NOTESfromthe
UNDERGROUND
orget those new school, big-pant jockeys and
exceptions. As for the rest of it, go get Coinciding with their recent whirlwind national tour
your fingers dusty and find the originals. comes a split 7" with The Sex Offenders, who, by
The West Coast lyrical renaissance of a the way, provide some rock, but just aren't the same
few years ago seems to have fallen into a without their female singer. The Loudmouths still
commercial sinkhole. Luckily, most of the have plenty of estrogen-powered "fuck you!" attitude,
artists that surfed that trend didn't drown however. Just check out their cover of the Action
get a real history lesson from the Bad Brains' in the rapidly shifting tides of hip-hop hype. In fact, Swingers' "You'd Better Keep Your Big Mouth
many of them have recently washed ashore with Shut"-WL... If you thought volume 1
1 was good, then
Omega Sessions. One of the true architects of hard- Beats & Lyrics, a compilation of intelligent West Coast you need to check out Audio Alchemy², Directions In
core, the Bad Brains mixed thrash, punk, hardcore,
s Bugs and Skyjuice,
reggae and "PMA" (Positive Mental Attitude). Phists ranging from A-Plus to Xzibit. The Sound Manipulation. Led by SF's
Pharcyde
and Mystik Journeymen contribute this comp's instrumental dub, hip-hop, jazz amalga-
Following on the heels of last year's rough and grit- nice nuggets, but Del really delivers the goods with mation first takes you on a kaleidoscopic journey
ty Black Dots, a re-release from the band's first studio "Help Me Out." Abstract Rude & ATU add 2 tight through your psyche, then lets you out on another
sessions, this 5-song EP
EP (recorded in 1980) features songs to the mix, but to see these Freestyle dimension... While Audio Alchemy? features the pro-
scorching renditions of classics "I Against I" and Fellowship alumni really shine, you need to pick ductions skills of several artists, Infinite Syndrome
"Attitude." Now this is what hard-
up Underground Fossils, a collection of laid-back highlights the many talents of only Bugs. Co-produc-
core is really all about-JE.
lessons in lyrical and sampling red-bac
December 6, The Bouncing
Souls rolled into SF's
Slim's
s Nightclub for an
evening of comical punk
באמונות
rock high jinx. The
Souls (all the way
from the
area)
NYC
played between two
90s-era ska bands,
giving the 16-year-old-
rude-boy-punkers-
On
with-their-15-year-old-girlfriends a
THE
BOUNCING
SOULS
much needed boost of energy-only to leave them all
danced out and in violation of curfew by the end of
the night. But that's nothing unusual for a Souls
show.
s
and has
into is
and sampling creativity... ers
ers Dave Biegel and Andrew Jervis' diffusion then
"Fortified Live" is the first single from a group infusion of jazzy, hip-hop, drum & bass tempos pro-
you've probably never heard of, RE: Reflection duce the smooth-as-butter beats further enhanced by
Eternal. But that's okay, cuz you may have fellow SE most vocalists Storm Large
rm Large, Terra Deva
heard of the guest rhymers, who make the and
make the and Christiane Crawford. Eac
Each vocalist manages
cord worth getting. Mos Def and to give us a glimpse into their soul, but it's the cuts
Mr Man of the Bush Babees driz- "About You" and "Wrapped Up" that dare us to come
zle butterscotch vocals over an in contact with our own... LA's underground
ound club
anti-pop beat that leaves a delicious DJs have been spinning the jungle, trip- techno,
trip-hop,
taste in your brain cells. The B-side's drum & bass breakbeats for quite some time, and
"2000 Seasons"
"doesn't compete Home Invasion Vol 1 is here to help you bring the
with the lyrical gymnastics flipped on side raves home. DJs s Simply Jeff, RAW, Oscar Da
A, but it has a sick, jazzy piano loop that makes it a Grouch, Ron D Core, and Helium Drum Crew
it D
tasty crumb for your collection-T54 Mods can be have come together to provide you with the premier,
pretty funny creatures. Aside from being meticulous hardcore, electronic dance party meltdown Joey
to the point of rid
of ridiculousness about their clothes, Altruda has been making a much-deserved name
The 4-piece make it easy to get drawn in with their scooters, and the way they talk and socialize, for himself these past several years, and Kingston
their tight, bouncy, pop-soaked, hardcore-hinting the bands they listen to can actually be quite Cocktail will surely bring him over the t
top. Further
sound. So check them out if you get a chance or at good-one of which is The Gain from Simi Valley, delving into his passion for the Latin swing jazz,
least pick up their new self-title record out now-RH CA. Their record Sing Ready Steady Smash was co- ska, lounge sound, Altruda (along with longtime
I was scared about this new Rakim album; the produced by the Dwarves' Blag Dahlia and has friend and drummer Willie McNeil) emerge with a
songs that leaked over the past 1 or 2 years have enough pop to let you tap your toes, but still punk syncopated rhythm style that expands beyond his
been mediocre, and Rakim's choice of Mobb Deep enough to not be embarrassing. A flashback to usual depths... The Ramones Last Show - All Access
as the first rappers ever to share a plate of wax with the late '60s/early '70s, Detroit-style, guitar-heavy is, well, precisely what the title suggests: the band's
him made the prospects seem grim. But you have
to remember, this is the God. Considering he's been rock 'n' roll is what I'd call Seattle's newest under. Aug 6th farewell performance at The Palace in
s been ground sensation, Blue Stool. Although they've only Hollywood, CA. If you missed it, then you're bum-
lyrically invisible for close to 5 years, The 18th Letter played a couple of shows in rinky-dink shitholes, min', but listening to the guys rockin' out on favorites
is pretty dope, although not perfect; there are too their big sound is guaranteed to take them to the top like "Lobotomy," "Sedated," "Rock N' Roll High
many references to his past ("Remember That" and of the heap. Do the likes of Vanilla Fudge, Blue School" and "Beat On The Brat" is almost as good as
"It's Been A long Time") and one too many R&B Cheer, Cream, MC5, or the Stooges loosen your being there ... Following close on the heels of the
hooks ("Stay A While"). When it
it comes down to bowels? Don't die floundering... Recently on tour Ozzfest comes what best can be
flowing, however, you just can't front on Rakim. Cuts was the Demolition Doll Rods, who feature two described as an Ozzy retrospective
like "The Mystery" remind me why I fell in love with scant
hip-hop in the f
in the first place... Re-interpretations of R&B scantily-clad girls and a cross-dressing ex-member of collection entitled, The OZZman
the Gories; Japan's Guitar Wolf, who just put
and soul songs are a hip-hop standard, but, for the out a
most part, covers of rap hits are frowned upon, out a 7" with The Statics; and punk rockabil-
ly legends The Cramps,
whose newest
thereby labeling the guilty artist an uncreative biter. record, Big Beat From Badsville, is some
But, since uncreativity runs so rampant in music
psychopathia sexualis. The
these days, I guess the time was ripe for In Tha highlight of the evening was The
Beginning... There was Rap, 12 remakes of hip-hop Cramps, who belted out the nostal-
classics by contemporary rap stars. While most of
gic classics like "Human Fly" as
the songs on this album don't do justice to the origi- well as some equally killer new
gnals and only cheapen them by trying to update the
lyrics, Too Short's take on Sexual Harassment's "I Interior and Poison Ivy still got
material, proving that Lux
Need A Freak," and Coolio's re-recording of Jimmy it... Pete The Ox's band, The
Spicer's "Money (Dollar Bill Y'all)" are the two Loudmouths, are at it again.
True 54 JE: Joseph Epstein RH: Ryan Henry JKH: Jasmine K Huynh WL: Wez Lundry
music
feature
Cometh. Not only does it feature
some
of Black Sabbath's
greatest songs, it also includes
some 1970 basement tape
recordings, live shows, and
an interview with Mr
Osbourne himself-JKH.
>THE
CRAMPS
halos
BEARINGS
NIL 8
HHHIGH
pringfield, IL, can be
remembered for intro-
ducing to the world one of
the hottest underground
punk bands around, NIL 8
(pronounced Nihilate, as in
Annihilate). Singer/song-
writer Jeff Williams unveils
the inspiration behind the
songs on their record, Doug.
Let's start off with
"Heat Miser."
Today, we have mega-
corporations consuming all
our money, not caring about
what happens to the environ-
ment we live in. The world.
pays the price with global
warming and atomic energy,
but still the governmental heat
miser types tell us everything is
OK. They tell us lies and cover
shit up to keep us down.
What about the title song?
Everyone has a Doug in their
town and can see what he has
become and doesn't want to
end up like him. He's like Otis
the drunk on The Andy Griffith
Show. He may be a nice per-
son, but after one drink, he gets
violent and starts shit for atten-
tion. Doug means well and is a
great friend to the whole band,
but he's also misdirected.
"Land of the Lost" is
about growing up,
watching TV, right?
Yeah, but also about how
when you're growing up, you
really don't realize that it's the
best time of your life. When
you're young, you want to get
older, then when you get older,
you wish you were young again.
It's a Catch-22, and no one fig-
ures it out until it's too late.
And how about my favorite,
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre,
Part II"?
The song's about the
movie, which is full of bad
acting, and, even though it's
supposed to be a horror flick,
should be standard viewing
material for all graduating
high school seniors. The way
this crazy family reacts to
trying to make a living is so
absurd, yet so realistic. But
just like in real life America,
the small businessman gets it
in the end. -Jon Stain
Like Riding on a Cloud
Available in ABEC 3, ABEC 5 & ABEC 7 You Choose
Available Through Systems Skateboard Distribution,
P.O. Box 59716, San Jose, CA 95128 Voice 408-287-5199 Fax 408-287-5099