramps never re-form because there is only one Lux.
The vocals are on line with Danzig, Jello, and Elvis - at least for this guy.
They are wierd, but they come at you like a wave. I just want to take the ride.
Stayed tuned for a Flamejob tomorrow!

Cramping The Psychobilly Scene

I was on a long search to find good psychobilly bands after I heard the Misfits American Nightmare. I slowly picked up on bands like Necromantics, the Reverend Horton Heat, and finally a find in the Cramps who I just started listening to at the beginning of January, but fell in love with after hearing a nifty rendition of Surfin' Bird, but I am still not too familiar with them.
Over the next three days I will listen to, and analyze the three albums I own from The Cramps - Bad Music For Bad People, Flamejob, and Psychodelic Jungle/ Gravest Hits, and get back to ya’ll about which is my favourite. Let me know what you think if you are a Cramps veteran.
Until then here is the first track from Bad Music For Bad People - Garbageman. It is actually a pretty cool video. Enjoy!

Greatest Summer Ever - Upcoming

I have been trying to mix up the blog, so for today I got a little bragging going on. I was recently informed that Shecky has been able secure us tickets for the Asian Man reunion show taking place in San Francisco this June.
The coolest part is Shecky set up the whole thing and we are staying at Asian Man records creator Mike Park's house while we are in California.
Anyways this show is going to be legendary. Mike Park has tried to get every Asian Man band that has ever been on the label together for a festival that will last days. Shecky could only get tickets for three shows, but check out the bands that are going to be at these shows: Skankin Pickle, Link 80, Slapstick, MU 330, The Queers, Alkaline Trio, and there is a chance Less Than Jake, and hopefully the Bruce Lee Band will also be there.
I am pretty fired up about the whole thing, and I believe CreComm had something to do with it. I am so pumped for Chicago that I know the money it will cost for both trips is worth it. Here are four of the bands I mentioned. The Skankin Pickle video is extra cool.

Sabotage Times Two

All right we have got two days in a row going, and we move onto one of my most life changing experiences of my childhood - watching The Beastie Boys Sabotage.
What a video. The album overall was pretty good, but this has got to be arguably the best video ever made. If you have never seen the video it is a spoof the intros to 70s cop shows featuring the boys as
“The Chief”, “Cochese”, and “Bobby the Rookie”. This video includes the three in a number of outfits, and even a large African American fellow the goes by the name Fred Kelly, or “Bunny” as the credits read.
The best parts of the video include numerous tackles of apparent felons, many into boxes, and two dummies being tossed off a bridge, and the other from a moving vehicle. In a later version of the video replaced with ninjas doing kicks - damn you censorship.
That horrible memory has been replaced however by the Cancer Bats and their good cover of Sabotage, but a great video - maybe one of the best ever - as they search for the Beastie Boys to be in their video, and loosely re-enact the entire original .
PS The Cancer Bats put on one heck of a show. I saw them three weeks ago with Baptised in Blood, and Devil Driver, and all three bands put on a great show.

Streetlight Lights Up West End

So I put together zero consecutive days of blog, but the rockiness Streetlight Manifesto had me distracted from the time they hit the stage until just now, plus I got home after midnight so it kinds foiled my day of concert first blog momentum, but we are on point now.
I missed the first bands due to some classic blinding migraines, luckily I saw a shirt from one of the bands that read “Boston Pop Punk,” so it may have been less annoying to go numb in my bedroom than drag my self up two hours early to go see a band that proudly represents pop punk. Regardless of what you may think of some of my 90s picks I can assure you most of the bands would hate to have that name attached to them, or not care - whatever.
I tell ya once someone explained to me the baritone Sax, was particle, not just hilarious, I was really into the whole experience. The experience included teaching an 8-year-old (who was a brother of a friend, of my buddy Shecky’s step kids) how to skank during a great version on Keasby Nights.
The set was honestly one of the fasted to go by that I have ever experienced, although someone did tell me the set was a little short, but the hit all the classics: Saddest Song in the World, Mephisto’s Café, and they even played their cover of Linoleum in the encore.
I was in a little pain, but I gotta say shows were getting old for me until Shecky started bring his kids and their friends it is great to see kids getting into the scene the way I did when I was their age, and it even gives this old squid a reason to get back in the pit.
One thing you should know though is that a ska-core band like Streetlight is amazing to watch, as they perfectly time eight instruments to create what I believe is a ska-salsa hybrid nobody else even approaches. They are original, precise, and the West End Cultural Centre looks awesome.
Too bad I went to the Garrick Theatre first. Read those tickets carefully kids.
- The streak is on. Second blog coming Monday afternoon.


We Will Fall Together - One of the best tunes they played Saturday night - awesome!

Streaking Casualties

I claimed to revamp the "Punk o' 90's Flashback on Monday, and then left it hanging till Friday, but that alright, just like the Lookout weekend that started the Flashback on a roll in in October. I propose a blogging streak challenge. A blog a day, for as long as I can keep it going stay tuned, Streetlight Manifesto concert review tomorrrow after the show.

Speaking of shows on of my favourites went down at the Pyramid in 2003 - Dropkick Murphys, and the Casualties. We can talk about Dropkick on a later date, but right now it is getting Casual-ties. The funniest thing I have ever heard at a concert was lead singer Jorge asking the crowd if the were in gangs. I'm not sure if gangs in New York are like in The Warriors, bu tif they are like in Winnipeg they aren't that cool. The crowd confirmed this with a confused silence. Jorge rolled with the punches, but I think he still wasn't aware that although a lot of these people dressed like New York punks I bet they don't roll like them. Before breaking into "Stay Out Of Order" Jorge yells "Well you know what I'm talking about? Drinking beers, sniffing glue. Let's go!"

Stay Out Of Order rocked, and I'm pretty sure the Casualties aren't hooked on glue. The point of this whole blog is that there are very few bands that establish an old school punk vibe, and the Casualties do it up proper. I f you get a chance check them out. I say them with Gwar in December, and they haven't missed a beat, but the Casualties have gone a little to more growl than screech in the vocals. Good stuff.

Check out Streetlight Manifest Saturday February 19. It will be sweet.



If you don't like cursing don't watch right to the end of this stay out of order video. Some guy puts some Fers up at the end.

New Format for the Flashback

I thought that the Flashback could use a bit of a revamp, so instead of just talking about albums I am going to get it down to great songs, concerts, and even stuff I think was over-rated if I am in a bad mood. I hope that will attract more readers. I am also going to go back further in history, and into stuff like Streetlight Manifesto that came out after the 90s. Go see Streetlight Manifesto when they are in Winnipeg on February 19.

Let me know what you want me to talk about. Tell your friends, and let me know what you think.

Check out these great albums for now,
1 Dead Kennedys - Freash Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
2 Bad Religion - No Control
3 Screeching Weasel - Kill The Musicians
4 Descendents - Livage!
5 Nitro Records Comp. - Deep Thoughts

Julie Wilson gets touqued, or festivalled.

Reading on the bus is a passion of mine, so I was interested to hear what inspired Julie Wilson to write her Scene Reading blogs. I was thrown off a little buy her completely blackout apparel including a touque, and a shirt I think a rapper would wear. I was tired of people dressing up for the seminars anyway. The difference was nice, and made me feel better about my hatred, and avoidence of shaving.
I was surprised to hear that publishers give better advances for non-fiction than fiction, becuase I always thought, and still do, that it is harder to write fiction than non. Wilson gave a great explanation about the way publishers know what demographics will support the non-fiction piece, whereas the fiction could land anywhere.
That said I think her Seen Reading blog sounds much more interesting than,the True Blood book. I just don't like those kind of pieces, even the Simpson's one. The only time I like books like that are non-fiction pieces like American Hardcore, or something by Hunter S. Thompson, or Chris Walter. I think it comes down to me liking to find facts for myself, rather than be told them, especially any that border on opinion.

Guy Smiley Reunion in Winnipeg. Not Sesame Street Related.

Winnipeg's own Guy Smiley is reuniting in about Five hours at the legendary Royal Albert in Winnipeg. The show sold out on Thuraday - way to go Winnipeg - nothing ever sells out in Winnipeg except crap like Nickelback.
Anyway "Alkaline" from 1999 is one of the best investments I made, twice after losing a 40 disc CD booklet.
Let me tell you this CD is another track to track classic, including the best song a Winnipegger has produced "The Canadian Way", which is all about the loss of the Winnipeg Jets, and the decline of the NHL under Gary Bettman. I have to say though, Bettman has finally turned that ship around, and I am willing to deal with the dark years, 2000-2004, and the strike, to see that the NHL is finally revolutionizing sport as it has in the past. This years draft all-star game is the best innovation in sport since the jock strap, or the face mask - hockey innovation.
Check out Guy Smiley. They were a smaller bad, but they were great, hung with the misfits, and created "Alkaline" one of the best light-hardcore albums you will ever hear.
The video is "The Kids" from the "Alkaline" release.

All Aboard The Lagwagon

Lagwagon hadn’t been relevant in a decade before their 2008 release of “I Think My Brother Used to Listen to Lagwagon, but before that they were a top draw across the skate punk scene, and their besrt release was arguably their first - “Duh”.
“Duh” was one of the first albums ever released on Fat Wreck Chords, and it still stands the test of time with tunes that hold that mid-nineties combination of serious, and humorous songs, as well as a great cover. The cover is CCR’s Bad Moon, and Lagwagon does a good job of keeping true to the classic at times, and then cranks it up during the chorus. It is followed by my favourite Lagwagon song “Beer Goggles”, which is great although the video I found for it certainly doesn’t do it justice, but if you like Team America: World Police then you should get a kick out of it. The best part of the song is near the middle when lead singer Joey Cape sings, “she thinks I good and obviously she didn’t smell that fart,” then put on a Ken and then Barbie voice I think when he says “Hi my name is Barbie. My name is Ken.” Funny stuff, and there are fart effects added if you where concerned about that.
The album has other great tunes like the Lagwagon theme song, “Mr.Coffee”, and if you are like me and just figured out you get Teletoon Retro, you will be fired up for the Inspector Gadget theme cover as well. The rest of the album is more serious, the best of those tunes being “Bury the Hatchet”, but this is another album that is solid for first song to last. These kind of great albums are why I started to listen to the skate punk scene - or SKAE as I like to call it.
Let me know what you think of the name. There is already ska, I thought take the s-k-a-e from skate, and you got skae. It’s better than emo, and please no one tell me skae is gay. I’ve heard it before, and this is a gay positive blog, which was influenced by Winnipeg’s own Propagandhi. If you have the “Less Talk, More Rock” album you know what I talking about.

L7

L7 is another band in what has become a streak of bands that I thought sucked, but have good albums. L7’s self-titled album was the second non-Bad Religion album released from now legendary - and currently crappy Epitaph records.
This album reminds me of the punk tunes that Nirvana used to put out on a regular basis, despite what some referring to them as grunge - the real rock n’ roll swindle. I tell ya I put quotations on punk in my title because “punk” is - I don’t know what it is that is the point. Grunge is just a buzz name given to rock (Pearl Jam), metal (Sound Garden), punk (Nirvana) bands that got a boost a fabricated genre that thank goodness actually forced mainstream music listeners to hear something original, although there is an irritating amount of people who thin k “Come as You Are” is the best Nirvana song ever.
Back to L7, I have only heard this album twice as of this posting this entry, but I assure you that if you like songs such as “Breed“, “Lounge Act“, or “Territorial Pissings“, all of which are off Nirvana’s “Nevermind”, you will be pretty stoked for this release.
This album is filled with the great power chords, and light lyrical content that made the early 90s great. Check it out - I swear it is nothing like “Pretend that we’re Dead” - a later, and most popular some would argue L7 release.

This is cover from the album, and the first song "Bite The Wax Tadpole"

Good Tunes Calling

Kenton got me all fired up with his Career Opportunities quote to start Pr 2, so it’s time to break the rules o the blog and flashback to the early eighties. That is my second favourite Clash tune next to Rudie Can’t Fail, which is why I have chosen to my first second term blog on The Clash’s London Calling Album.
I live by the river, and let me tell you this is one heck of an album. You can get punk, ska, reggae, and even a little rock-a-billy between “London Calling”, “Brand New Cadillac”, and “Jimmy Jazz”. Those are just the first three songs. This was the first Clash album I ever bought, because even though I had the singles collection years earlier, it actually soured me on the Clash. To tell you the truth after hearing “Rock the Cazba” I thought The Clash were the most over-rated, fondly remember, piece o’ carp I had ever fished out of the used bin. Not So!
These guys deserve all the recognition they get. They put out complete albums, if you listen to rap, that means that every song is listenable, and it great cases such as the Clash they are original too. “Guns Of Brixton” is a tune you may have heard covered by Dropkick Murphys, but it is a great example of the rebellious spirit that the punk scene, I believe, was supposed to embody.
As I mentioned before my favourite Clash song is “Rudie Can’t Fail”, but “Wrong’ Em Boyo” is another similarly great ska-style track that can really get you going if you are in the right mood, or state of mind if you will. Then it is followed by Death or Glory, which is another great example of Joe Strummer, and the Clashes great lyrical content, and yes A,A,A,A, calls that I believe was the start of catch noises that are seen in later punk bands such as yearly Green Day (Ssooooo), Bad Religion (Watch Oouuuut), and others I cannot think of right now.
As a CreComm student I have to finish of by mentioning “Kola Kola”. “Kola Kola”, I believe takes shots at the good ol’ advertising world and “the pause that refreshes” in particular (Coke) - but if I not mistaken they liken the effect of advertising to that of Cocaine. If you agree or not the song is written well, and makes it’s point with out offending like bands such as the Sex Pistols were often prone to do.

The Kids Are All Right - It’s The Ham That’s Salty

Not a music related post here, but I have been pushing Kids In The Hall on everyone I can get to at Red River College, so I thought I might make the clips I talk about more accessible.

Here are three of my favourite skits.

The Punk o' 90s Planet Smashers Red River College CreComm Blog Bowl brought to you by Dill Pickle Chips

This is not so much a “punk” flashback, as it is a third wave ska skankin’ blast from the past. I bring you the Planet Smashers - “Attack of the Planet Smashers“. This album is a great display of the range this band has as they move from traditionalish tunes like “Dirty Old Man”, to tracks like the one before it “Uncle Gordie” that is a skate punkish tribute to the greatest sport on earth - Hockey. My favourite line is when Matt Collyer sings he wants to “play in the NHL on the same line as Oleg and his brother Kjell.” This type of fun, humorous theme runs throughout this album, and the rest of the Planet Smasher catalogue. Including
My two favourite tracks are “Take From The Top”, and “80 Bus”. These are two of the faster songs, and “80 Bus”, which is a jolly romp of a ska track, as it has what most of the track on this album do which are funny, but well written lyrics, and a nice groove that soothes the soul.
“Attack of the Planet Smashers” is an album for all seasons, and moods. It is a great pick me up on those tougher days, and great party listening on a rockus Friday, or even Saturday night.
“My Decision” just came on as I listen to this CD, and this is another skankin tune that you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check it out.