Tag Archives: Home Blitz

New Links and Live Stuff

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Blues Control with Brian Turner

(Blues Control with Brian Turner covering Unholy Swill at the Bowery Ballroom, 7/11/07)

Yeah, stuff. Instead of taking a planned road trip, I ended up stuck in New York all week, so got to see a couple good shows and whatnot. Wednesday’s Deerhunter/Ex-Models/Blues Control show was a hilarious clusterfuck of epically later’d proportions. Congee Village eats beforehand with Lukas were crucial, then BC’s smoky jamz left us all ready to pound beer after beer (esp. their cover of an Unholy Swill song — forget the title — with WFMU main man Brian Turner on lead ax). Fortunately we were ready for beer pounding, because Ex-Models made us wanna sit downstairs, say hi to our friend bartending, and lament. Just not into ’em. Deerhunter were pretty good, basically sounded about the same as the record, but the best part of the evening might’ve been the singer’s 45-minute-or-so-long monologue from the stage after the band was through. Poor kid only wanted some G.I. Joes, not to be dressed up like a girl! Parents can be so cruel. Nice retardo Germs cover, too.

Friday night it was time for jammin’ at Cake Shop in a basement get-wrecked stylee. First two bands were a pretty deec female moan trio (some combo involving Child Bride and I don’t know who else). Don’t really know nothing ’bout the players, but they were enjoyable enough. After that was a metal band called Fogeaters which wasn’t really my thing, but at moments the guitarist had some great Mainliner-style moves. The main thing I was there to see played third, and that was Tobogan, a total retarded mess consisting of Russ and Lea from Blues Control, Brian from Mouthus, Don from DremCron and Big Whiskey, Allison from Awesome Color and Ryan from King Crab. Headbanging sludge plus stylish moves (esp. from Lea on guitar and handbag!). Two more bands played as well, Portland’s Night Wounds (not really my thing though not bad — and it’s nice to see a tight punk band with a saxomaphone) and New Jersey’s own Home Blitz (already written about here, though now Daniel’s got a new trio lineup, and is much more confident than last year). Oh and Max from Violent Students and Richie from Clockcleaner played records and mp3s too, so that was the perfect soundtrack to a night of beer, beer and more beer.

So what else? Not much. Skipped Excepter tonight, feeling way too wrung out to get my mind blown, unfortunately. Thinking about Jack Rose/D. Charles Speer/GHQ/This Invitation (see Todd’s page for more info), but haven’t decided yet. Oh and I’ve been adding lots and lots of links lately to the the right side over there, take a look at the following:

Direct Waves – Lots of full album downloads of obscure shit
Mutant Sounds – ditto
Neglected Books – just like it sounds like, buddy
Awful Tattoos – also pretty self-explanatory

Check ’em out and get nerdy.

Harry Potter is for fucking nerds

P.S. did you know that Channel 11 plays “The Best of Soul Train” at 2 AM on Saturday nights?!? Me neither, but now I know and it’s awesome! Next up, Yellow Magic Orchestra!

HOME BLITZ/GUITAR TRIPS/GREYSKULL/HORSESPIRIT PENETRATES/WATERSPORTS at a random bodega in Brooklyn, 6/24/06

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One of the joys in life is when what appears to be a complete clusterfuck, a SNAFU of the highest order, actually turns out okay. It’s even more joyous when it turns out better than okay, even a good fucking time. That’s what happened last Saturday at the Home Blitz/Guitar Trips/Greyskull/Horsespirits Penetrate/Watersports show in the back room/restaurant area of some random bodega on Broadway deep in the heart of Bushwick. Organized by my man Russ Waterhouse of Watersports and Blues Control, this was originally was supposed to go down at Micheline’s, a Caribbean restaurant down the block. Needless to say, they double-booked and the combined weird noise/fashion show didn’t go down (though that would’ve been an interesting clusterfuck, too).

Watersports began the show with their characteristic lo-fi new age murk, and all I can say is I continue to be impressed with the way Russ and Lea play together, both in Watersports and their more “rock” project Blues Control. What they do is pretty much what I want to hear, all the time. The two new songs they played (and I assume that they’re playing on their current tour through the South, check the links for dates) were sweet meditative faux-nature awesomeness. As I’ve written elsewhere, you definitely need to hear it.

The next two bands, Horsespirits Penetrate and Greyskull, were more akin to that noise thing that ‘the kids’ do these days, except about 90% more entertaining and fun than most anything I’ve seen lately. Maybe it’s ’cause these guys are from Western Mass., which seems to be a hotbed for this stuff (Byron?). Or maybe it’s just ’cause they were good, committed to non-craft craftiness. I dunno.

The pleasant surprise of the evening was Guitar Trips, who I had no idea about whatsoever. Fantastic psychedelic guitar-drums duo jams providing lots of heavy drone. Kind of like when you rub your eyes and various lights keep rolling through your field of vision. Even with the abruptness of some of the transitions, this was a-rollin’ and chooglin’. I expect we’ll hear more from these dudes.

The headliner of the evening was New Jersey’s own Home Blitz, playing their second-ever show hot off the heels of their debut 7″. Nervousness abounded, and the 15-or-so takes on the first song probably didn’t help much, but I actually thought it was a rockin’ good time. Apparently some of the noisier dudes were rollin’ eyes, but I liked it. And fuck it, none of us would be here without Half Japanese, so I’m cool with that. All in all, considering none of this might’ve come off at all, that’s fine with me.