Above: Part-time bass player"
full-time hair farmer, Tim Tim
of Shotgun Messiah. Photo:
Kristin Callahan. Right: Sonic
Youth strive for sibilance.
Below: Part of S.Y.'s are col-
lection. Photos: Ken Saferno.
Next Page: (Far Right) Rockin
with Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
Photo: Bryce Kanights. (Right)
Crawlin' with Crawlpappy.
Photo: Kristin Callahan.
NOTES
From the Underground
SPIN CYCLE... In Effect's recont West Coast sign-ons, The Limbomaniacs,
should have their first Lp, Mongrels 10 out any day now. Expect a sizzling
funked-up screamer from this S.F. crew with Bootsy Collins and 24-7 Spyz
among the musical guests on the slab... Steve Val's latest, Passion and
Warfare, should be blowing up eardrums soon...Attitude has signed to
Combat and will be kicking vinyl soon... Good news for all you gore fans-
Gwar is about to come out with an album on Warner Brothers Records
The Weirdos, L.A.'s "first" punk band, are back together with all original
members except for Tony Malone (of Thelonious Monster fame). Check
out their new one on Frontier Records Frizzle-Fry will be the title of
Primus's first Caroline release, and that's exactly what it'll do to your brain
The guitar roadie's ultimate nightmare, Sonic Youth, are working hard
on a new Lp. Recently, Sonic Youth played a low-key one-off show to preview
some new material, and most people questioned said it was their best in
years. They are getting close to breaking the 25 guitar barrier-if you've
ever seen them, you know what we're talking about... STP a hot-looking,
hotter-sounding band with ex-members of Pussy Galore and Honeymoon
Killers, will have a 7" out on Circuit Records soon. They'll be touring with
Sonic YouthAnother heavy-duty, hard-working New York band blasting
on the scene is Surgery. Guitarist
Sean has been known to play the neck
right off his guitar. Their power-packed
show will be comin' at ya when they
tour behind their upcoming Lp on Am-
phetamine Reptile Records... Babes
in Toyland, the three-piece, all-gal
thumpin' machine from Minneapolis,
released their first full-length album on
Twin Tone. Frightwig just released a
new album as well, on Boner Records,
and the Screaming Sirens' second Lp
is out on Restless. Look for all three
all-chick bands to tour the States soon
...Restless has also released a
bastardized version of the Hell Comes
to Your House series called Polka
Comes to Your Haus, featuring the likes
of Rotundi, Polkacide and others.
Truly terrifying, and just in time for the
opening of the Eastern Bloc countries
Collectors and interior decorators
will be especially stoked to get a hold
of Celebrity Skin's self-titled 12" (on
Triple X Records) which is pressed on
ultra-suave marbleized pink vinyl. The
tunes themselves ain't too shabby either Blackout Records' current
release-o-rama includes a 7" from Burn, a 7" from Eye for an Eye, a Sheer
Terror Lp entitled Just Can't Hate Enough, a live Sheer Terror Lp and a 7"
from Breakdown (an old recording featuring Carl, Drago and Rich of Kill-
ing Time). Whew! More wax on the racks now: TSOL's (the new TSOL.
with only one original member) latest, Strange Love, a new one
entitled The Diva Station by long-lived guiartist Ronnie Mon-
trose; the appropriately titled Lloyd Cole by the now Commotion-
less Lloyd Cole; the tyrannical Oppressing the
Masses from Vio-Lence; The Cramps' psyche-
billic Stay Sick, their first in six years; Soundclash
by British electro-gangsters Renegade Sound
Wave; an as yet untitled Lp from Exodus.
LIVE PLAYED. Get ready Europe, Metallica
should be arriving any day now to rock out on a
two-week mini-tour. When they return to the States this summer, Yankee
shaggers should be able to catch 'em at arenas blowing away assorted
hyped headliners. In the meantime, Lars is in the producer's chair put-
ting finishing touches on a compilation featuring the new wave of British
heavy metal Judge filmed a video (for "Where it Went" from their
first Lp) recently at City Gardens in Joisey. The promoter had to take out
a one-show, mega-buck liability policy at the club owner's request.
Needless to say, there was wild action, but no serious damage. Judge
has added another guitarist, Lars from Uppercut, just in time for a Euro
and U.S. tour. Chain of Strength spent their spring break from school
touring. Look for a full-on tour this summer and a 7", What Holds Us Apart,
on Revelation They may not have all their original members, but
D.O.A. proved they can still rock when they rolled through S.F. recently.
Thrasher filmheads Mo and Phread were spotted on stage, flat on their
backs with full photo rigs. Mo claimed to be striving for the ultimate rock
photo angle, but Phread confessed that he was only on stage because
he prefers a monitor mix to the front-of-stage full PA sound.
GIST MILL Hold onto those old Skaterock albums folks, they may
become collector's items now that Skatemaster Tate has apparently inked
a deal with Island Records. Look for his debut some time this summer
Johnny Ray of D.I.'s fame has another combo called the Blue
Shadows, featuring Bill "Buster" Bateman on drums. Playing a slick
mix of bebop and blues, the Shadows somehow caught the eye (and
ears) of Bruce Willis. Anyway. Brucie blows a mean harp and he finagled
his way into jamming with the Blue Shadows at the King King in LA.
One thing led to another, and the next thing you know, the Shadows are
playing his birthday party with the likes of Sly Stalone, Eddie Murphy
and (yipes!) Raquel Welch in attendance. Nice work, if you can get it
Other rumors out of the L.A. area have Shadowland/Insultors singer
Pete Corona teaming up with comedian Dan Kapron and Renaissance
man Jeff Grosso on a freakout funky mix project to be produced by
Delicious Vinyl's Matt Dyke. The alleged outfit, allegedly entitled
Earlyman is said to have a get-primal theme with a heavy James Brown
influence Crawlpappy is a new band from the NYC area that has
been making waves lately. At one time or another, this gnarly noise crew
INTRODUCING MIKE HERSCH
Eighteen-year-old Mike Hersch is a guitar storm waiting to come ashore. His
demo tape, Worthy Is the Lamb, contains some of the sickest, fastest, most
complex axe-swinging you'll ever hear. He's getting together a band and hunting
for a label, so be on the lookout. You won't believe your ears.
When did you start playing HRASHER PL Where did the sampled stuff
guitar?
THRASHER
When I was thirteen. I
picked it up incredibly fast
and started teaching at four-
teen. By sixteen I was playing
anything other guitarists were do-
ing. Then I started playing classical
piano and violin pieces on the guitar
because the technical demand is so
difficult. I liked music like Bad
Brains and Cro Mags because of
the sheer energy, and I wanted to
merge that energy with more com-
plex techniques. To me, that's what
music is all about-the energy
What equipment do you use?
I use an '84 Gibson Sying V and
a 15-watt Fender. Those things suit
my purposes
Have you developed any of your
own techniques?
I do a lot of things that are dif-
ferent. It's hard to explain them.
Arpeggios are something a lot of
guitarists are trying to do now. They
are standard two octave things.
I do four octave and three octave
arpeggios. I call them triple back
pick arpeggios. I also do har-
monized string skipping
and harmonized tapping
RD
on Worthy Is the Lamb
come from?
It's all from the TV. It's to
fill the blank space. Other in-
strumental albums out now are all
so serious. The average person
doesn't like to hear endless com-
plex technique-it just sounds like
a bunch of notes. I wrote the last
album so the average person can
get into it. What I was trying to do
is show that, yeah, I'm really good.
but kind of fun-It's fun to listen to
Where do you see yourself five
years from now?
Hopefully, even sooner than that.
I'll be a dominating force in the
guitar community.
What kind of audiences will you
appeal to?
Guitar players, and people into
metal and hardcore, definitely. And
people who are into more laidback
stuff-I think my music appeals to
almost all audiences. Hopefully I'll
be signed in the next couple of
months, because I have a lot to say
to the guitar community, a lot to say
to everybody.
For into write: Mike Mike
Medleys, PO Box 352,
Herndon, VA 22070
87