TORCH? WHATEVER. HERE, YOU TAKE IT.

I was listening to one of the Back From the Grave series of garage compilations last night. If you're into garage bands from the sixties, you probably know there are a zillion compilations out there. The Nuggets series from Rhino, the Pebbles compilations from three different companies (fictitious names and "licensed from"s, the only real company involved was Bomp), Sundazed's Garage Beat series, some from Norton, and a whole bunch of one-offs. I like the Back From the Grave series. They're raunchier, the bands give less fucks. I never really realized until last night just how much that not giving a fuck attitude influenced which of these compilation series I preferred. I put on Back From the Grave Volumes 1 & 2 (the CD version) and after a couple songs I had to go outside. When I came back in, "The Rat's Revenge" by the Rats was playing. It had been I while since I listened to it and hearing it fresh I was struck by how the Rats really did not give a fuck. Absolutely no chart aspirations here. "Fuck it, we'll never be the Stones, let's just continue playing the steakhouse and put out a 45 just to do it." You never know, right? Completely stupid crap sometimes becomes a hit (see "Surfin' Bird"). Whatever the story is behind it (I didn't brush up) it is the attitude it projects that I dig. Alas, I couldn't find an mp3 of "Rat's Revenge". As a consolation, here's some Oblivians, from decades later. They also carried the zero fucks given torch.

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Listen:
The Rats - The Rat's Revenge (Pts 1 & 2) (streaming) at YouTube
The Oblivians - I'm Not a Sicko, There's a Plate in my Head mp3 at Internet Archive
The Oblivians - Blow Their Cool EP at All I Want 4 songs in a zip

POSTER BOYS FOR SOMETHING

Full on research has the night off. Here's what I know about the Oblivians: They're a trio from Memphis, and they make a racket, they may or may not still play together. They're scuffed up, like a beat up pair of shoes, and I don't recall a single song by them that isn't balls to the wall crazy. That makes them perfect for a Friday night.

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Listen:
The Oblivians - That's What Rock 'n' Roll Is All About mp3 at NJ Speed Crazy
The Oblivians - I'm Not a Sicko, There's a Plate in my Head mp3 at Internet Archive
The Oblivians - Let Him Try mp3 at Nevver Go there to get it.
The Oblivians - Blow Their Cool EP at All I Want 4 songs in a zip
 

ROCK OVER INTERMISSION

Digging through old bookmarks I came across one for All I Want, a blog that posted trashy rock 'n' roll, later punk and garage stuff. They haven't posted since September 2016, but wait! The links for downloads are still good. So, yeah, I'm cherry pickin', lapping up stuff that I somehow missed back when I bookmarked the site. Two of the first few posts that I checked out were immediate click bait. One is an Oblivians EP that I somehow missed, and seeing as how the Oblivians song I posted a few days ago seems to be getting some spins, it's a "give the people what they want" sorta thing. If that's pandering or selling out, gripe all you want.

Impala

The other post is an Impala EP. Impala was an instrumental outfit, specializing in pre-surf r&b flavored instrumentals not unlike the assorted vintage shakers posted yesterday, This is especially true of the EP posted at All I Want. These are indeed of the shaker variety, and you'd be forgiven for pegging their vintage a couple of decades off. Which brings me to the movie part of of the show.

Mike McCarthy

The movies, The Sore Losers and Teenage Tupelo are by Mike McCarthy, who's forte is unashamed C-movies steeped in questionable acting and boss soundtracks. It was the latter movie that turned me on to Impala. The Sore Losers has good stuff in the soundtrack as well, a more varied set by Guitar Wolf, the Royal Pendletons, 68 Comeback and others in McCarthy's wheelhouse. All in all, you've got a few hours of trashy entertainment that's likely to make you late for whatever you're doing tonight. If that doesn't satiate you, try digging through McCarthy's site. It's a black hole, a cornucopia of low budget trash. The guy doesn't sit still. You'll see.

Listen:
Impala - Epilogue mp3 at Electraphonic Recording
Impala - Night Full of Sirens mp3 at Electraphonic Recording
Impala - Rope of Sand mp3 at Electraphonic Recording
Impala - Tomb of the Tupelo Twin mp3 at Electraphonic Recording

The EPs

Oblivians - Blow Their Cool EP at All I Want 4 songs in a zip
Impala - Play R&B Favorites EP at All I Want 4 songs in a zip

Now showing:
Teenage Tupelo - Film by Mike McCarthy at YouTube
The Sore Losers - Film by Mike McCarthy at YouTube

THE EVERYMAN ROCKER

For whatever reason, Mick Collins always seemed like the kind of guy you could sit around and drink beer and talk shop with. A no hang ups, unpretentious sort of guy, with taste, semi-chops and lack of preciousness. Never met the guy, and, short of videos, I've never seen him live. But the common thread that runs through the Gories, the Dirtbombs and all the other bands he's been in is a non-retro, capture the spirit but leave the button downs and pointy shoes at home, sort of thing. It just seems that way. Just a general impression, but enough of one to lump him in the one of us category.

After seeing a mention of the Gories in a book today, it was gonna be a Gories night, but it turned into a Gories and Dirtbombs night, then the Oblivians snuck in (Collins wasn't in that band but they hit the same vein), and then a chance encounter with a mix at Adult Swim of all places, Garage Swim, which isn't all garage but raw enough to get you halfway there. It being Saturday night, I'm theoretically off the clock, so these will have to do.

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Listen:
The Gories - Early In the Morning mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Gories - Rat's Nest mp3 at Said the Gramophone
The Dirtbombs - Underdog mp3 at ATumblr (?)
The Dirtbombs - Can't Stop Thinking About mp3 at Charly en Uniforme
The Dirtbombs - Strings of Life mp3 at Cover Me
The Oblivians - Jim Cole mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Oblivians - Bad Man mp3 at Beware of the Blog
More Gories and Oblivians at Beware of the Blog
The mix:
Garage Swim - Fifteen bands at Adult Swim Streaming or download. Gories, King Khan, Black Lips etc

THIS WILL KILL SOME TIME

It's hard to get past initial impressions, especially when it comes to band names. Even worse when you check the band's Facebook page and see that they've adopted a band logo. So, you gotta know, when I see a band named White Trash Blues Revival, I'm skeptical as all get out, already thinking "Oh, brother". But, credit is due Big Rock Candy Mountain. It was their description of the band that convinced me to listen. One selling point: homemade instruments. That's always good for keepin' it real. In this band's case, you've got the gutbucket (the thing with a broomstick, washtub and one string), a drummer banging on kegs, pans and whatnot, and a guitar player utilizing a lap steel made from a skateboard (see above). Wait, a skateboard?!? Why couldn't have been a cigar box, or something else more historically funky? Regardless, I'd already invested several seconds of my precious time reading the blurb, so I gave it a click, and you know what? This band with a stupid name and needless logo? They kick ass.

Big Rock Candy Mountain, the hosting blog, did several posts in a row, counting down their favorite records of 2013. Most, if not all, from independent labels, and the majority vaguely roots oriented. Some are a little cliché, but all are far from the wretched "indie band" pool. Click around, there's a lot of random rawness. Really, if you're going to do a "best of" post, this is the way to do it. Big fat bonus points for including my friend and yours, Reverend Tom Frost, at #14.

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Listen:
White Trash Blues Revival - Dimestore Salvation mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Oblivians - I'll Be Gone mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain
Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds - Loud and Proud mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain
Ten Foot Polecats - Moonshine and Mud mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain 
Reverend Tom Frost - Gotta Travel mp3 at Big Rock Candy Mountain 
Visit:
Big Rock Candy Mountain's Best of 2013 #1-10
Big Rock Candy Mountain's Best of 2013 #11-20 
Big Rock Candy Mountain's Best of 2013 #21-30 
Big Rock Candy Mountain's Best of 2013 #31-40  
Big Rock Candy Mountain's Best of 2013 #41-50

THAT WENT BY FAST

The Oblivians have a new album out. You know what I found surprising? That it had been sixteen years since their last LP. They didn't seem they were gone that long, I suppose partly because they've kept busy. (One with solo records, one with a new band, and the third started a record label.) But, I think the big reason that I didn't really realize how long it had been, is because the whole trashy garage-cum-punk thing, that amorphic "scene" and ersatz network they played a part in, continues to thrive if you know where to look.

These guys are older now, with more shit under their belts, and they're candid about the changes that have occurred. I'd check the article at Memphis Flyer, it's a good one. A telling recent lyric, "Let's rock and roll as we get old." Roger that.

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From the new one:
The Oblivians - Run For Cover mp3 at KEXP
The Oblivians - Back Street Hangout mp3 at Nevver
The Oblivians - I'll Be Gone (streaming) at YouTube
Older stuff:
The Oblivians - Cristina mp3 at Crypt Records
The Oblivians - Bad Man mp3 at Sucka Pants
The Oblivians - She's A Hole mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Oblivians - Jim Cole mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Visit:
Let's Rock-and-Roll [sic] With the Oblivians - Good article at Memphis Flyer

WELCOME TO THE TRASTOS AV CLUB

Ahh, Memphis. The city that was ground zero for rock 'n' roll over fifty years ago has never ceased producing rock 'n' roll weirdos, on the outer fringes of the often too bland genre. As is my habit, yesterday I checked back on one such weirdo, and I mean that with admiration. Mike McCarthy is a musician, comic artist and filmmaker. I first became acquainted with his work years ago, when my friend showed up at an impromptu BBQ that I was having, with two women from out of town in tow. One had been in one of McCarthy's films, Teenage Tupelo, and she left some flyers for the just completed movie at my apartment. A couple weeks later '68 Comeback was rolling through town and Monsieur Jeffrey Evans and the drummer (whose name escapes me) crashed at my place. The next morning the drummer saw one of the flyers laying around and said, "Hey, my girlfriend is in that movie!" Here we go...

The World of Mike McCarthy, clips of music videos

Fast forward to about a year ago. Frustrated at my inability to find Teenage Tupelo anywhere, I finally emailed McCarthy and asked where I could get a copy. Nice guy that he was, he burned me a copy, and let me tell you, it's got all the ingredients: a twisted, hard to follow plot, cool soundtrack (by Impala), a little bit o' nudity, and a timeless rock n' roll vibe, all shot in gloriously grainy black and white.

I still can't find it for sale anywhere, but sometime in the past year McCarthy posted it on Blip.tv, where you can view it online. I highly recommend checking it out, even if you can't watch the whole thing in one sitting (it's posted as chapters). You ought to check out his site too, Guerrilla Monster Films. It's got all sorts of nooks and crannies that you can get lost in, including videos he's shot for a number of bands (notably Guitar Wolf and the Oblivians), other films, McCarthy's comic work, and his own bands. Just close your eyes and click.

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Listen:
Impala - Odalisque at Gravel Sauce
The Oblivians - Cristina mp3 at Crypt Records
The Oblivians - Bad Man mp3 at Sucka Pants
The Oblivians - She's A Hole mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Oblivians - Jim Cole mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Guitar Wolf - Missle Me mp3 at Spin.com
Guitar Wolf - Love Rock mp3 at Zana Bayne
The Makers - Matter of Degrees mp3 at Kill Rock Stars
The Makers - Red Headed Beatle of 1000 B.C. mp3 at Arf Lovers
Note: McCarthy has no connection with the above music, he has just worked with the bands at one time or another. Yeah, a weak tie-in.
Soundtracks:
Elvis Meets the Beatles - Get Backward mp3 at Guerrilla Monster Films
68 Comeback - Smack Dab (in the Middle), from Sore Losers mp4 at Guerrilla Monster Films
NOTE: Most of the film pages under the "Movies" drop down menu at Guerilla Monster Films have parts of the soundtracks, some as mp3s, and some as mp4s.
Video:
Teenage Tupelo at Blip.tv Once there, scroll down for the different chapters
Guitar Wolf - Invader Ace at YouTube
Guitar Wolf - Butobase (All Through The Night) at Blip.tv
The Oblivians - Leather at Blip.tv
Jim Dickinson - Down In Mississippi at Blip.tv
The Makers - Lover Lover at Blip.tv
River City Tanlines - at Blip.tv
Impala - Live at the Cigarette Girl premiere party at Blip.tv
Cigarette Girl trailer at Blip.tv
All above clips, videos and films directed by Mike McCarthy, except the Impala clip.
Visit:
Guerrilla Monster Films - The World of Mike McCarthy