NOTESfromthe
UNDERGROUND
The Candy Snatchers hadda go and do it.
The Dead Boys' "Dead and Alive" is the A-side
to their newish 7" on Centsless Records. All
three tracks add up to another full speed fuck-
you-from-the-guts. These guys are badass, no
two ways about it. Stiv lives!... One time Zorlac
and Alva skater Johnny
Gibson has been in Sugar
Shack for a while now, but
their first LP with his picture
came out just recently, and
it's full of stomp and fury.
Quick and twangy through-
out, with moments like
walking through a molasses
swamp. Look for Five Weeks
Ahead of My Time on fabu-
lous Estrus Records.
While bearing absolutely no
resemblance to an ex-
freestyler by the same last
name, The Mullens sound
at times like early British
rock and roll (sorta like.
The Sonics if they never
bathed) but hyped up, and
probably hopped up on
goofballs, like the Action
Swingers are. Their self-titled LP
or two of the Hookers is in the Snatchers...
Elmer is Portland's answer to Gas Huffer,
although perhaps a dash or two less Elvis and a
pinch more Johnny Cash. They've been wow-
ing the crowds for awhile in the Northwest, and
will probably release something soon.
ELMER
on Get Hip rocks harder than Bilbo Baggins,
mothertrucker... It seems totally weird to be
comparing a band to two other currently going
bands, but The Hookers bring on a relentless
concoction that'll spin your head faster than
those shots of Jagermeister sittin' on the bar. I'm
thinking of the Candy Snatchers and Nashville
Pussy. Seeing that they're from VA as well, it
wouldn't surprise me to find out that a member
Joe Ciauri 1973-1998 RIP
Very rarely did I see Joe without a smile on his face. I
can see him now sitting in a kiddy pool in his shorts play-
ing some new licks on his acoustic while stolen 1/2-inch
plywood soaked next to him, just waiting to be laid onto
the trannies of Hal's ramp. Then, it was finished. He
was a mad man, slashing the shit out of every inch of the
coping with his beat-up board and out of control style. It
had been 4 or 5 years since he skated anything but his
THE MURDER
Upstarts would be at
good adjective for The
Murder City Devils if it
wasn't for the fact that
they've all served time in bands
such as Area 51, The Cleavers, and The
Unabombers. Upstarts because they're rela-
tively young, (all are 22, except Nate who's 24)
and formed only about a year ago.
Nonetheless, they're tearing the asshole out of
the phenomenon stagnation. They've done
some touring outside of their Seattle home-
base, and are starting to bowl people over in
other places.
bag of tricks never got lost. Indy nose-picks, giant
early-grab airs and way overlapped frontside and back-
side grinds were to be seen on a daily basis. He lived in
the garage next to the ramp that summer, and since
work in the traditional sense of the word (i.e. 9 to 5)
was
often out of the question, he spent his days destroy-
ing the ramp and doing what
he loved most, making
music. But playing guitar by
himself under a leaky roof
wasn't cutting it, and soon
he moved out of the garage
and into Hal's kitchen.
Around the same time, he
began messing around musi-
cally with the boys from
FYP, touring with them as a
roadie/friend the following
fall. With the unfortunate
demise of Jed the bassist in a
bar room brawl somewhere east of here, Joe soon
found himself playing 4 strings instead of 6 as the
newest addition to FYP Shit, it wasn't Styx, but it was
what he had always wanted to do, and he took the task
of learning the songs right away. In what seemed no
more than a couple of months, FYP embarked on a
Their debut self-titled LP shows all sides of the
Devils. From the organ-drenched, dirgy stuff that
sounds like Scratch Acid, to the all-out punk
blasts that expose their early punk influences
(Dead Boys, Dictators, etc.) and some of the
current shit they listen to (such as Zeke), it's all
Devils. They've also released two worthy singles,
on eMpTy and Hopscotch, with plans for more
on Die Young, Stay Pretty, and Sub Pop. It will be
interesting to see what comes next.
The live show is the best place to get your
first dose of the Devils. The band: Nate, Derek,
Coady, and Dann takes the stage, looking
surly and ready to kick the shit outta you. Then
comes a miscre-
ant, wearing the
sweater that his
mom gave him
for Christmas,
and looking like
he may have lost
his library book
on the stage dur-
ing the previous
band's set. But no.
It's vocalist
Spencer, and his
demeanor is
about to change.
The guitars kick
in and the whole
ball gets rolling.
Spencer starts in, pleading, yelling, cursing, full of
vinegar and spit. The keyboards are included
live, but don't slow down the proceedings at all.
The band likes playing both all-ages shows
and bars, and they have reasons for it. All-ages
shows are "more exciting, especially playing in a
garage or a basement, with everyone right up
front" says Spencer. And bars-hey, everyone
loves to get drunk. Far from living the rock star
life, you'll find these guys at their day jobs which
range from restaurants to tattoo shops to the
Lusty Lady. The Murder City Devils are keeping
it real, and my advice is to check out a band that
rocks for a change. -Wez Lundry
CITY DEVILS
USA/Europe tour with their wacky new bass player in
tow. I went and saw their first show upon returning to
California and was blown away by the new energy their
live show put off. This energy was Joe. He put all he had
into his performance on stage, breaking bass strings like
they were dental floss and contorting his body into such
painful-looking positions
that I often saw the people
up in front grimace and
point at him as he rocked
out. Instantly Joe was an
integral part of the band,
recording with them on
their fourth LP just last
September. Things seemed
to be going great for this
kid I had known since the
fifth grade. But something
on the inside was eating
away at Joe, for he took his
own life at the cliffs near Pt. Fermin just last week. I
may never know the real reason he decided to check
out so early, but I am thankful for the 14 years of friend-
ship we had. I know that I speak for all the friends when
I say, San Pedro misses you Stoots. Maybe we'll all meet
again someday. -Andy Harris
XBEER CITUX
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