think
MOST SLIDE
0032
TER
NOTES from the underground
Superchunk razed
Arizona with a
Ballance, drummer
Once again, benevolent Nazi censors are waving the flag of shielding youth
from vile pornography as an excuse to chisel away at the First Amendment
tight set of downright of tree speech. The Constitution of the United States is the cornerstone of
our democracy, the document that has kept America free. Every time a
home punk at the politician promotes a bill that erodes the Constitution, there is that much less
Sun Club in Tempe. iberty in the world. And all the soldiers that died thinking they were fighting for
From left to right: freedom did so in vain. Music by Mozart, Chuck Berry, Screamin' Jay
bassist Laura Hawkins and the Circle Jerks was considered dangerous in its time, and
those who sought to bar it would only deprive the world of those great masters
The latest attack comes from the Washington State legislature, the presiding
congress over the land that gave us Jimi Hendrix, The Fartz. The Sonics.
Supersuckers, Derelicts, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Best Kissers
In The World, Seaweed. Gas Huffer, Tree People, Beat Happening and
Dickless. The bill is HB2554, and it seeks to restrict the access of minors to
erotic music. What is "erotic" music-the crappy jazz they play in the
background of porno movies? Who is going to deny the "erotic music-some
grey-haired grandparents sitting in their anti-rocking chairs? Will they tell the
birds they cannot make mating calls in the trees? It was
Thomas Jefferson who said, "The price of liberty is
Chuck, vocalist/
guitarist Mac
McCaughan.
has been crunching for four years
brother JP on drums and Josh
now and also features Spike's
Scott on guitar. CIA Digest is
their latest with tomadoes of oblivion and raw pre-pubescent fight songs like
"Willie's Nightmare." about one of Spike's neighbors. There's this kid up the
street from me and he was an asshole." says Spike. "So we wrote song where
he gets his eyes poked out with a pickle fork, then gets burned and dies."
When asked if the band would seriously consider hurting Willie, Spike replies,
"We would do it, but we'd get in a lot of trouble for it. Even back in the
Skinhead Manor days when Youth Brigade was going strong, the brothers
Stern contemplated forming a full-on swing band. Unfortunately, says
drummer Adam Stern, the hom players weren't willing to shave their heads.
Nowadays, skinheads aren't mandatory and the Sterns blow their tops in a hep
jam outfit called Royal Crown Revue. On Kings of Gangster Bop, the hard
downtown horns of Jamie Stern on alto sax, and Mando Dorame on tenor
sax, blow in a fortes stylee vein to the rhythm of Adam Stern on stand-up
bass, James Achor on spit-shine clean guitar and the smooth vocals of Eddie
Nichols. Tunes like "Spanky's in the Kitchen," "Cold Shower" and "Be Bop for
Two harken back to a fuller era, when music was
was made, not played... Shards of feedback and
eternal vigilance." Those who love their music and love RICKTER SCALE dappers of distortion converge and mingle during
their freedom must heed these words with fury to
forever keep the bastards at bay. Hard and heavy,
rough and ready. Fear is on the loose again. Vocalist/
guitarist Lee Ving has set aside time from his hardcore
honky tonk country band Range War to show the new
kids what punk is all about. A new album recorded from
a radio show called Live For The Record rocks with
classic Fear songs and the priceless between-song
comments that only Ving and crew can deliver. "Once
we are embarked on a song and playing. I can usually
predict what happens," says Ving. "But in between
songs. I have no idea what's going to happen. When
they're not assaulting stages with maximum funky ska
rock, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones dress like regular
guys. But when they're on stage, the band wears plaid.
Guitarist Nate Albert says this causes some people to
compare them to The Bay City Rollers. However, the
similarity ends there. Boston's Bosstones meid
hardcore, metal, ska and punk into a thrice-baked
amalgamation all their own. On a recent CD single, the
Bosstones covered a few of their favorite tunes,
including "Enter Sandman" by Metallica 1 bought that
record the day it came out," says Albert. "We were
trying to do 'Creeping Death, but it was too long." When
the Tones were in Denver they saw James Hetfield on
the street and invited him to the show. He pulled up in a
limo just in time to sit in for the encore. The club shat
their pants." says Albert. "And Hetfield kept saying, "You
guys are alright." More Noise and Other Disturbances
is the Bosstones latest long player, featuring a heap of
madness, including, "He Came Back," about Kurt
Vonnegut's schizophrenic son, who also happened to
be vocalist Dicky Barrett's (ex-Cheap Skates and
Impact Unit) landlord. The guys in Old Skull are
ravenously familiar with getting stereotyped for how
they dress. "People are always talking about our
strange haircuts and combat boots," says
eleven-year-old bassist Spike. "We do
it because we want to be
different Old
Skull
Rollins Band The End of Silence, CD. Even on a major
label, the ith Rollins instalment expresses talent beyond all
members Loudspeaker, Supernatural CD. After several
singles, NY's trashploitation veterans finaly have a full-
lengther. Kurt Wolf (ex-Pusty Galore) leaves an impression
able wet with the help of Madt and Chris from Crucis
SSD, Power CD Long awaited disc format pulling greatest
hits plus unreleased and Ive stuff, this comes off as a monu
mental nostalgic release Malhavoc. The Release CD
The title sounds over-dramatized, but these Canadian indus
talzers pull it off. A comosive blend of metal and industrial
complexities Dub Blowhard CD. Overdue behemoth
release starring Steel Pole Bath Tub and Fang members
Insecure a sludge that pounds away reality. One for Duh
Duh for all Green Magnet School, Bood Music CD. This
SubPop debut is not your usual grunge-o-matic cup of tea. A
crazed unpaved path of hypnotic and technical excursions
that teeter on the edge of chaos Jones Very Trains of
Thought CD single Vic Bond former Articles of Fath lead
manj mixes old school hardcore with modem melodic rock
Gravel CD single This Boston product has Todd Ransic
various DCHC bands) and Vic Bond, Crunchy melodic and
emotional qualities, but overall it rocks. Jonestown, Al
Day Sucker Lp. Midwest gurus and practitioners of the new
school of punk. A jolting mix of trombone, hardcore,
psychoanalysis and storm watching Informative tornado
facts included Cows, Cunning Stunts, Lp Bucket
bugle blowing and beers your gut a plenty with Cowboy
core. This here fourth album is truly as rootin' and lootin as
The rest Social Distortion, Somewhere Between Heaven
and Hell Lp Yeah, somewhere they're countir their loot and
proving they're compatible with commercial radio Hooo-wee
Blitzspeer, Saves Lp. Nitro-injected NY street metal
masters Tve up to my expectations with their blend of
70s hard rock and punk boled up to a
blown big block. -Rick
Rotsaert
the Sun City Girls' other-worldly jams on Dawn of
the Devi "The album is entirely improvisational
with the exception of the first riff on side two,"
says bassist Alan Bishop. The free punk jazz trio
recently released a double 7" called Three Fake
Female Orgasms, that, says Bishop, "is twenty-
nine minutes of mixed-up music from every
possible corner of the universe mashed together
through the scum and grime that coats the brain
cells of Americana... Toments of fuzz and sheets
of pop punk melody rain from Tossing Seeds, a
collection of Superchunk 7" records. With tunes
like "Slack Motherfucker," "Garlic" and "The
Breadman' the Chapel Hill, NC, band progresses
from an eight-track recording studio to low-fi and
on into the abyss of edgy alternative rock. "You
start writing about one thing," says guitarist Mac
McCaughan, "and a month or two later it's about
something else Black Cat Bone from Lex-
ington, Kentucky, play hard and heavy grinds in a
blues-influenced vein. People expect us to a look
a certain way because of the music. If it's heavy
or grungy, they expect you to be really rebellious
and punk rock," says bassist Mark Hendricks.
but we're just average guys." Drummer Jon
McGee agrees, "We're less concerned about hair
care products than the notes we play." The band's
name stems from a classic voodoo love charm as
their album Truth stems from the blues. "Our goal
is to keep redefining what we do musically each
time" says Hendricks... The Common-
wealth break beyond all DC stereotypes
with the well-honed melodic punk of
Nepenthe Bright bass tones and guitar
that goes from psychedelic wah-wah to
crushing chords of fuzz and an on-
slaught of harsh vocals create a mad
dash of primal fury... People in clown
suits barged into the phone booth as
Todd A high-end bassist and lead
vocalist of Cop Shoot Cop, spoke
of the need to think. A beer festival
was underway in Denlov, Holland
near the German border, as Todd
said, "The main thrust of education
is regurgitation. Thinking is really
what needs to be taught." Todd
refused to describe White Noise
in his terms, but said, 'Our idea
is to stimulate a certain
reaction, I'm not going to tell
you the message, we're
basically trying to kick in you
in the ribs."-Brian Brannon
SLIDING
MIKE KEPPER
UP WHEN
P.O. BOX 223 PACIFICA, CA 94044