Notes: Deadshirt, CD Donation, Gary Glitter Pedophile

But first let's talk about  the weather.  It sucks.  Water in the basement again. A tired old tradition that I can do without. I plan to waterproof this motherfucking place but before we do we have to pray for no more rain.  To which the forecast for rain chances for the next two weeks.  Unfuckingbelieveable.  And of course river levels are past flood stage. The Cedar in CR will crest at around 17 and half feet.  Not 2008 historic levels but still ranks in the top 28 all time high river stage.  Meanwhile out west, the sun continues to shine and the dry winds and lightning continue to burn that part of the country down.  BTW The Linn County Fair starts this week, Alien Ant Farm, who was supposed to play last year's canceled Fair (Due to um...too much rain) comes back to play the Thursday show.  John Michael Montgomery is the country act for Friday.

Teeny Hodges, one of the cornerstones of the Hi Music Band under the watchful eye of Willie Mitchell and can be heard on the classic Al Green recordings passed away at age 68.  Another victim of too much smoking.

Meanwhile Wellmark Blue Shield says no to Obamacare and raises the rates once again. Thus providing that the terrorists picked the wrong places to crash and burn.  Yep our country, all for the profit line and not for the working man.  CEO can't afford his jet, so somebody's gotta pay for it.  That's right, it will be you. My mom says you can tell when a company is full of shit they'll have more commercials on the TV.  Kinda like insurance companies. The more they advertise, the more likely they'll deny you when something happens to you.

Another website to tell you about. Deadshirt.  I'm still looking for off the wall websites as you can tell. http://deadshirt.net/

Over the weekend, I donated a bunch of CDs and LPs back to Goodwill in a attempt to clean house and make room for the waterproofers to come next month but it doesn't even look like I done anything.  A lot of CDs went out the door this time.  Candlebox, Wallflowers, Train all gone.  Hell, even most of the CDs that I did find and bought at Stuff Etc went back to the donation bin. It's harder getting rid of albums but I think about 40 of them got donated too.  I'm sure they'll all be picked up fairly soon.

One of the LPs donated was Glitter And Gold by Gary Glitter.  Once upon a time,  I played Glitter a few times, Baby Please Don't Go, I didn't know I loved you till I saw you rock and roll and later stuff like Leader Of The Gang but Gary is in trouble again with the law. Imagine that.  Although the charges date back to the 70s the statue of limitations didn't ran out.   That said, it should be reminded to those who play his Jock Itch Jam Anthem Rock and Roll Part 2 that everytime they do this, it puts money in his pocket and he can go out and prey upon the young again.  A sad part of life, even back then old Paul Gadd looked a bit creepy in that glam outfit he could barely get his fat ass in on that Glitter album.   Never again.

record reviews



Chad And Jeremy-Of Cabbages And Kings (Columbia)

They really got weird at the end of the 60s.  The guys that gave us A Summer Song and those lush harmonies, later gave way to what Simon And Garfunkel were doing around the Bookends time.  I also think that Gary Usher played more of a role too, with the Sagittarius Present Tense thing he did with Curt Boehetter which is a collector's item.  Rest In Peace the leadoff track could find a home on Present Tense or Moody Blues for that matter.  But there's a standoffish approach from Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde that kinda puts me off as well. I'll Get Around To It When And If I Can, if you think it's a droll title, wait till you hear them sing it.  Side 2 is the overblown Progress Suite 1-5 which is much ado about nothing. Paul Kantner may have right: Paul Simon could have done it better in a three minute song rather than taking up a whole side of the album.  And Simon did,  It was called Fakin' It.
Grade B-

Babe Ruth's Greatest Hits (Griffin/EMI)

In short their best moment was The Mexican which got airplay on FM radio.  Griffin Records cherry picks 7 tracks from various Harvest/Capitol albums and most of them grate on your nerves. (Black Dog, not the Led Zeppelin version)  Jenny Hahn had a powerful voice that's for sure and on Jack O Lantern she sounds like Geddy Lee.  As an overview album it's okay but not something I'd listened to a lot.  However Jenny and Alan Shlockrock are still around playing from time to time.
Grade B-

The Townedgers-Forthcoming Trains (Radio Maierburg)

The last album 30 was a return to the self-styled garage rock of Town's Edge Rock.  Which 30 years ago last year begin a long journey of self-styled garage rock.  The Townedgers are Iowa's answer to Crazy Horse without Neil Young, a enjoyable though faceless band that nobody ever heard of outside of this blog or Radio Buzz'd which plays The Townedgers from time to time.  Forthcoming Trains, is a more return to the 2000's type of TEs, a mixed blend of acoustic numbers to go with the electric.  Leading off with an mellow ballad How Hard It Is, shows the unpredictable side: not too many folks would lead the album off with a slow ballad.  And then moving on the unrelenting Midnight Run.  Last few albums the Townedgers added more cover versions to the music with mixed results (Country, the 2012 album Soul Biscuits) this time out, they cover themselves with 6 remakes from previous albums.  But since practically nobody ever heard the originals versions anyway,  I consider them new songs.  The major differences between Midnight Run 85 and 2014 is that Rod Smith's drumming is not as radical as it was once was.  Three decades ago, he'd find a way to throw a Keith Moon drum roll crash in the mix, this time out, stays more faithful to the guitar riffs.  Or Just Enough Love to which more cymbal accents are used rather than full drum rolls. Although Forthcoming Trains could be argued for a repackaged remakes of certain songs, it also addresses the present and the future in typical disdain.  The usual love gone wrong songs such as Light Years Away, Smith shrugs it off in the chorus of You cannot lose what you never had, that love is gone and light years away, even if the ex love interest is still trying to find her methadone at the pizza place all these years.    The newer Townedger songs, Faygo and Home addresses the lack of musical success with irony.  Don't know why I promoting this, nobody is buying it anyway, Smith sings on Faygo.  And on Home, it ties the past, present and future with bemused bitterness of lack of success in music. And singing songs in an empty bar that nobody knows, but in my mind I am a star goes one lyric and in the final lines sums up the album and the career with these parting shots: Yes I know I got no expectations, I'm dealing with life's frustrations, the more I try, the more I fail, it's getting old, leave me alone, I'm going home.  And in the end result, still falling on deaf ears.

Nevertheless Forthcoming Trains for all the irony and dry wit dark side of humor of Home or Faygo, The Townedgers still have come up with a very good recording and that might rank with the best of their catalog.  While the rest of the world contends with Bro Country crap and faceless EDM, The Townedgers continue to do what they do best, economical garage rock and tearing up the back roads at the same time.
Grade A-

2014 is half way through and so far the new music has ranged from great to passable to freaking bad but my favorites of the year are Beck Morning Phase, Drive By Truckers English Oceans and The Strypes Snapshot albums.  Black Lips and Against Me also figure into this. But the worst album of 2014 is Lana Del Ray's Ultraviolence and doubt that will change much.  Unless I decide upon reviewing the new Love And Theft album; which won't happen.



If the rains hold off there's plenty of things to do around the area.   The CR Bar B Q Roundup, a ripoff upon itself that you pay a fee to get in and then play double for the Bar B Q stuff happens this week at the newly modeled McGrath Amphitheater which kicks off Freedom Festival 2014, provided if the Cedar River doesn't spill over its banks. Brook Hoover, Kevin BF Burt, 8 Seconds and The Nadas are part of the local bands providing musical relief from all that Bar B Q.  In Madison the first ever Rhythm And Booms Festival makes its way from Warner Park to up and down John Nolen Drive around Monona Terrace and it's going to be a madhouse this week and parking will be scarce.  For 10 dollars you can get a upfront view of things from Monona Terrace but if you're cheap like me or finding that your finances went towards parking, there's free admission around certain areas around John Nolen Drive. Fireworks will be seen all along Lake Monona and it should be a fun time.  Weather permitting of course.  Big Head Toad And The Monsters is the main band. But other local bands will be playing at certain venues.  Mr. Zero from Mad City Music X says there'll be some bands playing in the ped mall where the record store is located.  Parking will be extremely limited so get there early.