Hey, old man! What's in the bag? - Trixine

Casey Yells at Everybody!
Hey, old man! What’s in the bag?
Gentle Jones Chats with Vordul and Eyedea
Local Area Spotlight: The Southern Delaware Metal Scene
Music and zine reviews
A Bizarre Locals Section & Fun Local Show Review
TINK Rudy
Label Spotlight: +b+mo
Casey Gets Fashion Tips From Beulah
Tric Warmly Welcomes Our Newest Freak: Professor Ouch!
On The One and Two...DJ Top Tens
Miss Elaneous Hangs with Misfits’ Jerry Only and Murder City Devils’ Spencer Moody

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Tric Number Thirteen
Part 12 in the Renaissance Magazine Series September / Fall 2001
You should send me some art or writing.
This zine is based on submissions.
For artists: I need illustrations and pictures! Please
inquire if interested in doing a cover!
How to get hold of me: E-mail me:
tric@tonedeafrecords.com . now, Now, NOW!
The new website
www.tonedeafrecords.com now hosts tric zine as
pdf files, issues #7 to #10 are up, more coming soon.
Please visit and support the artists.
We like to help book bands, and I always give a
review, so mail me your or your friend’s zine, video,
book, tape, record, or CD, and/or writing and
pictures and I promise to get back to you.
I NEED NEW 7”S TO REVIEW!
Casey Grabowski
tric zine
219 East Court
Wilmington, DE
19810
Zine Info: Free, bi-monthly or quarterly, open-forum
visual art, word and music oriented, 3500 copies per
issue, 32 pages.
Ads- $35 quarter page, $50 half page, $80 full page,
$90 cover (insides or back)
Guaranteed distribution- Mainly northern Delaware
and greater Philly, up and down the north-east corridor
to cafes, book and record shops, and friends; mail order
all over U.S., Canada, some overseas, and more bulk
goes with me or my friends when we go out of town.
Smaller labels: I trade CDs to review for ad space! Get
hold of me for swap rates. Smaller the label, better the
trade, yo! Thanks everyone for sticking with me!
Thanks to Jenny for doing
a great job on this issue’s cover art!
Jenny Ross
fine artist / illustrator
(215)432-1365
Please contact her if you’re interested in Comics
and/or Illustrated Books. Also, Jenny is a regular contributor
to the Philadelphia Funny Papers!
If you’d like to contribute artwork as a cover or as a
supplement to stories, contact me, Casey, and let me
know what you have in mind. This is open-forum,
which means you can do whatever you wish!
Cover Art by: Jenny Ross
Someone asked me if I was going to write something
about the current state of our world, but honestly,
everything I have to say has already been said somewhere
else. With that, the only real thing I have to say
is to be careful what you take to your heart and head.
As for the people you trust and the people you
admire, there is no harm in listening to what they
have to say, but also learn to trust yourself and your
own judgement. Be careful about what you truly let in,
and who you let influence you, because if you’re like
me, you have no idea what the hell is really going on,
and there’s nothing you can do about it. Stay safe.
tric@tonedeafrecords.com

Casey: Tell me how did tbtmo started...
Rob: We (Mall... me and Mike) started bedroom and basement
recording in Burlington, NJ in 1997. Our first track was
called "Scaredy" and was released on our first release, the
Subtraction cassette comp, including our friend Rod's duo
w/ his girlfriend called Stereo Symphonic (now Collette
Carter), a Flowchart b-side, and Mike (Mall)'s solo project
Planet Nett and more. Pretty lo-fi comp.
Casey: You guys all seem to float around, and not stick to one
group of people, and that's what makes this story a little
hard to pull together. How do you go about figuring out
who/what you're going to release?
Is it friends/a circle of people?
Rob: Yeah, the tbtmo thing in a circle of friends, mainly consisting
of myself (Rob- 1/2 of Mall, all of Air & Space, 1/2 of
Blue, 1/5 of Blowball), Mike (all of Planet Nett, 1/2 of Mall,
1/5 of Blowball, now 1/2 of Sleep w/ his girl), Rod (all of
Pacifica, 1/2 of Collette Carter, Mall's sometimes third man,
1/5 of Blowball, 1/2 of Blue), and now Rod's girlfriend
Wilynda, I suppose, (1/2 of Collette Carter). Sean & Erin
Flowchart are our buddies. And Transient (Carl) could be considered
in tbtmo. It started mostly me, Mike & Rod. Most of
the projects in the past days were mixes of us. Lately we've
been trying to help out friends who we think should have stuff
out, i.e. Transient, Spintronic, Tremolo, and more. Darla gets
a big final say though, and if he thinks it may not sell well
right away, he'll wait until they've been around, hit up a few
comps, worked the scene and built a small rep.
Casey: So how would you describe Darla, and what they're
now doing for tbtmo?
Rob: I would describe Darla on an impersonal level as the
biggest and most popular independent pop label/ distributor
in North America, probably. Personally I have been a fan of
Darla records since the first Little Darla treat years ago, and
they have continued to put out good stuff that I have been
into. Of course there's stuff I'm not into (My Morning Jacket,
etc), but who says I have to like it all? They run a wide gamut.
Here we have a little success story of a couple of
guys who grew up in a little NJ town and moved to
the big city, along with lots of little bleeps and blips
in their heads. Sit back and sip this tale, because
Little Darla has a new treat for you, Philly-style...
Casey: So who does most of your final mixes now? Like, have
you guys gotten any outside technical recording help since
the Darla thing happened? Also, over the years, what other
parts of the recording or release processes have changed?
Rob: We do all of our final mixes. The past few years we've
gotten enough software, equipment, and know-how amongst
the crew of us to make shit sound legit, for the most part.
Although, Darla had Trevor Holland master our latest cd, at a
cost, I dunno why. Rod (Pacifica, Collette Carter) mastered
the Transient cd, Collette Carter cd and the Vibon comp. We
(me and Mike) have been making our Mall shit sound great
lately. We have better equipment, software, and know-how,
as i said.
Casey: Darla seems pretty open minded as to what they put
on comps, but what do you think gave them the initiative to
start releasing tbtmo stuff, not just in terms of distribution?
Rob: As far as label, comps, Darla affiliation, and all that, I
(we) have just been mingling in the scene ("the scene") for
the past few years, and have become a sort of middleman
between lots of artists and indie labels. We’ve had this desire
to release things from great artists that weren't getting stuff
out. I (we) tried w/ tbtmo to do what we could on a lo-fi level:
tapes, cd-rs, some vinyl, and it got to the point where I wanted
to put out so much stuff. So many plans, and not enough
money (yeah, we have day jobs- worst part of life). So I
sprung the question to Darla, who had put out our Mall cd via
fuzzy box in '98, and was distroing some of our older releases
and liking stuff we were doing. Actually, rumor was spreading
that we were about to be picked up by Darla, and I had no
idea about it, i.e. from Sean (flowchart), and it even was written
about in the City Paper that tbtmo was about to become a
Darla baby. So I figured if everyone else was already assuming
it, I should ask. James (Darla) is very helpful, and has
been going along with it, for the most part. I don't think we'd
be half as successful without his help; so I'm grateful. As far
as comps, Darla Treats were cool, but at the same time very
wishy-washy, with a wide variety of pop music, and in an
order that never flowed. We made one comp on a cd-r

(tbtmo18) and it got great reviews. People were commending
the quality of it and the way it flowed like an album, instead of
first a pop song, then dreamy song, flamenco twee pop song,
noise rock song, drone song, loud power-pop song, etc. We
made another comp with the approval of Darla, Vibon, and it
sold really well at a budget price- a great idea by Darla as an
introductory tbtmo release, to help sell all the artists in the
future. He just agreed to vibon 2 being a double-cd, so he
likes what we're doing. Lots of artists will be on that one,
mostly from around here. I'm all about supporting the local
scene, though I have friends I like in other places that i wanna
hook up as well.
Casey: What's the best way to go about getting on a Darla
comp, or any comp of that nature?
Rob: The best way to get on a Darla comp or get Darla to listen
to your stuff in general is to go thru a "subsidiary" of his like
ours, fuzzy box, etc. There's a new guy we're "working with"
(digging his stuff), called phasmid, really good, and I was like,
“yo, I can try to swing you onto a comp, and then maybe we
can see about a full-length down the road”. He said he sent
Darla a cd recently, but never heard anything. Darla is huge
and gets like hundreds of cds a month, and can't give them
all a good listen, I'm sure, regardless of how hard he tries. So
anyway, phasmid is gonna be on Vibon 2, deservedly so, and
we got him a spot on an Austrian comp as well, on Skylab
Operations. So now he's halfway in there.
Casey: If you don't mind me asking, how did you get money to
release your stuff before Darla. i.e. What are your day jobs?
Rob: We hardly had money to release before the Darla
hookup, so I'm glad we have it, it helps alot of people out.
And as I said, Darla is being really generous as as far as
fronting money. I think the Collette Carter cd is selling really
well for him, so soon enough he'll be making money off tbtmo
and hopefully we will too, but I think just having the cds made
for free and distro'd 'round the world is a deal alone.
Yeah, we have day jobs. 'nuff said.
Casey: Before Darla, most of your sales generated from Philly
stores, shows, and internet, right? How about now that you’re
getting bigger distribution?
Rob: Yeah, we have a good lockdown on sales w/ tbtmo.com.
We sell some at shows, but for the most part we're really nice
and more interested in having our stuff heard by friends than
selling to friends, and of course if we play with a band we like,
we usually just trade cds. So it's hard to make money face-toface,
hard to be business-like when you’re face-to-face.
Selling online works pretty well, and Darla gets the shit into
stores all over so people can buy around the world if they're a
store-buyer as opposed to internet buyer, and even then,
Darla sells our stuff on his site too.
www.tbtmo.com
Casey: I was recently talking to
this guy, and he was complaining
about how much Philly
DJ/club politics suck, that most
of the better known DJs suck,
and the only way anyone gets a
decent gig is to know the right
people. How do you feel about
this comment? For the most
part, I think it's pretty off-base,
but there is just a little truth to it.
Rob: I think there are some
sucky people out there getting
monthlies and such because they're persistent. And I think
there are good people laying low because they don't have the
initiative to go club-hopping and begging for a night. Also I
feel that taste differs from one person to another and
although a person may not be great in the traditional dj
sense, the style of music that they like and/or make is unique
enough to warrant a nite, but sometimes it doesn't happen.
There are alot of factors. Then there's the whole Making Time/
Brit-pop mod and eighties "dj" explosion, that's something I
don't even wanna get into.
Casey: So how do you think this affects someone newer to the
scene trying to get his/her music or skills (DJing, lighting, promoting,
etc.) out to people, and what is the best route to gaining
respect in Philly? What are some of the common pitfalls
you've seen in people trying to make a name for themselves?
Rob: I think it helps if you stick with people you like who are
doing good (good in your opinion) stuff. It may not be the
popular thing but it will come around and you'll get your
opportunities to show your stuff. As far as pitfalls, I dunno if
this is a pitfall but you can be a very hard worker and still suck
as far as taste goes. And you can have great taste and/or
skills and be a lazy son of a gun and not really "work the
scene", and not get as much going on as you could. If you're
not getting gigs, though, I think you'd have to blame yourself,
not everyone else, because while alot of people around the
city are good there are always the wankers who will steal your
monthly spot if you don't work to grab it first. And you'll say,
"How did this moron get a monthly at this place?", and obviously
he just beat you to the punch because you were at
home kissing your girl or playing Playstation. But then, you
have to ask yourself, is kissing my girl or playing Playstation
more important than getting a monthly? And the answer is up
to you. It's your world, the rest of us just live in it. But I think
complaining is counterproductive, and I'd hate to repeat a
catch-phrase from a huge sneaker company so I won't, but
that is what it's all about.
Casey: Thanks for letting us know what's been going on with
you, and congratulations with everything, and best of luck!
Rob: Thanks for the open forum. Everyone, one the count of
three, take a killer bong hit. Cough to get off. 1... 2... 3!

Hey Delaware Hipsters!
Wow!
Local Show Reviews, Woah!!!
Yo! Here’s the second installment of our new
local show review section, and this time it’s
brought to you by me (Casey) and TJ the Light
Guru. The sucka-ass who was supposed to write
this article couldn’t make it to the show, so, like
usual, we gotta do it ourselves. Maybe someday
when I start paying the writers they’ll become
more reliable. What do you think? Anyway, I’m
going to keep this column going regardless, so
if you are in a local band and you have a show
and a friend who is a half-decent writer, just
give me the heads up and I’ll save you some
space to talk about it. OK?
The intention of this Nov. 16th show was
to showcase only Delaware bands, or at
least bands that have members from DE.
Five bands played, in the following order:
Hokkaido Concern; To Althea, From
Prison; The Situation; Invasion; and
Game Over. The show was set up by Tim
of Invasion, and Joe of The Situation and
I (Casey) helped out in promotion, and
other little things. All bands, including
tric zine, got a spot on WVUD to talk
about who we are, about a week or so
before the show. Fortunately, Rick, one
of the radio DJs, is in one of the bands
that played, so everything went really
smoothly. On to the show...
This issue:
Nov. 16th Show
at the Newark UCC
The first band, Hokkaido Concern was actually the previous
feature in this show column, so read that for an in-depth
account on them live. They are rough instrumental postpunk
with lots of open chords. They played a tight set, and
for the most part everyone seemed into it. The crowd was
mostly in their teens, so I don’t know if they truly catered
their pop-punk-craving short attention spans.
To Althea, From Prison actually flew even further from the
punk rock these kids were dying for. Keyboards, a couple
of guitars, a bass, and a fidgety singer began playing early-
90’s Brit-pop style. For those of you who have been around
the Newark blocks a few times will know what I mean when
I say they sound like the beginnings of Schroder. They’re
still a little timid, but my girlfriend, who’s a huge Ride fan,
thought they were pretty cool.
I was really excited for The Situation, who is Chris Tucker
of The Verge, and Joe Brevoort and Larry from Nero and
Swingline. They play a mix between early 90’s indie-pop
and 60’s mod, with a Beatles tinge. Chris had a problem with
his amp, but they still played pretty well, though. I (Casey)
prefer to see them in a cozy bar, as opposed to an open hall,
where the high pitched sounds bounce off the walls.
Invasion’s entire set was adrenaline charged. Tim, the
singer, was very active, and the music itself was very aggressive.
If you’ve been wondering where Lief of Lala Does
Jesus has been, he is currently reinforcing the Invasion with
the addition of his guitar. Things aren’t set in stone yet, but it
looks like he may become a permanent officer. Joe of The
Situation also joined in for the last two songs. The performance
was well-received by an enthusiastic audience.
Last up, Game Over opened with an instrumental blast of
AC/DC’s “Back In Black”, and the evil must have been
infectious, because the mosh pit exploded as they tore into a
half hour of the crowd’s favorite Game Over punk anthems.
The frenzy was capped by a confrontation between two riot
grrrls, who had to be subdued by three Newark police,
because the hired rent-a-cop was obviously in over his head.
Overall, the show went well, and
most attendees got their sonic fix.
Armed with skinny ties, Game Over
gets as rowdy as their mosh pit!
Photo courtesy Sarah Tweddle
The UCC is a fine location for these
events, and we hope that in the
future, attendees will pay more
respect the property and the show
organizers themselves. A bathroom
stall was tagged pretty badly, and litter
was abundant. The people who
organize these shows don’t make
much, if any, money on these shows,
and do it simply for the music. Please
do your part to keep the local scene
thriving by being more aware.
For those that came out, thanks for
the support, and for those who didn’t,
hopefully we’ll see you next time.
Bio-Kinetic Rock and Roll.
Invaders wanted.
“Standard American”/“Supercharged”
Available now from Occupied Records

Rudy’s Page!
Just Ask
Rudy!
A Tool In The Shed?
Dear Rudy,
I was recently referred to as a “tool”,
and I’m a little confused as to exactly
what that meant, but it came with
some snickering, and I don’t think it
was too pleasant of a comment. I
would be very appreciative if you could help me figure out
exactly what is going on around me, because I have no
idea what it is. Please help!
Sincerely,
Ron Dorchouser
Hey Ron,
Don’t worry, you are not the first to fall victim to this very
versatile, and often misunderstood, categorization. There
are several different connotations, but I’m pretty sure these
people are saying that they think you are being used. Not
specifically by one person, but maybe by a group of people,
a particular “scene”, like some music culture, or even by a
government or mode of thinking, such as Capitalism. They
are basically calling you a sucker for something. For example,
an extreme and obvious case of a “tool” would be a 28year-old
paying $100 a ticket to see N’Sync. Beginning to
see the picture yet?
Another meaning for a “tool” is a penis reference, but from
your letter, you don’t seem at all cocky or arrogant.
Instead it sounds like you don’t pay attention to your surroundings,
and you let other people or communities make
your mind up for you. That could definitely make you a
“tool”, so to speak.
Honestly, anyone could be labeled a “tool”, from a bank
executive to a football player to a Limp Bizkit or emo fan.
Remember though, this is all in the eye of the beholder, so
don’t take it too much to heart if you get called a tool. Let’s
face it, we’re all tools in our own little way. Instead of getting
upset, evaluate yourself, and if you think you’re doing
fine, simply tell them to piss off.
Rudy Says...
Best Check Yo’self,
Rudy!
A hearty THANK YOU goes
out to all of those who have
sacrificed all or part of their lives, past and present, so
that I can continue to live in safety and freedom.
A big, fat NO-THANKS goes out to to the cell-phone
gabbing, pill-popping, money-hungry ‘normal people’
who plaster their obscene SUVs in American Flags
that are made in China while they continue to endanger
my life every day while driving on Interstate 95.

Locals Section
Tommy Mushroom (5 song demo): This
guy is living the Spinal Tap fantasy, and
he’s got the hair to prove it! All I could think
of when listening to the last song on this
demo, “Unicorn Song” was the infamous
Stonehenge scene. Seriously, Ocean City,
MD should stand proud that they can claim
home to this local metal head who plays a
white, electric stand-up bass. You gotta
love the titles of these progressive-glam
boogies such as “Drone Factor Z” and
“Cheap Love”. TOMMY MUSHROOM,
YOU ROCK!!! (PO Box 2428, Ocean City,
MD 21843)
Tommy also does “Elvis Chicken”, which is just weird for weird’s sake. He puts on a
big chickenhead outfit and a cape, and keeps making this fucked up hand gesture while
playing one of those Roland synth-guitars. Elvis Chicken also crashes parties for a living.
It was amusing for approximately 7.3 minutes- too bad the video was over like an hour long. (same address as above)
“How I Can Relate To A Cat” (cd-r) For those of you who remember the young Cure-ish jam band “Infinity In a Flower”, this
is Cliff Winton’s keyboard/loop/drum machine type thing he’s been doing for the past few years. It’s deeply textured and layered
synths, with tons of well-placed loops, New Order style beats, and even a little vocoding. Definite computerized head
music. Right after he finished this 10 song CD-R, his hard drive crashed and he lost tons of stuff, so he’s been bummin’ lately.
I know this because he and I along with some others have been practicing on a somewhat regular schedule, and it’s going
really well. Cliff is also setting up a musician’s file sharing network where everyone can work on tracks together, long-distance.
Fun time! (contact: bluehairedcat@hotmail.com)
Mini band “Low Tide” (cd-r) These two guys from Kennett
Square play big rock on tiny instruments. I’m not joking. One
plays on a half-size beginner’s guitar, and the other a kid’s
drum set. Though the recording takes place in a basement,
the music sounds as full as ever. Of course, the lyrics aren’t
serious, they talk about becoming rock stars and Chubby
Checker. (Copyright Recs., miniband@burgersluts.com, 114
Meadowview Dr., Kennett Sqr, PA 19348)
Balance (1999, cd) These are some of Philly’s finer rappers,
featuring Kamachi, A.G., Last Emperor, Jay-ski and DJ
Revolution. Awesome scratching, this is definitely in the vein
of Wu-Tang or Dre: well-produced, with the sustained vibes
and stretched sax samples. The raps are decent and fluid,
they’re mostly props to themselves and their boys. I’m personally
not into rhymes that focus that heavily on props, but
they’re well put together regardless. I wish I would have gotten
this when it came out, because I probably would have
enjoyed it more, considering all the new styles that have
come out between now and then. These days, Jay-ski is
doing a hip-hop night at Evolution on Tuesdays, which was
open-mic for a while, but I think they stopped it. (Readyrock)
Mike and White “Up and Cummin’” I don’t know what to
say about this CD. These two married guys in their 40’s hang
out at The Peppermill, a shady bar just over the state line,
and my first impression is that they probably sniff a lot. One
guy plays acoustic guitar, and together they sing sing-a-longs
titled “Sick Motherfucker”, “Tits”, ”Farts”, and everyone’s
favorite “Commercials Suck”. It initially seems like this might
be funny like Opie and Anthony, but it’s more depressing than
anything. This review is going to get me into a fight, isn’t it?
(No contact)
Well, here we are again, and
boy, do we have a bizarre
mix for you this time! I have
no idea how this happened,
but it did, so I’m just rollin’
with it. All locals are
encouraged to send in cd-rs,
DJ mixes, demos, promos,
tapes, 7”s, videos, etc. I really
want to get my 7” section
started back up, but I’m not
getting enough to keep it
going, so hook me up, man!

A look at what Southern Delaware’s Music Scene is servin’ up!
People may think of
BY: CASEY
Delaware as a tiny
speck on the map, but travel sixty or
seventy miles south, and there you’ll
encounter a life and culture quite different
from the trendy little corporate
metropolis of Wilmington and Newark.
Down there, it’s a place where Zeppelin
and Ozzy remain gods, bleach-blonde
chicks still rule, and you’re only as cool
as your car and guitar. Down there, the
DIY ethic takes on a whole new meaning.
It’s no longer some pissy suburban
kid complaining about how he doesn’t
want to follow in the path of his parents
as a white-collar stiff, but rather a
means of survival. It means running
small businesses like landscaping, and
catering to a sparse population compared
to the Philly off-shoot we’re used
to up here. So what kind of music are
you going to get with all this? Metal, of
course! And all different types. Some on
the more rock side, some alternative,
some death and dark, some good,
some awful, but most decent enough to
get a couple of spins on the CD player.
More Locals...
Lacrima (3 song cd-r) I was given this promo at our Nov.16th
show. The contact info has a 610 area code, so they’re from
PA, maybe West Chester. It’s a mix of 90’s-style melodic
hardcore and older heavy rock like Black Sabbath, but never
speeds up enough to really fall into the hardcore category.
One guy sings and another screams. The main singer uses
tons of chorus on his voice, as does the guitarist. The recording
is decent, and the songs are a little too long since this
isn’t really ‘jam’ music. (contact: elysium155@yahoo.com)
Diatribe “From The Boondox” Diatribe have made quite a
name for themselves on the college bar circuit over the past
couple years. There are lots of drunk girls who have been
waiting for this full length from the eclectic group of guys that
feature everything from rhymin’ and scratchin’ to a hippie-jam
band and an electric trombone. Some may find it curious that
well-known local folk artist Mary Arden Collins put this out on
her self-run label, Arden Entertainment. Diatribe have never
been something that I’ve personally been into, but those who
are fans of bands like Philly’s Fathead love this stuff.
(contact: www.locationdiatribe.com)
Network 34 (S/T) I had to dig into archives to get the dirt on
this one. Recorded in 1995 at Clay Creek, this Newark 3piece
hardcore band was known for their insane drummer,
who also loved to scream at the same time. They were only
around for about a year, and I honestly can’t say where any
of them are now. This is an earlier Planaria release, and
even for back then, the layout is still creative. The cover is
made of thick cardboard, and has a piece of folded paper
glued to the inside, with contains the lyrics and other notes.
The CD is screened all dark blue. (www.planariainc.com)
And what better way to start the journey
than with the “96 ROCK- Live Lixx”
compilation? For eight years, every
Sunday at 9 pm, DJ Skip Dixxon,
along with local music freaks
“Scrapple”, have hosted a live show of
original local bands down in Ocean City,
MD, which gets broadcast from there to
Salisbury, MD to Dover, DE. Now, finally
“416 Shows Later”, they’ve released
this comp. It’s recorded in a studio (not
live, as one might expect from the title),
and features all the long time runners
and southern DE favorites like
Scrapple, SOS, and Kokapeli. I’m not
too familiar with this territory, but I really
liked Decline’s piece, “Gut Shot”. It was
very fucking hostile. While bands like
Killswitch, Multiple Personalities, and
Zone 13 are on the heavier side, some
of the bands aren’t metal at all, but
more jam-band oriented, like Carbon 14
or Kokapeli. I was kind of surprised
there wasn’t any rap-core on this compnot
that I missed it. If you are interested
in getting this comp, having your band
play the weekly Live Lixx show, or even
just seeing what the bands are up to,
you can contact Ron Thompson of
Scrapple and Rehoboth Beach Music
at: gearnut@dol.net, or check out the
ad below. Ron says ALL types of music
are welcome, so get on it!
I was able to get a copy of Scrapple’s
latest S/T 7 song EP, in which the cover
art features a cartoon of a chic riding a
hog (the animal, not the bike), wearing
nothing but chaps and a leather corset.
The music is a blend of alternative
metal riffs with a touch of funk. I’ve yet
to see them live, but I can guarantee
they’re a great bar band.
I also got an SOS (South Of Sanity) 6
song EP given to me this summer from
Arena’s, in Rehoboth, DE, where you
can catch some of these bands play.
SOS remind me of a less-than-heavy
Iron Maiden, using similar guitar runs
and drum fills, but not as aggressive.
They’ve got vocal harmonies, and more
alternative rock tendencies.
All in all, it’s a pretty cool scene, but
overall I’d like to see more diversity- I
guess that’ll be us Northerner’s duty!
If you’d like to play on Live Lixx, go to
www.delmarvaradio.com or
www.rehobothmusic.com

(a fashion column)
As I use my foot to swing open the bathroom door at the
Khyber, I hear a female voice say “Man, you got it lucky!” I
turn around to see a girl waiting in long line to the women’s
bathroom, and I respond to her with the expected ”You can
come in here, we don’t mind.” While the door remains
open, an ominous laugh comes from a man already using
one of the urinals. As the door swings shut, I step up to the
next available unit, and proceed to do my thing.
“Dude, that shirt is awesome! I’ve got the same one,
except in blue!” says the man peeing next to me, who I
now realize is the guy who was just playing bass on stage.
“Yeah, it’s made by some crazy designer with a wacked
out name!”
“Thanks, man!” I say, trying to conduct a high energy conversation
and aim at the same time. “Yeah, it came from
The Salvation Army. It was like two bucks! I think it’s
like...uhh...Oleg... uhh...Cassini or something? I really dig
the strap things on the shoulder, I forget what they’re
called.” (*Note: they’re called epaulets)
“Dude, that’s totally it, except mine is dark blue, not brown,
like yours, and it’s got those tiny little white dots all over it.”
I say, “Hey, I want you to meet someone that will be really
happy to hear about this.” We both awkwardly finish what
was the original purpose upon entering, and I escort him
across the bar to my personal shopper and dressing coordinator
(also known as my girlfriend in closer circles). We
find out this guy has a name, “Steve”, and we proceed to
recap the story with all the gory details. He says “Wait a
minute!”, and runs off, returning with the latest Beulah
promo-postcard thing that most well-to-do bands have.
(Shown below)
STEVE LA FOLLETTE
SPORTING OLEG CASSINI
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH BEULAH’S BASSIST
STEVE LA FOLLETTE
The topic: OLEG CASSINI, by Burma
“See! There it is! You can’t see it very well because it’s
covered up by my jacket, but that’s definitely it! I was
even going to wear it tonight, but we’re playing New York
tomorrow, so I’m saving it for that. I mean, you gotta look
good for New York, and this is just Philly. You gotta figure
a black t-shirt is fine for the Khyber, so I left it back at the
hotel room.”
The conversation shifts towards the show...
“So how did you get all those girls up on stage?” I ask.
“Do you guys always do that?”
“No, man! This is awesome! What’s up with all the girls in
this town? There were none in Atlanta! I mean, Atlanta
was fun and all, but it was all dudes! This is out of control!
I mean, I’m not into all that kind of stuff, but what’s
up with all the girls?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? What stuff aren’t you
into? You lost me on that one.”
“I just think it’s crazy that all these girls are here!”
“Yeah, I always come prepared.” I proceed to pull out a
tampon from of my pocket and wave it in the air, because
all you men who’ve got a personal shopper and dressing
coordinator know it also means you must carry two IDs, a
pack of cigarettes even though you don’t smoke, and any
necessary feminine products in case of emergency.
“Man, I used to use those things before I found out what
they were really for,” says Steve.
“As what?! Suppositories?!” exclaims my witty dress
coordinator.
I abruptly change the topic. “So, I entertain the thought
that people on the West Coast know about Philly
bands. Since you guys are from the Bay Area, you
obviously know about Zen Guerrilla, but when you
think of Philly, what bands come to mind?”
“Todd Rundgren. He’s from Philly, right? That and
South Philly Motown.”
“That’s not really what I meant.”
“Oh, I like Echo Orbiter. They’re sort of from Philly,
aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are. OK, we’re taking off. I’ll see you
later, man. It was cool talking to you.”
“Yeah, you too. Have a good one.”
Beulah’s new full-length “The Coast is Never Clear“ is
available now on Velocette Records.

ecently attended the def jux/ rhymesayers
instore at arman’s in philly. there I
met with mr lif, vast, vordul megallah,
and eyedea. they hung out for about an
hour and had a blazing 20 minute or so
freestyle performance. during the in
store I had an opportunity to get a short
interview with vordul and eyedea, which
went as follows:
vordul magallah of cannibal ox, considered
by some to be of a fresh talent on
the level of rakim, was mellow mannered
with a friendly demeanor. we chatted for
a few minutes.
gentle jones: whats your current favorite
rap record?
vordul: that new 2pac, its so full of emotion.
gj: how do you feel when you hear "the
cold vein"?
v: man, its wild, its like you can hear the
progression, theres so much little type
effects on the vocals and subtle sounds
in the background, you really have to
concentrate. its some headnod type shit.
gj: how many other producers have you
worked with?
v: just el-p and cryptic
gj: you cats just did a show over seas?
v: yeah we went to japan. when we were
there they had these bath houses where
they said you could get a massage but
really they took in the back and ... you
know.
gj: so did yall get some massages?
v: (laughs) nah nah, but it was tempting...
gj: how did you get into emceeing?
v: well I started out just drawing, and
vast got me into rhyming, and after
about 1 year I got serious into it.
gj: how long you known vast?
v: 10 years
gj: and your home is in?
v: uptown harlem. I moved to tampa
florida for a while to try to get out of the
city. away from the wildness.
gj: its a little wild in tampa too
v: (laughs) yeah I found out
gj: so whats next for defjux
v: mad more material. see when all
these charecters, beasts, and creatures
come together, you know somethings
gotta happen...
eyedea is gaining world recognition for
his work with his crew and astounding
freestyle battle techniques which won
him first place in the HBO blazes battles.
as I walked up to eyedea, he was explaining
to some teenagers that there was an
invisible devil on his shoulder that whispered
topics in his ear for when he
freestyles...
gj: whats new, eyedea?
eyedea: jay and silent bob's movie. its a
classic. go see it.
gj: are you looking forward to the lord
of the rings?
e: I saw the trailer but I am not really
into that whole fantasy world thing. dj
abilities was really into it for years, dungeons
and dragons and all that. him and
these dudes would sit around and role
play and get trashed all night.
gj: and what about music, what are you
into right now?
e: earth wind and fire, baby
gj: whose your favorite rapper right
now?
e: eyedea
gj: (laughs)
e: nah man for real I think most rappers
like their shit the best. everyone is on
there own tip. jay z in on his stuff, can
ox got there own type thing, you know
and I have my thing... its when you love
what you do.
gj: so do you roll around town bumping
your own album?
e: yes. but not like "yo everybody listen
to this" what I do is study and analyze it
until I am disgusted with it. thats what
drives me to progress.
gj: how you feel about battling?
e: OK let me put it down for you right
now. I have battled at blaze, rocksteady,
scribble, all that plus everywhere I go I
battle dudes all day, but now I want to
put that behind me... because when you
battle you only have one goal, either to
dis your opponent harsh or to make
yourself look good, and the path to that
goal is a straight line. nowadays when I
freestyle, I don't want to move in a
straight line, I just want to reach in
myself and go any direction it takes me.
its limiting.
gj: what do you think of the internet?
e: its wack. its all these kids gossiping
and arguing, and its crazy because when
I talk shit with my friends, its all like I
am trying to make them laugh, but these
cats on the internet they fight and cuss
you and they're are all serious like "I
hope you die motherfucker!" I never
post but I read what they say about me.
they all hate me.
gj: nah dude they love you, eyedea.
e: no, their girlfriends love me. thats
why they all hate me.
gj: (laughs)
e: hey man, make me look cool in the
interview OK?
gj: you are cool, eyedea. peace.
on a personal note, I was married this
september and honeymooned in the
UK. october 3rd in ireland found me
playing a live show at scragg’s alley, which
can be heard at my webpage
h t t p : / / m p 3 . c o m / g e n t l e
happy holidays,
Gentle Jones

Professor Ouch says...
Although the West coast is the
home to the Kustom Kulture and
Hot Rod movement, the right
coast is breeding a new strain of
motor madness. An outgrowth of
new shows and new blood is mixing
with the old grease and
breathing new life into the stinking
corpse of Car Collecting/ Auto
Enthusiasm.
NO Trailer Queens ! No Bumper
Watchers ! No Car Babies ! No
Crappy DJ's playin bad 50's hits
! No NHRA ! NO NSRA ! No Billett
! No Kit cars ! If you're into it as
a hobby, you don't get it; It's A
Lifestyle. Cars, Music, Girls, Hell
Raisin, Thrill Seekin, Free Spirits,
Greasy Fingered and full Throttle.
DIG IT! Get with it or get outta
the way! I've made a point of
getting to as many of these
newschool / oldschool events as I
could. Even going as far as
smashing up my 1959+1/2 Ford
Galaxie on the way to Hartford
this summer. I hope to make the
shows I missed next season, and
maybe find few more...
The ROAD AGENTS
ROCKIBILLY RUMBLE,
usually at the beginning of July
in East Hartford, CT, is one of the
top East Coast Events. Hosted by
the nicest guys to grease spot
your upholstery , the ROAD
AGENTS. This friendly show
drawls on New England’s rich
history of HotRodding, and pushes
(or tows) it into the next generations
of young rod building
rebels. Some really mind blowing
Rods, Kustoms, and Beaters make
the scene along with some crazy
bikes and race cars. It's STRICT-
LY 1950's style rides, and many
fine cars were turned away, but
there wasn't a spare inch on the
lot by noon. Hot Rods and
Kustoms as far as the eye can
see…and for as long as your eyes
can see. It's hard to tear yourself
away from the field of wet
dreams, but when you can,
there's some great vendors and
Rockibilly bands all day. The
Event starts Friday night with a
small "party" with bands and
cars parked around lots of
schmoozin, and continues thru sat
and sat night in the hotel parking
lot. Flame throwin, Muffler rappin,
beer drinkin and bullshittin,
just what gearheads and motor
mouths like to do best. The best
way to celebrate your country's
independence is a trip to Rumble
with the Road Agents. P.S.
Congratulations; MIKE and
STEPH, They are tying the knot
and making it official. Best
Wishes! INFO:
www.theroadagents.com
THE HEAVY REBEL WEEKENDER,
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
is a great big, music filled event
that had a smashing success it's
first year. Something like 30 bands
were slated over 3 days, along
with a tattoo contest, dances, a Car
Show, and lots more. I didn't make
this one, but everything I have
heard has been super, thrilled and
positive. The whole shabang looks
to be one of the major weekend
events in the country, in time. Info:
www.heavyrebel.com
More Professor Ouch next issue!

Artwork by Juliet Salvato
SchNusic
(SCRAP Records)
I got this compilation about a
month after the World Trade
Center was destroyed, and I
think it was just in time.
Exhausted by the commercial
media blabbing about the ‘terror’,
and not getting anywhere trying
to sift through the heaps and
heaps of “I told you so’s” from
angry alternative political media,
it was a comforting surprise to get this little package made up of
newsletters and a cd from Brighton, England. Though SCRAP originally
started in the USA in 90, they moved to London in 92. SchNews is a
weekly political pamphlet in which they are affiliated that deals with
most of the same things your American political-punk does, but in a
more sensitive and community manner. When I got this, I didn’t feel
that impending doom and guilt that most activists throw on you, even
though the anti-American-politics message is pretty clear. The music is
a mostly dub, punk, thrash, and aggressive jungle, all with fairly lo-fi or
live production. The main theme is “Dirty Squatters”. Most of the
bands are from UK, so I am unfamiliar with most of the them, so I’ll just
list them for you... Dead Plants, Judge Trev’s ICU, Head Jam, Far Out
Fishing, Asset v’s G-Rant, Litmus, Flat Pig, Digi Dub, Digital Support
Group, Parne Gadje, Broken (US), Chihuahua-Zycantah, Criminals of
Evolution, X-IT, 2000 DS, and Zinnober. Either the cd or the flyers are
available from the website of by mailorder.
scrap records, p.o. box 2023, brighton, uk
www.dirtysquatters.com
www.schnews.org.uk
Cognitive and the Wheels...
You guys know I’ll print your poetry and short
stories, but I haven’t really gotten much lately. If
you’d like to see your work printed here, this section
is usually about two pages long. Feel free to
send me some writing, as long as it’s decent. No
more teen angst though, sorry kids.
Writers on Writers on Writers
I somewhat stole this title
From the great Robert Hunter,
Whom I doubt will care
Because I’m sure
He would appreciate the point.
I’d like to quote Loren Isley
From his book, “The Invisible Pyramid”,
In which he quotes the 19th Century
Greek poet Nikos Kazantzakis:
“‘A name is a prison. God is free.’ ”
One critic said Bukowski is
The most mimicked writer
Of our time.
But when I think of his writing,
His main characters are always writers.
Nothing is completely new.
Inventions are simply additions
To a society currently waiting
For some solution.
As so for words,
In some quiet Tower,
The transformation of a head scratch
Is molded into a tongue mechanism,
Then eventually an application.
The organization of your thoughts, the
Reorganization of someone else’s words,
Into a recognizable form
Hopes to breath a fresh view,
Or at least attempts to remain current.
Taking someone’s idea.
Smashing it to pieces.
Rebuilding it to suit your needs.
Taking only the parts you want.
Is that stealing?
You can’t start from scratch,
Until you make up your own names
For everything.
But it will inevitably get lost,
In the translation.
-Casey

If you Fiends missed the interview with
Jerry Only on the Tink’s VidDREAM
(cable access channel 28) that aired on
Robo
They were here on tour in solemnization
of the Misfits 25th anniversary. Jerry, the
last
The Philly show was so intense that I just
couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see
them in NYC for their Halloween Bash at
the World, in Times Square. It had been
five years since I saw the Misfits play on
Halloween night, but this time it was
under a full moon – the first on that date
in forty-some years. It was perfect, and
Jerry about summed it up for us by proclaiming,
“I could die tonight.” I had an
absolute blast, even though I lost an earring,
got half my costume torn off in the
pit, and oh yeah, and almost broke my
nose – twice! It was a fun time. Must’ve
been, I’m still recuperating.
over the years, I would have to say that
this was their best tour, not to mention
one of the best punk shows I’ve ever
seen. The Misfits with this lineup has filled
the gap, making it possible for both the
old and new school to see where it came
from and what punk rock is really all
about.
Dez
When speaking with him, we discussed
his feelings on the evolution of punk rock,
working with director George A. Romero
and the world’s reaction to his collaboration
with Marky, Robo & Dez. He definitely
appeared to be less jaded than
most of the old school scene-sters who
have witnessed punk’s death, rebirth, and
mutation over the past few decades.
Currently, the band’s gaining much of
their inspiration from the oldies like
The first time I met Jerry Only was on
October 27, backstage at the Trocadero,
here in Philly. It was like running into an
old friend, literally. The 6-foot plus man
of muscle greeted little ol’ me with a big
bear hug and a smooch- he smelled really
good. And so what if he’s twice my
age? It was a Kodak moment, but of
course, I had to be the one taking the pictures,
so it’s just an experience I’ll have to
commit to memory.
it all go down, because, for me, witnessing
this collaboration was absolutely
amazing. Closing up the show, going out
to recently passed punk legend Joey
Ramone, Jerry led vocals on “I Wanna Be
Sedated” and “Blitzkrieg Bop.” The pit
went insane and we all kind of embraced
for the moments before impact.
November 22 and 29, here’s an
abridged recap. First of all, Jerry’s one
of the coolest rock stars I’ve ever met.
He’s a genuine individual who’s true to
his fans, and will always hang after the
show to sign autographs.
The world’s
reaction to this
tour has been
amazing for
Jerry and the
boys, with an
entourage of
fans greeting
them at airports
and
packing venuesinternationally.
In the six
times that I’ve
seen them play
Marky
Ramone
the
Misfits
by Sarah Tweddle
original Misfit, banded
with drummer Marky
Ramone, of the
American punk hereos
the Ramones, along
with Black Flag members,
Robo & Dez. This
was the ultimate punk
reunion, with some of
the most influential
members in music history.
They rocked the
crowd by providing a
killer mix of songs from
the Misfits, Ramones,
and Black Flag. Too
bad Jerry’s bro Doyle wasn’t there to see
Jerry Only
Upon the mention of his hero, George A.
Romero, Jerry’s eyes lit up like a giddy little
schoolboy. His films provided much of
the inspiration for the Misfits, and his horror
classics, including Night of the Living
Dead, became the source for many
Misfits’ lyrics. Having the opportunity to
work with Romero last year on the movie
Bruiser and their “Scream” video was a
high point for Jerry. lt even left him with
the fond memory of sharing popcorn with
his ultimate idol while watching Sixth
Sense in the theatre.
Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly, while
keeping up with the new school acts like
Slipknot and System of a Down.

For more info on the Seattle based
Murder City Devils, check out www.subpop.com
and definitely pick up one of
their full lengths like their self titled
debut or more recently, In Name and
Blood. The Thelema EP is an excellent
choice as well. Be prepared for something
completely different in this world
of re-runs, with an energy and passion
tantamount to sex. I can’t explain what
they sound like since there’s nothing out
there quite like this, but if you think
you’d like punk and rock & roll with a
Moog synthesizer, then the Devils are a
must-hear.
when I thirsted for a passion that I could
only be quenched by the sounds of
punk rock. Abandoning the scene as my
interests evolved, not since I was a kid
has a band done it for me. But these
guys definitely rocked my world and I
can’t wait to see what their new projects
are all about.
‘he went from rum to whiskey…’” when
they played it again. I went totally nuts
and called Duck immediately. He told
me it was the Murder City Devils and
as fate would have it, they were playing
at the Troc the very next day. And, it
was their last tour ever.
10.11.01 Live @ the TROCADERO in
PHILADELPHIA by Sarah Tweddle
So, I rushed to get tickets, and bought
their lasted EP, Thelema, to get a listen
and repeat of all the songs I heard on
WKDU. Tomorrow came and I was totally
amped. It had been quite some time
since my last rock show at the Troc, but
this definitely broke the seal and had me
coming back for more.
I suppose it all started when listening to
Duck’s punk show on college station
91.7 WKDU. I haven’t really listened to
anything full time with guitars in it since
I was a teenager, but this brought it all
back. So, I took it as a sign to return to
my roots and start listening to punk
again. I called up the station and started
requesting old favorites like the
Plasmatics and Screeching Weasel, stuff
I haven’t heard in years. I dusted off my
vinyl collection and traded in Paul
Oakenfold and VNV Nation for the
Misfits and Lard. I bought a Ministry CD
and fell in love all over again.
What’s Spencer
thinking about now?
In a discussion with front man vocalist,
Spencer Moody, I received some
insight on their inspirations. This includes
“obscure things that freak people out,”
which is apparent in their tune,
“Midnight Service at the Mutter
Museum.” This is a song about “people
who like fucked up things,” just like
Philly’s own Mutter, a collection of
deformed fetuses and other medical
anomalies. He mentioned several noir
films as sources of influence, including
“Night of the Iguana” and “Magnolia”
which I imagine will continue their effect
when he bands with current mates, Dan,
Nate and Coady to form something
even “louder and crazier with more
abstract lyrics.” And inquiring minds
want to know, as diehard fan, John
questioned, “how many beers does it
take you to get drunk?” Spencer just
smiled knowingly and answered “quite
a few.”
The opening band, American Steele,
kicked ass with a passionate performance,
preparing the crowd for a night
with the Devils. Then the moment came
when they took the stage and my rediscovered
love for rock n’ roll was then
validated. For the next length of time, I
was in heaven. They played all my
favorite tunes, and apparently every
one else’s since the crowd went insane.
The pit was as fun and friendly as pits
can be, as we all huddled to shout the
song words out. I suddenly retrogressed
to a time as an angst-driven teenager,
Then one day I heard this song on the
radio that touched me in a deep, dark
special place that even I didn’t know
about. I couldn’t believe that after all
these years of being jaded I could hear
something once and fall for it. It seems
like all the bands I dug either ceased to
exist or suck now. Then this. I had to
know what it was, so I listened religiously
for days to find out. Desperate, I was
just about to call up the station to ask
“hey, you know that song that goes like
[journalism] [photography] [graphic design] [videography] [commuications] [etc.]
zenith42@earthlink.net
miscellaneous multimedia

Epyon¹s UK Hard House top 10
(epyon@auricom.com)
Vinyl Coup "Count the ways" -12 inch thumpers
Organ Donors "Bomb thrush" -Rock hard recordings
Rachel Auburn "Feel the panic" -RA recordings
Butch and Sundance "I need you”
(John Whitman rmx.) -Shock Records
South East Players "Music" -Tripoli trax
Flinch "Here comes the music" -RDA
Base Graffiti "If you have it" -Casa Dura
Bulletproof "Say yeah" -Tidy Trax
Christiian "One love EP (into you)" -Shock
Paul Glasby "Here we go" -Vicious Circle
Aaron Meyers¹s Intelligent DnB top 10
(aaron@auricom.com)
Moving Fusion "Thunderball/Lazy bones" - Ram
Nookie "In@theDeepEnd" - Good Looking
Nookie "The oceanic EP" - Good Looking
High Contrast "Make it tonight" - Hospital
Agent Black(Shy FX & T-Power) "Feelgood" - Ebony
Matrix "Fallen(Remix)" - Idoma
Carlito and Addiction "Into music" - React
Blame "Firestorm EP" - Good looking
Faith in Chaos "Possession"
(Kemal and Rob Data remix) - Outbreak
Rob F. "Impulse & MC Mecha-Dementia" - Renegade Hardware
Sean O'Neal's top 10:
(Tuning Spork, Fuzzybox)
Boxtype - "Goiter" (Shitkatapult)
The Architect - "My Shoes Are Untied and
My Socks Don't Match" (Tuning Spork)
Cabanne - "Can't Stand" (Seventh City)
Akufen - "Quebec Nightclub" (Perlon)
Misc - "Relay" (Sender)
Dialogue - "Slotters" (Morris Audio)
Veer - "Teji" (Forcelab)
Stardub - "Cut and Paste" (Lo-Fi Stereo)
Martin Jarl - "Weetabix E.P." (Konvex)
ADNY - "Clear Vision" (Wave)
Some of SHOK’s current favorites:
(www.newgrounds.com/emerge)
Lovage (Jennifer Charles of Elysian Fields, Mike Patten,
Created by Dan The Automator of Gorillaz)
Mr. Scruff - www.mrscruff.com
Emiliana Torinni - Love in the Time of Silence
Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport (new male vocal)
The Avalanches - Frontier Psychologist
Jocelyn Pook - www.realworld.com/pook
Calidelphia - www.mp3.com/calidelphia
Haujobb - Polarity
Klute (not Klaus from Laether Strip)
Sigur Ros
Pop Star Who Kills - www.mp3.com/pswk
SHOK will be home visiting Philly, and performing
Saturday, Jan. 5th at the Khyber as Calidelphia and
Zeitmahl, also playing are Sweetie and Stendhal.
SLAMBOOK'S Top 10 Industrial Discs
1. Massiv In Mensch- Belastendes Material (Artoffact Records)
2. Frontline Assembly- Epitaph (Metropolis)
3. Accessory- JUKKA2147.DE (Out Of Line)
4. Hocico- Untold Blasphemies (single) (Out Of Line)
5. Funker Vogt- Code 7477 (Metropolis)
6. Wumpscut- Wreath Of Barbs (Metropolis)
7. Suicide Commando- Love Breeds Suicide (Dependent)
8. Dulce Liquido- Disolucion (Out Of Line)
9. Plastic Assault- We Score (Bloodline)
10. Dark Illumination- Dead Planet (Bloodline)
On The One and TwO
Hey there. For some odd reason, I got a bunch of drum n’ bass and
industrial picks. I don’t know why it is, but I’m gonna go with it...
Confused? This is a community posting board for DJs to post their favorite
tracks. You are not welcome here if you are going to cut up the other DJs’
selections. Vinyl selections are definately preferred, but CDs are ok, too.
Been wanting to post? Reach me now, and I’ll contact you when I make
my next rounds for the next issue.
Thanks to all the Auricom crew for compiling their list! www.auricom.com
Xero's Jazzy DnB top 10
(xero@auricom.com)
777¹s Hardcore top 10
(777@auricom.com)
Neophyte & Scott Brown - "This One Is For You" (Neophyte)
Masters of Ceremony - "A Way of Life" (Neophyte)
Bass-D & King Matthew vs. Lady Dana
"Buck Whylin'" (Masters of Hardcore)
Hardcreation - "I Will Have That Power" (Neophyte)
Masters of Ceremony - "Bass Sequence" (Neophyte)
Delta 9 - "Real Hardcore"
Rob Gee - "Sex, Drugs, and Gabberhouse"
Promo - "My Underground Madness" (The Third Movement)
The Masochist - "Headclapper" (Masters of Hardcore)
DJ Nosferatu - "The Future (Evil Activities Rmx.)” (Cardiac Music BV)
Skyjuice "The other side" -Ubiquity
Omni Trio "Trippin' on broken beats
(VIP)” -moving shadow
Pleasure "Utopia" -Illusion records
Blue "Core spectrum" -Street Beats
Aural Imbalance "Deep space
organisms differential" -Cadence
Photek "Something else" -Photek Productions
Omni Trio "Byte size life" -Moving Shadow
Tertius "Main frame" -Wideload
Aural Imbalance "Idiosyncrasy" -Cadence
Afro Art "Cream of beats"
(Metrophonics Mix) -High Fidelity
Magin Boo dn’b top ten
(611 Records/Blue Prod)
Blame - Music Takes You (John B rmx) [Mov Shadow]
Uncut - Midnight (M.I.S.T rmx) [Wired]
V/A - Enforcers Picture Disk # 13/14 [Reinforced]
Invaderz - Control My Mind [Metalheadz]
Agent Black - Feel Good [Ivory]
Dillinja - Picture on My Wall [V Rec]
Mampi Swift - Blaxploitation [Charge]
Moving Fusion - Thunderball [Ram]
4 Hero - 9x9 (M.I.S.T rmx) [Talkin Loud]
Marky,Patife,Esom - So Tinha [Movement]
NAME!!! Dementia!
blue october- believe (club mix)
b! machine- sleepdreamsleep
echo image- skulk (album version)
green court feat. de/vision- take my breath away
leiahdorus- wake
merge- lost in eternity
neuropa- bound
ravenous- silverray
sweep- emptiness, your loneliness
system 22- until you say you are (iris mix)
rob@tbtmo.com
Pop Ambient 2001 (Kompakt)
Planet Nett cd-r (tbtmo)
Phasmid cd-r (phasmid)
Arkitekchur (tbtmo)
Timonium- Suspende Animation (Pehr)
Team Techno cd-r (release immenent, tbtmo)
James Figurine (sontag remix)
Transient-"Pyrite” (tbtmo)
Collette Carter- The New Stroboscopic (tbtmo)
E*vax- Parking Lot Music (Audio Dregs)
FRAZ (91.3FM WVUD/
Crash & Burn)
(www.funkfreaks.com)
Appliance - Imperial Metric
Rambient - So Many Worlds
Fauna Flash - Fusion
Prefuse 73 - Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives
Ennio Morricone - RMX (Remixes)
Cevin Key - The Ghost of Each Room
Plaid - Double Figure
Fraz vs Varese - Deserts (Remixes)
Orbital - The Altogether
Various Artists - Sulphur: Compound

globalmassive.com

OK we’ve all called it “RAINBLOW”. We’ve all
griped how they never have anything “good” in stock,
but they “will order it in for you”, and if you’re a club
member, you’ll save 20% off of $20 disc, and its
only 5 bucks for a out of style keytag to an out
of style store, but guess what? I’ve seen
all you poser chumps, with your
runny noses and pink assholes
stopping on by, if for
nothing else, a glance at
my sweet ass. I understand
the heyday of locally owned
music stores is dying. Without
grunge, what’s the point in
going on? But for those of us
who didn’t think big, weaseled our
way through high school, can’t kiss ass, and don’t
understand algebra, Rainbow was good a job as any.
Yet my real dislike and distrust has nothing to do with
the kids who would rather spend their parents hard
earned money elsewhere on J. Lo & P. Diddy’s newest
contributions, it’s the management.
They have been so busy breast feeding the Newark
store all these years that the rest of the stores went
malnourished. And when they decide to close those
stores, they don’t even have the decency to give the
employees any notice. “Sorry”? Fuck
you, we have cats to feed and
a healthy drinking
habit to support.
So
when
they close the
stores, where does all the
stock go? Obviously not to
Kirkwood, a.k.a. the red-headed step child
store. Don’t bother trying to use your gift certificate
there, because with what little stock they have, it
might as well be a paper airplane.
And isn’t it nice that as the other stores’ stocks
deplete, the owner will continue to keep Newark afloat
out of their own pockets?
If you’re so broke, admit it!
“Would you like the book or the music department?”
Department??? It’s more like cd’s on the left,
books on the right. Stop trying to be Borders!
Give it up, it’s over!!
Claim bankruptcy. Claim insanity, claim
lame-ity, but never claim you ever gave
a shit about any employee that worked
or works for you. I guess the only
Newark employees that remain either
fucked or sucked for their job security.
All I know is that those old men should be grateful
I didn’t complete my wicca training or they would
be in big trouble...
At least this is all behind me now and has freed up my
schedule, giving me more time to perfect my modern
dancing and homemade chai recipe.
What a wonderful world when you’re unemployed.....
Editor’s note: Don’t worry, Rainbow, I’m sure we all still
appreciate the local Christmas CD, I know I do.
Got Beef? If you’ve got something you need to get off of
your chest and you think the public should hear about it, let
me know, and I’ll see what I can do. Legitimate inquiries
only, please. Opinions of this page do not necessarily reflect
that of the editor, but maybe they do...

Survey time!
Hey y’all, I’ve got a bunch of CDs to give away like:
tbtmo vibon compilation vol. 1 featuring
artists like Flowchart and Tremolo, or how about PA’s
Apparatus Engine “Save” (Creep), and maybe
some more, including The Shins (Sub Pop), plus
other stuff like zines, depending on how many
people enter. Just let me know what you like and don’t
like about this zine, or how you think it’s changed over
the years, and maybe you’ll get a big bag of goodies
in the mail. Anyone, young and old, can enter! If you
e-mail me, remember to include your mailing address!
tric@tonedeafrecords.com
Casey Grabowski
tric zine
219 East Court
Wilmington, DE 19810
While I’ve got your attention, I’m now doing subscriptions
for $5 a year (4 issues). Back issues (5 thru
12) are now also $1 each. If you are a regular contributor,
or if you’ve helped me in the past to get started,
you’ll still get it for free. Please help support the zine
and your community by sending me your money. I
don’t care what form it’s in, but checks need to be
made out to Casey Grabowski, not tric. OK?
Seriously, I need help paying all these expensive covers
and bar tabs. You know, I’ve got a reputation to
uphold. How am I supposed to keep all this content
rollin’ if I ain’t gettin’ no love from the people? And
you know what the best nation is, right? A donation!
Jesus Stole My Mom
Dear God,
I’m writing on behalf of you and your son. I
know this may sound a little silly, but I feel like you
guys have abducted my mom. She claims that
you’re more important than me and the rest of the
family, and I find that a little unsettling.
I’m not saying you’re not important or anything,
but I just don’t think it’s very fair how she
has become so fanatical over you guys lately. I feel
like she’s trying to a be better worshiper rather than
actually being a fair person.
Let’s think about it- if you get to have her for
eternity, why can’t we be together for this little time
we have here? I mean, c’mon God, you know there
are millions of moms out there that you can have,
but I only get one!
Let’s take an example:
I am annoyed that my parents have never given
me any money to help get through college, always
complaining they don’t have enough, but over the
past few years, they could have payed my tuition
with the donations they have given to their local
church. I just don’t get it, God!
I’m really wondering if you appreciate all the
things she does for you. I mean, you’re GOD! What
could she really give to you that you don’t already
have?
I suppose I just get frustrated because I don’t
understand, and every time I talk to a priest or minister,
all they do is make it worse.
They make me feel like I better join some cult to
make it to “Happy Land”.
I mean, I know I’m
not perfect, but that’s what I
like about me! Besides, how
come she gets to be so righteous
if she did more bad
stuff than I do when she
was my age? I don’t think
I’m too bad a person, God,
but then again, all I have to
base myself on is the world
I know, which I’m sure you
realize is pretty fucked up.
Basically, you guys, I’m just
asking for my mom back.
Thanks, and I look forward
to hearing from you,
Todd Bishop

* of
A Zines!
List
Wowie zowie! Here’s a funky list of some reading
material that’ll just blow your mind! It’s stuff made
by people just like you and me! Each and every
one is different, too! It’s the People sayin’ what
they want, man! Get into it! Let the world know
what’s on your mind! Say what you want!
Outbox (half-sized, photocopied, $1.50) This is a
collection of e-mails sent out by a man from San
Jose, CA in 1999. This is a true story of someone
who posted on-line that he was looking for a
roommate, and ended up meeting a lady who was
searching for a room, whom he now refers to as
his wife. Lots of little doodles and minimal cutand-paste
compliment this sentimental group of
“sent messages”. (Seriously Sub Rosa, 8101
Geary Blvd. #102, San Francisco, CA 94121)
Looming Pylon #2 (medium-sized, photo-copied,
free or trade) I’m glad to see this second issue
came to be. It’s tons of cut-and-paste, with stories
about his great, great grandfather. I liked the first
issue, and I’m glad he took out all the ‘venting
Christian’ stuff, and instead took a more open
approach to talking about God and spirituality.
There’s a funny rant about shaving cream.
(L. Pylon, PO Box 123, Wynnewood, PA 19096)
Plastic Sword Ninja #1 (half-size, photocopied,
28 pages) The sketch on this cover is a very cool,
detailed ninja. This is a few Christian punk-teens
from Illinois, so you can kinda guess how this
goes It’s got a fake Weezer interview, fiction, poetry...
(1141 Valley View Dr., Downers Grove IL, 60516)
They
said
it’s
OK-
We
can
go
Back
To
Bliss
now.
Skyway #10 (newsprint, full size, lotsa pages, $2) This is
made by Doug who used to work at Bert’s, and for those of
you who haven’t seen it before, this is his 5 year anniversary
issue. It’s always been mostly indie-rock record reviews and
interviews, and every once in a while, a good rant or two. It’s
superb reference material, and very reputable as far as reviews
go, but Doug, you gotta get some butter up in your piece. Uh!
(PO Box 794, West Chester, PA 19381)
Mightier Than Any Sword #2 (half-size, photocopied, 20
pages) This one comes from Argentina, and it’s mostly comprised
of personal poetry, and quotes and collected writing
from famous people like Oscar Wilde, Keats, Whitman, and
Neitzsche. There’s a funny joke: “My church accepts all
denominations, but we prefer tens and twenties.” (Castro
Barros 1209, (1640) Martinez, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Greg and I got a good laugh the other day. He’s got a bunch
of copies of Philly’s industrail/goth mega-zine Slambook for
sale. I came across the DIY issue from a year ago, which has
an interview with yours truly. Go pick one up for $2. You’ll
crack up when you see how much things have changed in the
past year. The rest of the issue is excellent, too!
City Street Scene:
When I drop my mag off to all the local stores and cafes, I
try to pick up all the other zines I can. Here’s a list of
some of the ones I got last time while I did my rounds...
“Old Soul” (#4) Fennraio’s, a cafe in West Chester, PA
has an open-mic poetry night every first Tuesday of the
month, and this free, half-sized, 28 page, photocopied zine
is like a little compilation chapbook of all their regular
readers. Decent. (vesta55@excite.com)
“This Way Out- How To Get Out of School and On
with Your Life” (half-sized, photocopied, 32 pages, free)
If you are considering dropping out of school for ANY
reason, be it anything from boredom to insecurities from
your parent’s divorce or your sexuality, you should read
this first. Be warned, though, the inside matter is going to
persuade you to drop out, which is a life-altering situation,
so don’t let this completely influence your decision. It
does, however, offer a great amount of light and alternative
information on a subject that is usually very onesided.
(PO Box 30790, Philadelphia, PA 19104)
“HeartattaCk” (#29, newsprint, 50 cents/free) This is
definitely one of the “bigger dogs” in terms of zines, and
reminds me of a scaled-down MMR. They use an elitist
writing style, and it focuses on hardcore and punk, with
lots of straight edge and political stuff. It’s usually a good
read, but a little too frontal for me, so I can only take it in
small doses. (PO Box 848, Goleta, CA 93116)
“Leapfrog” (#4, half-size, photocopies, 32 pages)
Bicycles rule. Cars are for sissies. This has a clean layout,
and reads well. Interviews with bike people, bike fiction,
bike reviews, bike-happening updates, critical mass
updates, reviews of other zines about bikes. Everything
Bikes! (4716 Broadway St., Indianapolis, IN 46205)
Between
Books
Greg Schauer
Specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy,
Horror, Comics
2703 Philadelphia Pike
Claymont, DE 19703
Phone:(302) 798-3378
Fax: (302) 798-3078
E-mail: gschauer@postoffice.dca.net

DIE YUPPIE SCUM
By: Mark Phaler
Remember this bumper sticker from the 80’s? What a
perfect time to rehash it’s point! In times like these, while
opinions scream from every culture, we truly get all perspectives
on how different Americans, legal or not, view
their own little land of plenty. Not surprisingly, this pours a
huge amount of light onto our class separation, which is
usually gently brushed under the carpet. Obviously, we
don’t have it half as bad as say, England or France in the
18th century, but it is definitely apparent that there is
some gap here. I’m not particularly talking about money,
I’m talking more about the ideals of some Americans
more fortunate than me. Coming from someone who is
considered lower-middle class, I get to see a fairly broad
spectrum of living. From my stinking-rich uncle who lives
deep in the Brandywine Valley, to my in-laws who live in a
New Castle trailer-home, I contently plop right down in the
middle of all of them and watch the spitting contest. I
know we’ve “got it better” than most of the world, but
there are still some things that bother me.
Obviously I’m trying to get at something, so I might as
well just out with it: Most people who have lots of money
stop paying attention to what’s going on around them.
They scream insults in public without realizing what they
are saying, and probably will never realize what they have
said. That’s the worst kind of insult you can give- when
you are honestly ignorant and truly don’t know any better.
They become so accustomed to getting what they want,
they make others feel stupid without even trying. So, the
affected get bitter and make bad bumper stickers and
stick them on their cars, but at least they’re not ignorant.
At least they are aware of the situation.
Case-in-point: I was studying in a cafe (I know, shut
up), and a mother was having a beautiful, sunny day with
her daughter and some friends, gossiping away. Within
two hours, she had managed to indirectly insult everyone
in the room in some way. For me, it was my school. She
was going on and on how she would NEVER send her
daughter to a State School, and made fun of her neighbor
for spending less then $25,000 per year on their child’s
college education. Meanwhile, I sat less than 4 feet
away, in plain sight to her, as I knocked out some Physics
problems, assigned by my U of D professor. I just wonder
what I’d have thought two years ago before the government
started helping me out so that I could attend that
University. I wanted to knock her out. People like her are
why we are at war and why other countries hate us.
For both those of you who have it and those of you
who don’t, remember to never let money strip you of your
good nature towards others. Don’t become greedy and
irrational, and don’t complain when you can’t have that
one last thing. If you ever get down because you feel like
life didn’t play fair to you, just remember, many people’s
lives have fallen apart because of money.
Besides, we can always just eat ‘um like Lemmy does!

Metal Radio 91.3WVUD late Thu 1am, Sat 9 pm, Metal Television- VidDREAM Comcast ch. 28 Fri at 9:30 pm
TOP ‘40’ TRACKS
Artist Title Track
1. Sevendust Praise
2. Rob Zombie Feel So Numb
3. Kittie Pain
4. Chimaria Split
5. Gryp Left Behind
6. Dope Take Your Best Shot
7. Scar Culture Keep It To Yourself
8. Godflesh Voidhead
9. Sissorfight Acid For Blood
10. 40 Below Summer Wither Away
11. Ozzy Osbourne Gets Me Through
12. Testament Trial By Fire
13. FromAutumntoAshes Cape Side Rock
14. Carv No Exit
15. Sodom Minejumper
16. Slayer God Send Death
17. Will Haven Carpe Diem
18. Agents of Man Headless
19. Machinehead Bulldozer
20. Cavity Leave Me Up
Today I’d like to tell you about the two
newest friends in extreme labels for you,
my audience. #1 is Hammerheart USA
records. This label has a full range of
goth to death music bands like Aborym,
Mangled, Rebaelliun, and many, many
more. If you buy from this label you will
not regret it.
TOP ‘40’ TRACKS
Artist Title Track
21. System of a Down Prison Song
22. Homo Iratus False Criteria
23. Gargantua Soul Deep Cover
24. Bane Release The Hounds
25. Switched Inside
26. Gladyss Patches Peeled
27. Slipknot Heretic Song
28. Wurdlak Chosen Below
29. Burning Inside Therapy
30. Kreator Mind of Fire
31. Novadriver Rocket Superstar
32. Saxon Dragon's Lair
33. Naglfar Dawn of Eternity
34. Severance Damned at Birth
35. Mortiis Spirit In a Vacuum
36. Benediction Suffering Feeds Me
37. Bionic Jive Pump
38. Most Precious Blood Less Than Zero
39. Diabolical Caged Wrath
40. Blooduster Cent
Welcome
metal
fans!
Once again,
It’s time for
The
TINK’s
Ink
Its another Hi! from your Administer of Sinister, The TINK. If you like what’s going down, let me know how you stand.
Write: P.O. Box 9284, Wilmington, DE 19809 U.S.A.
A Perfect Circle: It’s almost like a
Harry Potter fan club meeting...
Casting spells and such as The TINK
stares off into metal oblivion.
Mike Kenally of Beer For Dolphins, former
guitarist for Frank Zappa. He actually smiled
when he got near The TINK...
#2 is World War III. This label just recently
formed and are supplying the radio station with
bands like, Severance, Fog, and Hate. All good
extreme bands. These two labels are getting
more bands all the time, while others are
branching out their soundscapes into more listenable
areas. These two are keeping it with that
underground feel, but with good production values
in the recording. I hope they hear me and
send promo copies to Tric, and i’ll review the living
brown aromatic shit out of them. We need
this music, it’s good. Naw, Freddy-boy, it’s great!
I fully support these labels, and hope you will,
too. Now get out there and rock!
Hey, don’t forget to visit the new alternative website!
geocities.com/thetinksinc/TheTINK.htm (case sens.)

Collette Carter “The New Stroboscopic”
For those who like vocal chill-out, but feel it’s getting a little
stale or predictable, you may want to slip into the new, quirky
feel of Collette Carter. It’s got a little perky 80’s synth-pop
corniness mixed with looped female lyrics and some mushy
breakbeats. Not satisfied? How about a Secret Stars remix?
(Yes, Karate) That’s a nice breath of fresh air! However, there
are a few later parts that get a little monotonous to me, but
overall this is a really fun piece. (tbtmo)
Arkitekchur “Of Solids, Climate, and Homes”
This 22-minute cd-r is minimal noise mixed with looped telephone
messages and delayed guitar. The noise isn’t totally
splattered like drone, and holds some tempo, but all elements
put together, this is definitely enough to erk your senses.
Don’t let the cd-r part fool you, either. That just means it
was a low-pressing. The quality of the layout is better than
most, with heavy paper and slightly raised images, and the
cd is still screened. (tbtmo)
Mall “05.17.2012 01:34:28 PM -0400”
More ambience from the guys that define tbtmo. For those
who have been listening for a few years, you can definitely
sense the maturity and the growth of their compositions in
this new cd. More textures and fades, along with too many
samples to count, most too torn up to recognize. This is good
sleepytime music, totally unaggressive and wistful. I’ve seen
these guys provide broken beats for Tremolo, and it was
unbelievable. Trying to review it if your not baked up though, it
inevitably gets a little too tripped out, but that’s just the flavor,
I guess...
Transient “The Conceptual World Is Losing Its Grip”
Deep, yet bouncy and playful, intricate but still minimal, welllayered,
this is definitely not ‘clubby’ drum n’ bass, but more
atmospheric and tweaked, and more song oriented. It’s still
techhie, but continues to entertain with its breaks. The first
track definitely brings people like Autechre to mind, but as
the cd moves along, it adds elements of trip-hop, funky
house, and even old-school Nintendo tunes. (tbtmo)
No Use For A Name “Live In A Dive”
The fact that NUFAN cover Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”
while the crowd sings along on this 20 track live album is a
big hint that the pop-punk teens of the late 90’s are finally
coming of age. This record is the first in a live series from your
favorite Fat Wreck bands, and the layout is awesome. I got a
full-length comic book with my vinyl copy, and it’s content is
actually pretty graphic. It depicts the band getting severely
loaded, and I don’t think it’s really a joke that some of the
more self-righteous teens are going to get. I thought it was
pretty funny, but a surprise as well. (Fat Wreck)
Hi-Standard “Love Is A Battlefield” EP
There is a fine line between really being into Japanese punk
and enjoying it simply for the novelty of watching an Asian
person imitate Western culture. Unlike bands like Zoobombs
or Cornelius, who have their “own” sound, Hi-Standard’s poppunk
definitely fits the more gimmicky side of this flavor. But,
is that a bad thing? That’s up to you! I thought it was fun, but
the Elvis cover was just a little over the top. (Fat Wreck)
The Real McKenzies “Loch’d & Loaded”
You know, this is the perfect time to tell you all a little personal
story. About two years ago, my step-father was researching
his family tree on the Internet, and found out he
was Scottish. He spent 45 years assuming he
was Irish (and not really caring for that matter),
and now everything has changed. Our walls are
plastered with dirks, shields, longswords, and
picturesque posters of his homeland. He’s
bought over 75 celtic cds, most with bagpipes.
He now goes to Renaissance fairs in his kilt, and
we even celebrate Bobby Burns day with the
beloved haggis. He now loves single malt, which
I’ve been trying to show him for several years
prior. I’m not Scottish, but I’ve always enjoyed
Scottish stuff, except Scotch ale, which tastes
like teriyaki sauce. The McKenzies are great
Scottish punk rock. They’re mean, proud, they
wear kilts, play the pipes, and get mighty fired up
on scotch, too. I’ll bet if my step-dad was vacationing
in Scotland, people like the McKenzies
would try to beat him up. (Honest Don’s)

Swingin’ Utters “The Streets of San Francisco”
This is a reissue of their first official full length, originally
released by New Red Archives in 1995. The cover art is still
the same, and there are the same amount of tracks. They’ve
been called everything from street punk to cow punk, I think
they’ve even got a touch of ska. Either way, they’ve been one
of the predominant punk bands over the past five or so years,
so if you’re down with that and haven’t heard them yet, you
better go get this one real quick. (Fat Wreck)
The Convocation Of... “Pyramid Technology”
Though I’ve been meaning to for a while, this is the first time
I’ve heard these Baltimore drone-rock freaks, and now I can
see why they’ve already got a couple of albums out on GSL.
They fit in perfect with that messy, gangly, lazy yet soulful
GogogoAirheart sound, maybe even a little ‘heavier’. It’s got
just enough bad rock to keep it energized, mixed with equal
parts innovation to keep my interest. I wouldn’t say it’s typical,
because that may draw away from the fact that I liked it, but
it’s definitely what I expected. (Tigerstyle)
Her Space Holiday “Manic Expressive”
I don’t get it. Marc Bianchi is already on the cover of all these
UK music magazines, but people around here seem to be paying
less attention his lush, dreamy electronic pop. This followup
to Home Is Where You Hang Yourself remains at about the
same inspiration level in terms of lyrics, which borders on
both touching and simple. The music focuses on lots of violin
and guitar loops, as well as other ‘real instrument’ loops, as
opposed to the last album, which seemed to be more computer
noise generated. In terms of Philly stuff, HSH have a split 7”
with Flowchart, and have remixed an Aspera song. (Tigerstyle)
The American Analog Set “New Equation” (7”)
b/w All I Want For Christmas. Two songs from the “Know By
Heart” sessions, not included on the full length, but just as
good. The A-side is downbeat with a smokey groove and heavy
keys, the B-side is more wistful and like a lullaby, like a slow
march. If you’ve listened to The Set, you know their songs will
linger in your head for weeks, so these two songs definitely left
me calling for more. A Personal Pick. (Tigerstyle)
Pedro The Lion
“The Only Real Reason I Feel Secure” (EP)
Pedro The Lion “It’s Hard To Find A Friend”
These are both re-releases of Dan Bazan’s first full length and
EP, both originally out on the now defunct Made in Mexico.
Both remastered with new packaging, the EP also includes
Pedro’s first 3 song single. Bazan’s shaky voice is immediately
recognizable, and neither of these albums veer off from that
heartachy, beat up guitar sound that was so great on Winners
Never Quit. It’s nice to know that these releases are more
accessible than before, and rightfully so. (Jade Tree)

Good Riddance / Kill Your Idols
(Split EP)
I think it’s high-time Jade Tree began
putting out some good, standard punk
again. Four new songs from Good
Riddance, and three new ones from
Kill Your Idols. There is no pussyfooting
around here, this is a pretty straight
forward release. Not too much pop or
politics, just fast music from a couple
of the bigger punk bands that you
know are good. There’s nothing new or
innovative here, but I’ve got no complaints.
(Jade Tree)
New End Original “Thriller”
Ex-members of Far and Texas is the
Reason, if this isn’t an emo-pop
album, I’m not sure what is. The thing
about NEO is that I like about half of all
their songs. Don’t get confused- I’m
not saying I like half of their songs, I’m
saying I only like parts of each song.
They seem to have that Soul Asylum
syndrome, where maybe an intro will
be great, but then the rest of the song will let me down, or
maybe I won’t like a vocal line or a certain guitar hook, and
believe you me, there are hooks all over this thing- way too
many, in fact. I will say that their live show is energetic to say
the least, and I enjoyed that. (Jade Tree)
Papa M “Whatever, Mortal”
This is when I’m glad I’m a zine, and I can say what I want. If
you liked the last Papa M album, and were considering getting
the new one, I hope you like alt-country instead. Most of
the album is David Pajo (the main Papa) playing minor key
acoustic ballads, with depressing lyrics, backed by Will
Oldham on bass, piano, and guitar, and Tara Jane O’neil on
banjo. Don’t get me wrong, this is a spectacular album, but
I’d be pretty pissed if I just spent $15 on a CD, expecting
slacker drone-rock, and got the desert blues. The beautiful
insert is an incredible booklet on it’s own. (Drag City)
Silver Jews “Bright Flight”
I think one of the reasons I don’t like much pop-country is
because it seems to pretend like there’s nothing going on
around it, hence why I do like this new Silver Jews album,
recorded down in in Nashville, TN. Utilizing slow guitars and
matter-of-fact singing, everything seems to sound a little
sloppy, depressed, or tired, and David Berman makes it a
point to talk about things like punk rock. It just so happens
that I got drunk trying to write this review, and I’m glad I did,
because it made me feel like I was part of it, which is really
the only way to enjoy an album like this. (Drag City)
Mark Price, Lansdale, PA
Mogwai “My Father, My King” EP
Twenty new minutes (one song) of melodic 4/4 drone guitar
noise from the band that does it best. By compulsively
repeating a somewhat Middle Eastern guitar line, the
arrangement fades in and out of distorted bliss, then 3/4 of
the way through, it simply explodes into a heavy, chromatic
freak out. This EP claims to be a compliment to their last full
length, Rock Action, but I consider any of their releases compliments
to all the other ones. (Matador)
The Stratford 4 “The Revolt Against Tired Noises”
If you’re feeling that Strokes kick, but want something a little
more off the beaten path, I recommend this one. Be careful,
though, because you’re going to get a healthy layered dose of
dazed noisiness much like that of Spiritualized. This album
keeps steady, mixing lots of fuzz with straight-up rockin’ out.
The band is two guys and two girls, so there are some great
harmonies along with it. Sorry for yet another band plug, but
it’s definitely worth mentioning that singer/guitarist Chris
Streng used to play in a another band with two members of
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Out Jan. 22nd. (Jetset)
Fugazi “Furniture” (7”)
b/w Number 5 / Hello Morning. Clear vinyl! The cover and
insert are beautifully laid out in dull, matted colors, with lyrics
and photo art. The A-side has Ian singing, and I can’t say it’s
one of my personal favorites, but it’s good. The flip side starts
with a furiously fast instrumental piece that’s very abrasive
and noisy. The second keeps it rolling by slamming full-force
into that token Fugazi sound, with Guy singing. (Dischord)

Fugazi “The Argument”
In reviewing this record, you’ve got to put it all in perspective.
This is a band that most of us have grown up with in some
way, going from a hardcore punk band that always strayed
from the norm, to running one of the most diverse studios,
meanwhile maintaining a strong and respectable work ethic.
So I wonder what the guys who are recording all these other
not-so-punk punk bands are doing themselves. The first half
of this is album is faster and noisier than their past couple
albums, which have been more relaxed and experimental,
and the second half slows down a little, but still doesn’t let
up. There’s noticably more singing and, like most of the current
bands of the DC area, they still focus heavily on weird
syncopation and dissonance. (Dischord)
Nation of Ulysses “The Embassy Tapes”
Lo-fidelity 4-track sessions from their Embassy, recorded
back in1992, now finally mixed and produced by Ian
MacKaye. Nine unadulterated, out of control songs, along
with the endless, yet always intriguing, ramblings of Mr.
Svenonius. You can definitely pick out the certain lovable
pieces that stayed with them when they matured. This is an
endearing and eventually essential album for any long-term
fan, but if you’re just getting into it, I’d stick with something
newer and discernable by, say, the Make-Up. (Dischord)
Bluetip “Post Mortem Anthem”
Five hard-to-find tracks from 7-inches and comps, and five
previously unreleased tracks. Bluetip are more rock than anything,
but as I was saying before, they concentrate on weird
syncopation and tight breaks, along with lots of half-note
singing and chromatics. I think I like them because it’s really
hard to bob your head to- you can tell that they put loads of
effort into their songwriting. Though their songs are seamless,
you can still feel the underlying complexities. (Dischord)
Love As Laughter “Sea To Shining Sea”
LAL sound like a definite cross between 70’s and 90’s guitar
rock. My first impression was possibly something along the
lines of the Meat Puppets, but LAL’s music is a little more
serious, progressively focusing on tighter grooves, and the
lyrics are surely deeper. I know I’m putting my foot in my
mouth by saying this, but there is no denying their ‘Seattle
sound’, from where they hail. This is pretty much a straightforward
rock album, and I personally enjoyed it very much,
and I think others will, too. On a side note, Mr. Jayne’s voice
sounds like Tom Petty in a few of these songs. (Sub Pop)
Beachwood Sparks “Once We Were Trees”
The CSN&Y, Simon & Garfunkel, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, or
any tripped out 60’s band reference is inevitable, so what
about the album production, in terms of back then? Imagine
if CSN never got all cheesy, and kept making incredible
albums like Deja Vu, and as studio quality became crisper
and brighter with no cracks, hisses, or pops, the music still
stayed the same, just with ever-changing chord patterns and
lyrics. That might be a good description of the Beachwood
Sparks. However, the night before I wrote this review, I just
happened to be listening to Dark Side of The Moon on my
friend’s 8-track player, and there was an overwhelming sense
of nostalgia. This album is pretty hard not to like, but it’s difficult
to say if people are really going to take it all in. (Sub Pop)
Flag Of Democracy “Fodworld”
The last time I got anything by PA’s FOD was at a punk show
in Wilmington circa 1988, and it was a 4-way split 7”...I think
Trained Attack Dogs were on it. This latest album is their first
US release in over a decade, so you can see that I was sort of
blown away when I saw it. The CD bangs into super fast Dead
Kennedys style punk, and continues to thrash away like
nobody’s business. There’s also some general noise intermissions
to keep things interesting. FOD have an ever-lasting
style that you just don’t get from newer punk bands. (Creep)
Super High Five “Songs For Working”
I’m don’t want to call this hardcore, because that will have
too many connotations. If anything, this is a punk CD that
really rocks out, using cool melodies and hooks. There’s lots
of both screaming and singing, and the guitar is both fierce
and catchy at the same time. Either way, the lyrics seem to
come from the heart, and the music goes right along with it.
These Downingtown natives have been playing in this area for
quite some time now, and have another release on Creep.
(Creep, pmb 220, 252 E. Market , West Chester, PA 19382)
Apparatus Engine “Save”
This album starts out distinctively different than the rest of it.
It initially sounds like it’s going to be hardcore, but as the CD
quickly moves on, it slows down and starts to remind me of
Karate, where the singer sounds breathy, and the music
becomes tight, melodic indie-rock. Is this what they call
emo? Enter to win this CD by answering my simple survey a
few pages back! (apparatusengine@yahoo.com PO Box 768,
Downingtown, PA 19335 or visit www.creeprecords.com)
Faith And The Muse “Vera Causa” (2xCD)
“The Morning CD” features out-takes and demos, acoustic
versions, comp. appearances, and a few covers of songs originally
by Kate Bush, Bauhaus, Christian Death, and others.
“The Night CD” features live pieces from their European tour
last year, plus 7 remixes of their songs by other bands that
are part of that circle, like Rhea’s Obsession.
FATM manage to create goth music that isn’t horribly original
(go figure), but is still both memorable and stylistic, both of
which are characteristics not easily obtainable in that genre.
Their talent as musicians shines through in their songs, and
it’s pretty obvious why they are quickly becoming a favorite
for the new breed of teenage vampires. (Metropolis)

The Dismemberment Plan “Change”
The Plan seem to be one of the more important influences on
me lately. It may have been that last time I saw them play. It
was completely off the hook, where singer Travis Morrison
had his belt off, wavin’ it in air like a helicopta’. Or maybe it’s
that this new CD is so distant from that. It even moves further
away from any of their past releases. Rather than spazzing
out, everything settles down, becoming more reflective and
pensive. It holds some sort of mature anticipation; you can
feel a backdrop that could explode into a frenzy at any
moment, but manages to hold steady. (Desoto)
Shiner “The Egg”
It’s a good thing Kansas City’s Shiner is on Desoto, where
they seem to find a good set of contemporaries. They’ve got a
heavy post-grunge sound like Juno, while still keeping up with
the strange guitar lines of Burning Airlines. I can’t say they
totally dropped the bomb on this release, but it’s definitely a
good listen if you’re craving some of the more popular early
90’s guitar rock, but still want something that takes it to a
slightly new level. Their website is awesome. www.shiner.net
Fin Fang Foom
“Texture, Structure, and The Condition of Moods”
My friend got to hang out with these guys, and swears that
they’re bunch of wingnuts, but their music is nothing like that.
They use lots of odd time signatures, plus piano and a flute.
You could definitely slap the math-rock slogan on it, but it’s
got a dark, barreling creativity that allows it to be placed on
another shelf, rather than having it slopped together with the
mess of Chicago-style bands. I think I’d be able to call it more
intense if it were a little more defined, but I’m not even sure if
that’s a good thing. The looseness of it all definitely gives it
more character. (Lovitt, PO Box 248, Arlington, VA 22210)
Engine Down “A Sign of Breath” (EP)
For all you ED fans, you can get this Czech import through the
Lovitt website (www.lovitt.com), from Insound, or, if you’re
lucky enough, you’re local mom-and-pop store. It’s got three
new songs, and one remix of Two Tone, renamed “Retone”.
There is a 7”, too, but it’s only got 2 of the tracks. I’m sure it
won’t be around for long, and the Day After website (the
import label) isn’t up yet. If you haven’t heard Engine Down,
they’ve been a staple band in the Virginia/DC scene for some
time. While they focus on a moving downbeat, they tend to
bring in a more poppy vocal style, which makes for a delightful
listen, while you still got your rock on. (Day After, PO Box
153, 321 01 AS, Czech Republic)
TKO Records “Punch Drunk III” (Compilation)
There are so many freakin’ punk bands in the world today,
and TKO gives you 26 of ‘em... Beltones, Generators,
Reducers S.F., US Bombs, Forgotten, Partisans, Thug Murder,
Sixer, Bodies, Stitches, Class Assassins, Guitar Gangsters,
Niblick Henbane, Those Unknown, Workin’ Stiffs, Terminus
City, Bonecrusher, AntiSeen, Limecell, Electric Frankinstein,
Riffs, East Bay Crashers, American Pig, Bloody Mutants, Hard
Skin, and Angelic Upstarts. Add a couple of “The’s” in there,
too. More than half the tracks on this disk are either previously
unreleased or previously available on vinyl only. Only @ $5!

The Dismemberment Plan “Change”
The Plan seem to be one of the more important influences on
me lately. It may have been that last time I saw them play. It
was completely off the hook, where singer Travis Morrison
had his belt off, wavin’ it in air like a helicopta’. Or maybe it’s
that this new CD is so distant from that. It even moves further
away from any of their past releases. Rather than spazzing
out, everything settles down, becoming more reflective and
pensive. It holds some sort of mature anticipation; you can
feel a backdrop that could explode into a frenzy at any
moment, but manages to hold steady. (Desoto)
Shiner “The Egg”
It’s a good thing Kansas City’s Shiner is on Desoto, where
they seem to find a good set of contemporaries. They’ve got a
heavy post-grunge sound like Juno, while still keeping up with
the strange guitar lines of Burning Airlines. I can’t say they
totally dropped the bomb on this release, but it’s definitely a
good listen if you’re craving some of the more popular early
90’s guitar rock, but still want something that takes it to a
slightly new level. Their website is awesome. www.shiner.net
Fin Fang Foom
“Texture, Structure, and The Condition of Moods”
My friend got to hang out with these guys, and swears that
they’re bunch of wingnuts, but their music is nothing like that.
They use lots of odd time signatures, plus piano and a flute.
You could definitely slap the math-rock slogan on it, but it’s
got a dark, barreling creativity that allows it to be placed on
another shelf, rather than having it slopped together with the
mess of Chicago-style bands. I think I’d be able to call it more
intense if it were a little more defined, but I’m not even sure if
that’s a good thing. The looseness of it all definitely gives it
more character. (Lovitt, PO Box 248, Arlington, VA 22210)
Engine Down “A Sign of Breath” (EP)
For all you ED fans, you can get this Czech import through the
Lovitt website (www.lovitt.com), from Insound, or, if you’re
lucky enough, you’re local mom-and-pop store. It’s got three
new songs, and one remix of Two Tone, renamed “Retone”.
There is a 7”, too, but it’s only got 2 of the tracks. I’m sure it
won’t be around for long, and the Day After website (the
import label) isn’t up yet. If you haven’t heard Engine Down,
they’ve been a staple band in the Virginia/DC scene for some
time. While they focus on a moving downbeat, they tend to
bring in a more poppy vocal style, which makes for a delightful
listen, while you still got your rock on. (Day After, PO Box
153, 321 01 AS, Czech Republic)
TKO Records “Punch Drunk III” (Compilation)
There are so many freakin’ punk bands in the world today,
and TKO gives you 26 of ‘em... Beltones, Generators,
Reducers S.F., US Bombs, Forgotten, Partisans, Thug Murder,
Sixer, Bodies, Stitches, Class Assassins, Guitar Gangsters,
Niblick Henbane, Those Unknown, Workin’ Stiffs, Terminus
City, Bonecrusher, AntiSeen, Limecell, Electric Frankinstein,
Riffs, East Bay Crashers, American Pig, Bloody Mutants, Hard
Skin, and Angelic Upstarts. Add a couple of “The’s” in there,
too. More than half the tracks on this disk are either previously
unreleased or previously available on vinyl only. Only @ $5!