Sunday, October 31, 2010

the jesus replicator - 10.30.04 - hemlock tavern - san francisco,ca



this is the band replicator (along with the guitar player for the band lower forty-eight) getting their jesus lizard on for halloween

replicator were a noise rock band from oakland,ca compared to the likes of the melvins...shellac...and of course the jesus lizard

and if you lay back and close your eyes while playing this...you can almost smell david yow's musk...but you'll have to quickly open your eyes again because the feeling of an impending violation will move over your body

it's that real,son

1 - seasick
2 - boilermaker
3 - gladiator
4 - mailman
5 - bloody mary
6 - thumper
7 - puss
8 - nub
9 - monkey trick

DL: the jesus replicator

the shellac pistols - 10.31.98 - lounge axe - chicago,il



well...seeing as how it's halloween...and folks like to run around looking like other people/things...why not post shellac being the sex pistols

not only do you get that...you get david yow playing the part of johnny rotten (and doing a damned good spot on impersonation of the man)

believe it or not...this show pissed off some shellac fans as they felt they'd been cheated because they'd paid to see shellac and not something even more awesome

1 - holiday in the sun
2 - bodies
3 - pretty vacant
4 - i'm a lazy sod
5 - submission
6 - pills
7 - anarchy in the uk
8 - god save the queen

DL: the shellac pistols

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Volt - Romeo K.O.



Label: Exile On Mainstream
Year: 2005

Arsonaut says "jump", and I say "how high?".
The requested Volt record that really should have gotten it's own post anyway, because it's good enough, it's smart enough, and dog-gone-it, people like it! And why do people like it? That's easy. This record makes the veins in your neck pop out, it makes you clench your teeth, and ball your fists. It makes other records soil themselves in anticipation of the beating they are about to receive. It's not a nice record in that it takes you by the scruff and repeatedly forces your head into the wall, but luckily for you, the adrenaline is pumping so hard, you can't even be bothered to notice the assault as it takes place.
It's that kind of jam.

Listen to this today, and thank Arsonaut tomorrow. And, Happy Halloween as well.

DL

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

al johnson


(photo by chris nightengale)

al johnson

the twitchy,awkward looking singer for the bands shorty and u.s. maple

i've decribed the man as "mark harmon having a stroke while drunkenly mocking david yow"

and i'm sticking to that

and now...i've somehow convinced him to answer a few questions

SGM: i run a blog called shiny grey monotone...and apparently folks like it for some reason (there are a lot of drinkers out there)...and shorty was the flagship posting...how does that make you feel?

AJ: Too little,too late you rotten bastards...where the hell were you when I was there dying beneath the wings of Helios Creed? Let me re-phrase that: 2 GOOD 2 B TRU. I am actually quite surprised at the attention given to the band as I always felt it was only a couple of dimensions deep. I never considered the shelf life. Our first 6 week tour of Europe with The Didjits should have been documented...it pre-dates "Jackass" and makes their actions nothing short of soft-core anime.

SGM: when i'd first discovered shorty...i drove everyone around me (mostly the girlfriend) crazy with the song "last one in my mouth is a jerk"...i'd like to thank you for putting those words together as i want them on a t-shirt that i'd wear to every family function ever...also...did you realize that you may have given birth to that whole nu metal thing with that song as this band called korn adopted it's sound (on their first album anyway)?...also...what is it all about?

AJ: All members of Shorty began at an early age tangling with metal,especially Mark Shippy,(Guitarist) and myself. I was a huge Priest fanatic,I remember going to the Chicago Amphitheater to worship them and Iron Maiden. "Eddy" waved at me. Mark was sooo metal. He still is.

SGM: how did shorty come to be?

AJ: Shorty began in Dekalb,IL while we were flunking out of Northern Illinois University. Originally called Dragster,we opened our first show with Das Damen. Original members were: Tony Ciarrocchi,(Later US MAPLE's documentary man),his cousin Todd Lamparelli on drums,Mark Shippy and myself. Mark and I put an ad in the paper and these two wonderful clowns answered the advertisement. I believe Tony was wearing a mint green suit with a matching plaid hat. They were immediately hired.

SGM: before going by the name shorty...you were called snailboy (which is a term in horse racing that means..well...simply put...a slow horse)...were there any members of the band that bet on the horses?

AJ: Tar’s original bass player Tim Mescher came up with the name. We asked him to be in the band. He and I later had a falling out and I had to let him go. In later years, I heard he was entirely still pissed at me and desired to poison me. It’s a lovely story really. He was very talented, had a most original sound. I miss him actually.

SGM: what was it like working with steve albini? do you have any crazy,wacky stories?(as most folks that have worked with steve albini have)

AJ: Steve is an an incredible, generous human being. We were quite close, I learned a lot from just being around him, early on… way back when he had an eight-track. He was a mentor and a close friend to me and I used to sit around his place while Urge Overkill, Tar and Slint practiced in his basement. We held each other tight during those “tough times”, like when Brit Walford from Slint was house-sitting for him, broke his toilet and began shitting in Steve’s backyard. I am not joking.

SGM: which member of the band was it that said “man…we need to cover van halen’s “hot for teacher”? it was you…wasn’t it?

AJ: Yeah, it was me… I don’t even have a band now and I say the same thing except for wanting to cover, “Jaime’s Crying”.

SGM: after shorty split up…u.s. maple came to be…what’s the story behind the band’s name?

AJ: am decent with workds, conceptual, ideas etc…So, this is a personal sore spot for me. I never liked the name, couldn’t for the life of me come up with a name…I don’t know why, I have no explanation. Rob Syers, an artist on the Skin Graft Council came up with a name; we needed a name to record under. I later came up with the name You Fantastic!, which I believe to be a great name but had to sell it for 17 dollars, no shit.

SGM: with u.s. maple…you set out to deconstruct the rock and roll…and I gotta say…if doing that sounds like a drunk david yow going into a studio and recording his own tribute to both bob Dylan and the rolling stones by himself…you succeeded…there have been many times where I’d be listening to the band and have folks give me a “um..what is..um” look…was that what you were going for?

AJ: I wanted a band, a sound that couldn’t easily be defined or described but had an intensity and an originality that couldn’t be forgotten. I believe we did that and it is and will be one of my fondest memories.

SGM: what’s the story on the u.s. maple documentary? will it ever go beyond the promo on you tube?

AJ: I really wish for its completion. Tony Ciarrocchi and Amy have spent time on it, both are busy and well, we cannot afford to pay him…not that he’s asked for compensation, he’s a great, great friend and well it’s complicated…I hope it gets done. He spent many of tours with us, time, energy, on his own dime.

SGM: I have to ask this as I’ve noticed that I’ve done it a few times during the course of this business…and it seemed to be the go to comparison for most critics…the jesus lizard…did you ever get tired of the comparisons?

AJ: We only received those comparisons early on, the few I read…I was flattered. I think we soon came into our own. We shared a practice space with them. I love and respect all of them. Mediocre writers need a tag to hang their reviews on.

SGM: are there any funny/awkward/awkward/awkwardly funny things that you’d witnessed/instigated while out on the road?

AJ: Remember Mad Magazine? It was a lot like that only true to life, in hand-cuffs occasionally steeped in drugs, booze and mayhem. I could go on for hours. I will spare you that for now.

SGM: you had a small part in the movie HIGH FIDELITY as an anxious music nerd (aren’t they all? )…would you yourself pay $40 for a copy of the French import of captain beefheart’s SAFE AS MILK album?...and how did you land that part?

AJ: Honestly, I never owned a single Beefheart album, so I guess the answer is no… However, I do recognize that they were ahead of the times as well. I studied acting and was involved in theater during my time in Chicago. I love to act. I am still very much interested in the form… I was a Pawnbroker in a particularly bad section of Chicago; I had an opportunity to read for the part that was set-up by one of the film’s writers who liked me. I originally read for a smaller part, the director and I started talking about my life, pawn broking, the consumer habits of gypsies and their in-store trickery… and well before I knew it, they wanted to write me a bigger part knowing that I would have to read again and could get neither of the parts. I took the chance and got it. I had my own trailer on the set. I had my own stand-in. On my trailer door the sign read, “The guy in the store”. I later saw a preview of the film on Entertainment Tonight and I remember they picked the clip I was in… in kind, I just about shit myself.

SGM: and seeing as how we’re on the subject…do you have any albums that you’d consider “desert island specials”?

AJ: Television’s “Marquee Moon”…Pere Ubu’s”The Modern Dance” The Fall’s “Hex Enduction Hour”

SGM: are there any current bands out there that you’d like to name drop?

AJ: I do think Iowa City’s, LIBERTY LEG have something going on.

SGM: as a fellow illinoisian…I used to travel to dekalb all the time for the music stores…and I’m surprised that I don’t remember ever seeing any shorty show flyers anywhere…what were the shows like around there?...when was the last time you were in that area?

AJ: It’s been years…there was a scene. There was a scene.

SGM: musically…what's the thing you’re most proud of?

AJ: The guys in US MAPLE actualized and super ceded my initial ideas. I consider myself very, very lucky to have worked with them.

SGM: is there anything you’d go back and change?

AJ: Personally speaking, though the drugs felt good at the time…not very smart or helpful. I am glad for all the events that led to beating that.

SGM: would i ever be able to tempt you and the rest of shorty to get back together if only to play a birthday party like the one seen in the video for “coopie and me”?

AJ: I have been told two things: A Shorty reunion is warranted and also that it would be ridiculous. I don’t know what I think… I always wanted to play a show at McDonald’s. Could the party be there?

SGM: ok…enough of the music business…what do you do with yourself nowadays?

AJ: Finishing a degree in Advertising and now I am asking your audience for a job. I need to write. Taking care of my 5 year old son Van Martin...He’s a piece of work! Trying to figure out love.

SGM: well…i do believe that I’ve taken up enough of your time…thanks for doing this…and thanks for doing what you do…and if you have anything you’d like to say to the kids…here be the space to do so.

AJ: Artistically, take a look around you, know what’s out there, and run the other way. Make something provocative…try to resonate with the lowest common, human denominator. They need it the most. Also if you’re just starting out, now this is probably most important: learn a trade. It’s a smart thing to do, especially if you plan on touring. You will always have to come home after a tour and a lot of times you will need to get to work, if you weld, are a carpenter, an electrician like Pat Samson was from Maple; you can earn a decent buck and jump right back in to getting a paycheck. Trust me… it’s the most practical advice I can give you.

Thank you.

Al Johnson

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

McLusky - Live in San Diego - Casbah



Label: Bootleg
Year: 2004

More live McLusky, more evidence that they produced a batch of the best music the turn of this century ever happened to see. More reminders that I am a retard for not going to see them play during their brief, spastic lifespan.
This set from San Diego's most excellent Casbah is a particularly blistering one, and luckily someone had the foresight to capture it in high quality stereophonic sound.

Sorry I haven't been posting much as of late, but the old "life is busy" cliche really has been buttfucking me lately. Not in a good way either. A bad way. Bad buttfucking, indeed.

DL

Friday, October 22, 2010

megachurch - self-titled


released 2010

these boys from cleveland,oh kick out some serious praise and worship jams

they'll make you want to ride on the back on a dragon while wielding a flaming sword

3 guys

2 basses

1 drum kit

0 vocals

and let's say you dig bands with names like: gay witch abortion...melvins...bloarzeyd...godheadsilo...

is that interest peaked?

maybe you should leave the room to take care of that business

or not

whatever

we don't judge

we just point the camera in the right direction

DL: megachurch

thirty seconds deep - hot carl 7"


released 1996

a friend of mine recently sent me a disc of music from this very band

you ever have one of those bands that you've heard of...but never actually heard?

well...this was one of those bands

and apparently i was given the chance to go and see them...but didn't because i was fighting with the girl i happened to be seeing at the time

and after listening to the cd...what i should've done was just locked her in a closet and left for the show (i would've put a sandwich and a glass of water in there with her...)

the band were from chicago,il...started out as a ska band...but then eventually put the horns down and became a more midwest sounding emo/punk band (you know the type...they could be found in just about any vfw hall or basement on the weekends)

so do yourself a favor...put on those baggy khaki shorts...a band t-shirt of your choosing (i'd go with a sonic youth GOO t-shirt...maaaan,i miss that shirt)...pull your socks all the way up to your knees...grab that skateboard and go

DL: hot carl

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

victory and associates/hurry up shotgun split





released 2010

this was passed onto me by a fella that has one of the more kick ass names on the planet...a fella that goes by the name of conan neutron

"now where have i heard that name before?"

well...he was the frontman/guitarist for the band replicator (which can be found here and there)

but seeing as how replicator are no more...he now does the same thing in victory and associates

victory and associates play "parts of huge classic rock you actually WANT to turn up, mix it with the parts of indie rock that actually rock, throw in a dash of post-punk"

hurry up shotgun play "rock... dirty dirty rock and pop"

and unless you want to call them all liars...well...that's exactly what's wrapped up in these 2 songs

so i suggest that you snag this up before they come to your town and you have no idea what's going on

DL: victory and associates/hurry up shotgun split

tinsel teeth: like nothing you've ever seen before




it's an interview with the guitarist for SGM's favorite purveyors of bodily fluid shenanigans

strap-on jams

skunk - last american virgin


released 1989

a fella asked for this over on the shiny grey facebook awhile back...and viola!...here it be

and seeing as how some of you out there are fans of the band chavez...you should know that guitarist/vocalist matt sweeney got his start in this very band back in high school

that right there should be the deciding factor on whether or not you want some of this business

DL: last american virgin

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

annihilation time - bad reputation


released 2003

you're gonna to listen to this and think "hmmmm....where have i heard this before?"

and then you're gonna think "is that greg ginn?"

and then you're gonna think "is that keith morris?"

and you thought that bl'ast were the only black flag fan boys that could it right

not only do you get that...there's a thin lizzy cover as well

so really....that's all you need to know about this

DL: bad reputation

Monday, October 18, 2010

the shiny grey chocolate bicycle monotone experience presents: killing joke



or "the shiny grey killing joke"

this is the latest episode of the SGM/THE CHOCOLATE BICYCLE EXPERIENCE show

and as you can see...it's all about killing joke

honestly...i had never really been all that much into the band up until recently...and i'm slapping myself in the face with a hammer for not doing so

my first taste of killing joke actually came from metallica via their cover of "the wait" on their GARAGE DAYS RE-REVISITED ep back in the day...and i'd heard random songs here and there and really wasn't all that impressed

but then i'd snagged up a copy of their second SELF-TITLED album because of dave grohl's involvement...and i've been driving everything around me crazy with the rest of their discography since

so i put this together...and i'd like to think that it's a fairly decent showing of what they've accomplished thus far

for those out there that aren't familiar with the band and are a little hesitant in giving this a listen...let's just say that ministry really liked killing joke

and is it just me...or can you hear echoes of motley crue's "dr. feelgood" in "love like blood"? (it saddens me that i can)

i want to be jaz coleman when i grow up

1 - the wait
2 - the death & resurrection show
3 - eighties
4 - the hum
5 - let's all go (to the fire dances)
6 - inside the termite mound
7 - absolute dissent
8 - primitive
9 - pandemonium
10 - drug
11 - asteroid
12 - gratitude
13 - intravenous
14 - love like blood
15 - adorations
16 - frenzy
17 - the fall of because
18 - this world is hell
19 - total invasion
20 - goodbye to the village
21 - lanterns
22 - requiem
23 - the calling

DL: pt.1
DL: pt.2

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Surgery - Feedback 7"



Label: Amphetamine Reptile
Year: 1990

I used to love this record. Like, l-o-v-e it. K-i-s-s-i-n-g in a tree and shit.
I still think it rules all over the place.
Today is Ipecac's birthday, but I won't divulge his real name. Instead, I will offer up some sweet Surgery for you.
I got drunk at dinner tonight, and now I'm waiting for the kids to get finished showering and shit before I start reading stories.
Happy birthday Ipecac.

DL

Thursday, October 14, 2010

god lives underwater - self-titled


released 1998

i was first turned onto the band on some random compilation i'd picked up somewhere (i love me a good compilation) via the song "no more love"

it's all about guitars fighting with synthesizers

grungy electronica

this was awesome to walk around town with late at night in a walkman while on the way home from a friend's house while partaking in...well...

DL: god lives underwater

wool - budspawn


released 1992

i was digging through my vault o' crap and came across this business

and i know there are a lot of wool fans amongst you

and now i have to go and put all of my wool on random/repeat and wander about the house

it's nearly 3:30am...what else am i gonna do?

if anyone would like to stop by...perhaps we can share a bagel

DL: budspawn

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

matt gawa - bA


released 2010

this was sent to be by a member of the band awhile back...blah blah blah as i'm timely with the postings of things...here it is

picture this: someone sitting in a room full of guitar pedals and wanting to use all of them...and then asking a drummer to come and lay down some free jazz beats while doing so

both members of the band have worked with members of fugazi...sheer terror...peter brotzmann...the stooges...sun ra...bardo pond...

this is what greg ginn might've turned black flag into had he smoked more pot

DL: bA

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

killing joke - self-titled


released 2003

well...seeing as how the band are going to be touring the states with the original line up in december (starting in new york and ending in california)...i figure i'd prepare you all with some killing joke jams

dave grohl played the drums on this album for free...thus bringing the nirvana/killing joke business full circle (depending on who you talk to...nirvana either did or didn't borrow the guitar riff from killing joke's "eighties" for their song "come as you are")

so...without further adieu...put on your masks and animal skins

DL: pt.1
DL: pt.2

Monday, October 11, 2010

the reactionaries - 1979


released 1979

the band that would eventually become the minutemen

DL: 1979

fugazi - 8.29.97 - fort reno park - washington,dc



you know...there's comes a time when the word "hiatus" becomes something else

1 - intro
2 - birthday pony
3 - do you like me
4 - merchandise
5 - place position
6 - break
7 - rend it
8 - reclamation
9 - floating boy
10 - long division
11 - burning
12 - song #1
13 - target
14 - bed for the scraping
15 - f/d
16 - pink frosty
17 - forensic scene
18 - by you
19 - (ian speaks)
20 - repeater
21 - public witness program
22 - great cop
23 - reprovisional
24 - outro

DL: fugazi@fort reno park

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Rival Schools - New Video




Ethical, no, moral dilemma. There is a new Rival Schools song/video floating around the internets, and this conjures strange feelings in this old body of mine. On one hand, I have steadfast devotion, and the utmost respect for all things concerning Walter Schreifels, Sammy Siegler, and Cache Tolman (Ian Love...not so much). They can do the proverbial "no wrong".But then, then...I have my ears and my eyes. They are trying to tell me this is no good, but can I trust them? Are they merely saying this because everyone in the band but Walter are wearing sunglasses? Or are they saying this because the song doesn't really go anywhere?Oh, this is a tough one.So, internet, I turn to you in order to make up my failing mind. What should I think if this?

My Dad Is Dead - The Taller You Are, The Shorter You Get



Label: Homestead
Year: 1989

Hot off the request line, here's some My Dad Is Dead!
This happens to be the only My Dad Is Dead record (cassette, actually) ever owned, and it was purchased as an error on my part. You see, On occasion, when the moon was right, and the tide was out, I could pick up the weak radio signal from a small college in Greensboro, North Carolina, about 30 miles from where I lived (big ups to the Camel City!). That radio station turned me on to a lot of great music back when I was hard pressed to venture too far from anything not released on either Revelation Records or SST. The college rock of the late 80's and early 90's was an especially ripe time, and luckily I managed to get into enough of it to fend off complete hardcore tunnel vision (not to be confused with the song "Tunnel Vision" by Line Drive...again...big ups to the Camel City!) and develop some appreciation for music not comprised solely of barre chords.
Back to My Dad Is Dead.
One evening they played some kinda gnarly, distorted, punkish guitar rock jam which caught my attention enough to listen to the next 27 songs before the DJ robotically rattled off the previously played tunes. I tried to do the backward math, and when he announced "My Dad Is Dead", I thought that for sure that would have been the band responsible for what I had just heard. Fast forward to my next trip to the record store (most likely either Record Exchange off Stratford Road, or more embarrassingly, Camelot Music in Hanes Mall) and I zero in on the one My Dad Is Dead tape they had. This one. And take it home to be completely crestfallen. My Dad Is Dead do not play "gnarly, distorted, punkish guitar rock", no, they play "dour, jangly, Joy Division-informed, indie rock (prior to the term indie rock being coined mind you)". I was bummed.
But guess what? I never did figure out who played that mystery song that had piqued my interest way back when, and My Dad Is Dead aged much better than I would have expected. This record has elements of The Fall, Joy Division, Angst, and even the old REM sound. It's a solid album that takes you back to a simpler time in music when you maybe had to work a little harder to find something new, and you had to take chances on an album based on some one's opinion, or the cover art, or the band name, or even a snippet of something you had mis-identified on a college radio station.

Hot Snakes - Live - Denver - 11-04-04


Label: Bootleg
Year: 2004

Friend of the blog (how unsettling does that sound?) SxPxDxCx was kind enough to share this soundboard recording he made when Hot Snakes rolled through his fair city of Denver on one of their rare tours. The quality is superb, and the song selection leaves little to be desired.
So, long story short, here's a really good Hot Snakes live show. Goodnight.
Long story, longer, SxPxDxCx has his own blog with tons of incredible shows that he has recorded and uploaded, which you can peep here:
If it were up to me, SxPxDxCx would be posting a lot of these shows right here on ye olde Shiny Grey Monotone, as they certainly fit the mold. So, if your name is Ipecac, or something, and you're reading this, you should extend an invitation to SxPxDxCx to be a contributor. He might be all, "naw dawg, I'm pretty busy right now", but he might end up all, "dang dawg, that's cool". You never know, right?

Anyway, a big thanks for sharing the wealth, it's really appreciated, and if you have more you want to post, or if you want me to post them, feel free to keep emailing them to me.

Friday, October 8, 2010

butthole surfers - the hole truth...and nothing butt


released 1995

this is a collection of demos and live stuff that started out as a bootleg...and the boys liked it so much...they gave it a proper release (just at they'd done with their DOUBLE LIVE album)

so...just go on ahead and do what comes naturally when you see the words "butthole" and "surfers" (though we can understand the hesitation...not to worry though...you're not going to find yourself in some shed in the middle of the woods...well...not this time anyway)

DL: the hole truth...and nothing butt