La Crise b/w Le Mot de Trop - Christopher Sourice (Slow Death)

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By The Barman

The Barman

28 July 2018

Hits: 3798

It’s a vinyl and CD single from the former drummer for French band The Thugs and it doesn’t muck around. Christopher Sourice sings in French but don’t let that stop you if you’re mono-lingual. 

“La Crise” (“the crisis”) is built on chugging guitars, vamping keys and a dense rhythmic backbone. It’s like a “Too Tough To Die” Ramones song with the foot off the accelerator. Repetitive but powerful stuff with Sourice’s urgent vocal leading the charge 

The flip side reminds me of The Trilobites in their “Venus In Leather” days of the early ‘80s (it must be that chorus) and once more it’s a song driven by chunky guitars, a heavy pop feel and a keyboards wash. Who says drummers should stay behind their kit? That's a Bandcamp below so you can try before you buy. 

3/4
  
Buy it

• christopher sourice
• les thugs
• slow death
• la crise

Thirteen - Simon Chainsaw (Dark Roasted/Pitshark)

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By The Barman

The Barman

28 July 2018

Hits: 4705

There’s a familiar sound to all Simon Chainsaw records and it’s not going to change radically any time soon. It owes much to  Sydney’s mid-‘80s underground scene - Simon being the one constant member of the Vanilla Chainsaws - and adds dashes of punk, pop and hard rock from myriad other places. 

So of course “Thirteen” sounds a lot like the preceding 12 Simon Chainsaw studio albums. You expected techno? Simon’s distinctive vocal rasp, chunky guitars just this side of metal, an inherent sense of melody and lyrics about girls, the road and the resilience of rock and roll are all a given. 

Even so, there are stylistic departures (keys on “Cried a Million Tears”, lap steel on the anthemic “Take My Rock ’n’ Roll Back”) and the classic Oz Rock influence cuts through elsewhere, notably on “Firestorm” which features AC/DC session drummer Tony Currenti.

• simon chainsaw
• vanilla chainsaws
• thirteen

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Out Of My Head - Paul Collins (Alive Natural Sound)

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By The Barman

The Barman

25 July 2018

Hits: 2876

Has it really been four years since “Feel The Noise” and eight since “King of Power Pop”? The release of another Paul Collins record is a special occasion and “Out Of My Head” doesn’t disappoint.

While its predecessors explored rocking and powerpop songs respectively, “Out Of My Head” finds Collins sitting squarely in pop territory. Ringing chords, the odd minor key melody and Collins’infectious vocals rule throughout. Well crafted songs with depth. 

Paul Collins seems to work best when he has a crative partner to bounce off and in this instance it’s bass player Paul Stingo, whose melodic tone and vocal harmonies suit to a tee. Collins plays the guitars and drums and the record was recorded in a Brooklyn studio.

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Friends rally around Aussie bluesman Chris Wilson

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 July 2018

Hits: 4437

Legendary Melbourne bluesman Chris Wilson (Crown of Thorns, Harem Scarem) has pancreatic cancer.

The multi-instrumentalist - best known as a stunning vocalist and stellar harmonica player – has been a fixture on the Australian music scene for 40 years, collaborating with bands and performers as diverse as Paul Kelly, Diesel and X.

A benefit concert is being organised at the Corner Hotel on Friday, August 24. The first round of acts on the bill includes Steve Lucas, Kerri Simpson, Finn & George Wilson, Jerome Smith, Barb Waters, Shane O’Mara, Barry Palmer, Tim Rogers, Dave Hogan, Jo Jo Smith, Matt Dwyer and radio’s Max Crawdaddy on the decks. You can buy tickets here. 

A GoFundMe campaign for the Wilson family is operating here.

Mandy Hall photo

• benefit
• cancer
• gofundme
• chris wilson
• crown of thorns

Second Sydney show added for Radio Birdman

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By The Barman

The Barman

24 July 2018

Hits: 3674

Tickets for the previously announced Radio Birdman Sydney Manning Bar show on Saturday, October 6 are selling fast, with a sell out expected. The band has announced a second show at the same venue on Friday,  October 5 and tickets are on sale here.

Radio Birdman is doing a limited number of Australian East Coast shows over two weekends this coming September/October before heading off for a 22-date tour of Europe. Supports on the Australian tour will include Adalita (Melbourne), Brisbane's HITS (Brisbane and Sydney) and all shows will feature special guests from Spain, Los Chicos.

Last year's Australian tour with co-headliner Died Pretty was surrounded by the buzz of the limited cinema release of "Descent into the Maelstrom", the Jonathan Sequeira-produced documentary about Radio Bifrdman. The local release on DVD with bonus content will coincide with the tour with a special edition available at the band's shows.  

• sydney
• australian
• radio birdman
• australian tour

Thirteen is lucky for some

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By The Barman

The Barman

23 July 2018

Hits: 2453

The Simon Chainsaw contest has closed and the winners have been randomly selected.

Most of you had no problem picking Vanilla Chainsaws as Simon's 1980s-90s band (although Greg Brady Overdrive and the Chainsaw Men got look-ins as well.)

The following Barflies have won the latest Simon Chainsaw album “Thirteen” plus a copy of the SC/TC (Simon Chainsaw/Tony Curenti) CD single:

Luke Di Salvia (Leeton, NSW)
Mark Davidson (Mount Coolum, QLD) 
Declan Hart (Somewhere in Australia) 
Andy Wallace (Ettalong, NSW)
Jay Chittenden (Durham, Connecticut, USA). 

Congratulations to the winners. The rest of you can find the new album here.

Bloodbath of Fuzz - 45 Spider (self released)

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By The Barman

The Barman

22 July 2018

Hits: 4604

Rockabilly guitarist Grady Martin is widely credited as the father of fuzz, taking Link Wray’s dirty tone a step further in the early ‘60s, thanks to a faulty pre-amp. "Red" Rhodes made the first distortion pedal for his friends in The Ventures. Add 100 watt amps to the picture and the rest is tinnitus. 

45 Spider - so named for the adapter used to make big-hole seven-inch singles work on a turntable spindle - should build a monument to Martin and Rhodes in their home town of Cleveland, Ohio. Their “Bloodbath of Fuzz” is 17 songs long and you won’t find a clean guitar note hiding anywhere.

A fuzzed-up cover of The Gentlemen’s “It’s a Cry’n Shame” opens the album and sets the scene: Meaty guitar and bouncy rhythms behind Ms Hadley K’s cute-sultry vocal. The template was designed long ago but it still works. 45 Spider plays a mix of semi-obscure covers and their own songs and if not familiar with the originals, it’s hard to tell the difference. That’s a compliment.

• cleveland
• '60s punk
• 45 spider
• bloodbath of fuzz
• acid punk

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Hey Sydney. Who's up for a Day At The Pub?

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 July 2018

Hits: 4721

The event name, “A Day at the Pub”, is exactly what it says - a Sunday date in Sydney with beer and some of Australia’s best rock n’ roll acts. 

Sydney’s Black Heart Breakers have searched through time and space to find a first class line up to bring to you at their home town’s legendary Lansdowne Hotel. Tickets for the gig are ridiculously cheap at $15 each and are available here.

The Day runs from 1pm to midnight on Sunday, August 19 and the line-up is a cracker. Here's a pen picture of each band with some Facebook and YouTube links:

• a day at the pub
• flickertail
• black heart breakers
• black aces
• the ozskas
• particles
• raised as wolves
• wolfwolfwolf
• japanese death machine
• stacy gacy

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Help yourself to some rock and roll history and help someone

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By The Barman

The Barman

19 July 2018

Hits: 4321

Righteous Brisbane record store Phase 4 is hosting a massive silent auction of historic and highly desirable posters from Australian rock and roll’s heyday for a good cause.

The store is raising funds for Ipswich retro clothes retailer (of Poison Arrow Retro Shoppepe) and rock and roll fan Angela Love who’s unable to work while fighting breast cancer. The posters come from the collection of her partner, Wayne Kemp.

Beasts of Bourbon, GoBetweens, Exploding White Mice, Hard-Ons, The Girlies and Riptides are among the Aussie artists represented, while Dark Carnival (signed by Ron Asheton and Niagara), Status Quo, Portishead and Screaming Jay Hawkins are some of the overseas crew. There’s a treasure trove of more than 100 posters online until July 24. Bidding is by email only and you’ll find the website here.

• phase 4
• auction
• online
• poison arrow