Ron Cooke - Live Online on Monday, June 28 at 8:20pm

Ron Cooke

Live at 8:20pm Monday night June 28 Ron Cooke is doing a live radio interview you can here it live at wscafm.org


Gang War

A Detroit Rock Bass Pioneer, W.R.'Ron' Cooke. Ron long ago staked his claim to fame in the dynamic history of the Detroit Rock scene over several years. Never one to lay down his sword and go home quietly, He came roaring back to life with the help and support of many of Detroit's greatest Talents. After beginning his career at an early age, he was able to play with some of the true rock greats over his expansive career.

From Bobby & the Daytonas, Detroit (W. Mitch Ryder/Jim McCarty/Johnny 'Bee' Badanjek/Steve Hunter/Steve Dansby/Rusty Day & More), (w. Blues legend Bob 'Catfish' Hodge), Cactus (w. Rusty Day), Gang War (w. Johnny Thunders of New York Dolls & Wayne Kramer of MC5 Fame), Sonic Rendezvous Band (w. Fred 'Sonic' Smith), The Boogie Man From Hell, Mike Katon and so many many more, leading him to his most recent project The Dead City Prophets.

-Thanks to Retro Kimmer for the information!

David Johansen (Secret?) Solo Acoustic Tour

I checked my email this morning, and a buddy of mine had sent me an ad for DJ playing a local coffee shop!  Yes, a coffee shop.  Jammin' Java, which is a coffee shop with a raised stage in the back with room for an audience of about 50, is hosting an acoustic Johansen show!

It looks like he is doing only a handful of shows, so I am assuming he is just playing some tiny, intimate venues for his own pleasure and doesn't really care about publicity.  I'll tell ya one thing, though.  I bought my ticket!

An Evening With David Johansen will present the singer songwriter side of the multi-faceted entertainer, featuring songs from New York Dolls, his solo recordings with The David Johansen Band, Buster Poindexter, The Harry Smiths and back to the reformed New York Dolls who in the last four years, have released two critically acclaimed CD's, "One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This" and the recent "Cause I Sez So."

"I've been wanting to sing a bunch of songs unplugged that I don't normally get the opportunity to sing in a loud and fast Dolls show. As much as I love that, I also like to explore the more soulful side of singing , I'll be singing songs from throughout my career and maybe some songs that have inspired me, with acoustic guitar accompaniment in a mellow and intimate setting. It's gonna be very musical and beautiful." -David Johansen

  
I was only able to find the following shows online.  If I find more, I'll add 'em.

29 May - Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
04 June - Bordentown Record Collector, Bordentown, NJ
12 June - The Turning Point Cafe, Piermont, NY
25 June - The Stephen Talkhouse, Amagansett, NY
27 June - Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
09 July - Jammin' Java, Vienna, VA
10 July - Nightcat, Easton, MD
17 July - Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
20 July - The Watercolor Cafe, Larchmont,  NY
02 Oct - St. George Theatre, Staten Island, NY

Catch Ivan Kral's BLANK GENERATION on 29 July in Ann Arbor, MI

The Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Michigan is screening Ivan Kral's fabulous BLANK GENERATION film this July 29. General Admission is $10. Let's all go back to the 1970's when rock n roll rebellion was in full swing. By all means punk out for this show!

Presented by the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County

Blank Generation is a 1976 clip compilation on punk’s birth in New York. Shot by insider Ivan Kral (ex-guitar Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Blondie) this rare gem is packed with legendary rebels in their humble beginnings...


Debbie Harry of Blondie

The film includes ultra-rare footage of the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith, Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Television and others performing at legendary nightclub CBGB.



This D-I-Y time capsule was filmed by one of punk’s very own - for his personal home movies. It reads like a bunch of friends onstage, because that's what it truly was. Though Kral’s pawnshop camera didn’t record audio, Poe scored band’s demo tapes to create this un-synched 16mm labor of love. Each band’s unique style shines - visually and musically. Historians and filmmakers rely on The Blank Generation for its accuracy. 55 minutes. Not Rated.

Tickets for the BLANK GENERATION screening only are $10 and $7 for Michigan Theater members, available in advance at ticketweb.com and at the door.

Tickets for the pre-show reception are $50. To purchase, contact Alison Oumedian at 734-662-2829 ext. 227 or oumediana@ewashtenaw.org. Pre-show reception will benefit the Shelter Association of Washtenaw County.

Official Trailer:



ADVANCE TICKETS HERE

Batusis EP (Cheetah Chrome & Sylvain Sylvain) - Good Time Rock & Roll!

Far more interesting than the pizza leaflets and election propaganda that had come through my door while I was away, was a package from NoblePR, containing a copy of the Batusis EP.   Sylvain Sylvain from the New York Dolls, and Cheetah Chrome from The Dead Boys new 'supergroup.'  I dunno about super, but it’s a great fuckin’ record.  A 15 minute gasoline soaked whiskey ride down the devils highway, that puts many of today’s contenders/pretenders to shame when it comes to blasting out some decent and honest Rock ’n’ Roll. Sandwiched between the two instrumentals; Blues Theme and Big Cat Stomp, (The first is the theme from 70’s biker film The Wild Angels and originally preformed by Dave Allen and The Arrows, while the second is Cheetah and Sly’s sequel), are a couple of tunes that sum up Rock ’n’ Roll for me; What You Lack In Brains is a piano laden boogie with Sly’s tongue planted firmly between either his cheeks or some blond bimbo’s, or as Mrs Wolf said “What’s this sexist shit?” err “Rock ’n’ Roll, and I think they’re taking the piss.” Bury You Alive on the other hand is Cheetahs dark, apocalyptic growler of a song about ‘the man’ falling which references 9/11 and the Iraq War, Mrs Wolf said it sounded like the Lords Of The New Church.  So if you’re interested and like all things Rock’n’Roll; the Batusis 4 Track EP is available from Smog Veil Records on May 4th.

Thanks to Nuzz Prowlin' Wolf for the review!

Batusis (Sylvain Sylvain & Cheetah Chrome) On Tour

 BATUSIS HIT THE ROAD!

SYLVAIN SYLVAIN (NEW YORK DOLLS) 

CHEETAH CHROME (ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS/DEAD BOYS)

PLUS LEZ WARNER (THE CULT, JOHNNY THUNDERS)

AND SEAN RAY KOOS (JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS)

Chicago, IL, June 10, 2010 – Smog Veil Records announces Batusis line-up for U.S. tour dates today. The band, featuring Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls and Cheetah Chrome of Rocket From The Tombs and Dead Boys will hit the road in support of their self-titled EP (Smog Veil Records) starting July 14th. Line up features Lez Warner on drums and Sean Ray Koos on bass. Bands like Prima Donna and Lust Killers will round out the bill on selected dates (see venue websites for details and list all local openers).

Batusis U.S. Tour Itinerary (all dates may be subject to change)

Wed., 7/14 at Rutledge in Nashville, TN
Thur., 7/15 at High Tone in Memphis, TN
Fri., 7/16 at Off Broadway in St. Louis, MO
Sat., 7/17 at Reggie's Music Joint, in Chicago, IL
Sun., 7/18 at Small's in Detroit, MI
Tue., 7/20 at 31st Street Pub, Pittsburgh, PA
Wed., 7/21 at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, OH
Fri., 7/23 at Europa, Brooklyn, NY
Sat., 7/24 at Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ
Sun., 7/25 at M Room in Philadelphia, PA
Tue., 7/27 at Crooked I in Erie, PA
Wed., 7/28 at Quarter at Bourbon Street in Baltimore, MD
Thur., 7/29 at Black Cat in Washington, DC
Fri., 7/30 at Tremont Music Hall in Charlotte, NC
Sat., 7/31 at Earl in Atlanta, GA

New Rocket From The Tombs 7" !!

Rocket From the Tombs
I Sell Soul b/w Romeo & Juliet
2010
Hearpen/Smog Veil Records (www.smogveil.com)
Rock/Alternative

For those who weren't alive (or don't choose to remember), Northeast Ohio was pretty fertile ground for music in the 70s. Bands and musicians that matter, like DEVO, Chrissie Hynde, the Dead Boys, and the Raspberries, all hail from the Cleveland/Akron area. Rocket From the Tombs (RFTT), which spawned Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys, is certainly in that group, and just like DEVO and Hynde, they are still touring and recording.

2010 finds Cleveland/NE Ohio in a similar situation to those days in the early 70s. Cleveland is sadly dying (again) after somewhat of a rebirth a dozen years ago, with boarded up stores all along the major boulevards. Young people are departing the region for employment elsewhere. And RFTT are recording new music!

Craig Bell (bass), Gene O'Connor, a.k.a. Cheetah Chrome (guitar/piano), David Thomas (vocals), Richard Lloyd (guitar), and Steve Mehlman (drums) make up the latest incarnation of RFTT, and they are still making original music as potent as anything else out there. For those of you too young to know, Cheetah, Lloyd, and Thomas are some of the greatest musicians you've never heard of. Uncompromising, idiosyncratic...everything you want in a musician. Actually, Lloyd may be one of the most gifted guitarists to ever come out of the New York scene.

The A-side, I Sell Soul, is a driving three minutes of intertwining guitars, David Thomas's idiosyncratic delivery, and an unrelenting rhythm section (pound...Pound...POUND!). The song is based on a single, repeating riff which Cheetah and Lloyd use to great effect to spiral around each other and intertwine melodies. Craig Bell is the real backbone here, keeping his rock-steady bassline pulsing, allowing Mehlman to really fall into a groove. David Thomas sounds like he is on the other end of your old Western Electric telephone, not really singing, but sorta letting you in on a secret, "I got my eye on you, baby. Honey I feel free." You can watch the video, and Richard Lloyd staring at you, here:



The B-side, Romeo & Juliet, is built around Thomas's voice, as opposed to the guitars on the A-side. It's a story-song in the classic sense, and has RFTT in full-on singer/songwriter mode. His voice is right in front of the mix, with the music and background vocals simply giving his story atmosphere. The rhythm and guitar sections easily trade off, allowing the other to step in front of and behind the other, only to all fall in line for the chorus. Mehlman and Bell pound out a slow 'n easy rhythm, and the guitars, though at times intensely emotive, always take a backseat to the vocals (and sometimes vanish altogether). Watch the video, and Craig Bell staring at you, here:



Do yourselves a favor and head to http://www.ubuprojex.net/ubutique to order the 7" ($5), or go to Hearpen to order both songs for $2 via download. Support the people who make music worth listening to!!

PRESS RELEASE: Johnny Thunders Finally Has A New Record Label!

JOHNNY THUNDERS

Chatterbox

Everyone at Easy Action is proud to announce we will be working alongside the Johnny Thunders Estate / Beta Petrol in producing a catalogue of Johnny Thunders recordings on an exclusive imprint called Chatterbox. We have had great success with our relationship with the Stooges & Iggy Pop as well as producing high quality box sets and albums by T.Rex, Steve Marriott and the MC5.

Outside of Jungle Records, who have done a sterling job for Thunders fans - above and beyond the call of duty, and of course Warners ‘So Alone’ album, we will be looking at compiling a boxed set of unreleased material from 1975 onwards.  We will also be re-issuing and re-mastering certain albums that have been out of print for some time. Reels of tape have been located already!

As fans, we want the profile of Johnny Thunders to return to the rock n roll music and fragile acoustic performances that he delivered. 

We promise to produce highly packaged product and will liaise with fans to ensure we deliver exactly what they (and we) want on CD, LP, 7” and digitally. 

Beta Petrol now have an archive of amazing photos, many unseen. With the official merchandise company “Don’t mess with us “ providing quality T shirts etc, we can at last provide quality Johnny Thunders goods and hopefully bury all the cheap and vile product that has escaped over the years.

L.A.M.F

Carlton P Sandercock

Easy Action