A few days ago we got the news that Peter Millson had died. He went under the name Maximilian Theodor Eider III but we knew him as Max Eider, one of the best guitarists ever.

I had just traveled for my holiday vacations. I wasn’t expecting to write new posts. I have a few prepared for the next coming weeks until I’m back to New York City. But then two days ago, December 17, 2025, the Facebook page of The Jazz Butcher, the band he was in with Pat Fish announced that Max Eider had sadly passed away. I was shocked. It was only a few years ago that I was writing a post about Pat Fish passing too. I was speechless.

When I wrote about Pat passing away I mentioned a show in Brooklyn where I saw The Jazz Butcher. That was the only time I had seen them both Pat and Max. It was quite a strange gig for me, I went with a coworker who loved them as he had listened to them while in college thanks to the famous “college radio” of the time that played actual good music. This coworker liked some 80s bands that I liked, but he wasn’t into indiepop at all. He just liked what he had heard on college radio, more mainstream indiepop like My Bloody Valentine or The Jesus and Mary Chain. But there was a band he loved, The Jazz Butcher, especially the song “Southern Mark Smith (Big Return)”. For me that gig was magical, it was so special. I had just moved to New York City and didn’t expect to see them at all.

I always thought I was going to see them on the many trips I have done to the UK. Maybe in one of the festivals I had attended. Indietracks? I wonder why they were never booked. Would have been fantastic. The Jazz Butcher were terrific, had so many great songs, a catalogue of records to be jealous of. And Max Eider played the guitar like he was enchanting snakes. He was such a good guitar player, original, elegant, classy.

When I moved to NYC I had the idea I was going to find good records for my collection. Records that I loved. I thought NYC was like London. That you know, second-hand shops would have good records. My surprise was that it wasn’t so. There were tons of records, but mainly 60s, 70s, stuff I didn’t care for. But the very first gem I found was a second-hand copy of “The Best Kisser in the World”, Max Eider’s first LP at Academy Records Annex in Greenpoint.

That was the first album he released solo. It was in 1987 on Big Time. I have the US version of that record that would later be released in Japan by Vinyl Japan, Zafiro in Spain and of course Big Time too in the UK. It is a work of art this album. I used to play time and time again when I just moved to NYC. That’s one of the reasons I was truly thankful when I got the chance to see them live in a small venue in Brooklyn. I chatted a bit with both of them. Maybe more with Pat if my memory serves correct. It’s been a while. I do remember though Max was friendly and kind when I was just being a fanboy.

Max would later release five more releases, “Hotel Figueroa”, “Back in the Bedroom”, “Disaffection”, “Duckdance” and “All Shall Be Well”. This last one a CDR on Glass Modern from 2024. I remember that during the Myspace days there was a page for Tundraduck Records, who released the last 3 of his albums. It was actually Max’s own label (alongside Augustus Pokerback). I bought “Disaffection” and “Back in the Bedroom” directly from Max and the label, by messaging them. It was quite cool. It was a time where musicians and fans were becoming closer thanks to the internet.

I haven’t listened “Duckdance” or “All Shall Be Well”. I should fix that. By the time these records came out Myspace wasn’t around and buying records that had smaller distribution became a bit harder. Still it is definitely my fault for not having listened to them, which I believe will be great records with top songs. If Max plays the guitar on a song, you know it is quality. And he was very good songwriter too. There’s no denying of that.

It is a difficult time for me. In general, I have very little time to listen to music these days. If I can listen 30 minutes to an hour a day it is a success. Years ago I could be listening music for more than 5 hours a day. This new situation, since becoming a dad, has made my indiepop heroes, my favourite albums, my favourite songs, to acquire a larger, bigger, importance and status that whenever I have a few minutes to listen to music I go back to them. This means I get to listen less new music. And when it comes to Max Eider, I do play “”My Other Life” and Rosemary” often. I love these songs. Maybe they are my favourite? I don’t know. I have many that I like. But it seems if I pick one, it ends to be one of these two. They are perhaps the most immediate ones, the catchiest.

For me Max is an indiepop legend. I am no one to ask for people to write/do tributes, but if anyone deserves them, Max Eider definitely does.

A genius of pop music is gone.

Rest in peace hero.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Max Eider – My Other Life

Shine on and keep the faith, were the last words my friend Andreas Hering wrote to me about a month ago. I learned this past week that he passed away a couple of Mondays ago due to a car crash on a country road. I still can’t believe it. I’m so sad and shocked by it that I’ve taken some time to even grasp what this means to me. 

About the time I started writing on my blog I wrote about Andreas. I dedicated a post to him called “Andreas von Hamburg“. At that time I didn’t know him that much but made a big impression. His kindness and indiepop knowledge was hard to compare.

During the years I would see him at different music festivals and concerts. Indietracks was definitely a time when we used to hang out the most. I remember him with a glass of wine whereas everyone else had their warm beer.

I would also visit him in Hamburg, where he moved in 1999 I believe, drinking Jever or Astra and always having the best of conversations. And then the last time I saw him in 2014. That year I saw him in two different cities, first in Berlin when we both went to the Throw That Beat in the Garbagecan! reunion gig and later when I visited Hamburg. I tried the labskaus for the first time at a restaurant he picked for me.

And since I know him we’ve emailed. Even in the last 10 years when we didn’t see each other in person we kept in touch, emailing, talking about music and life. He was always interested and curious, asking the questions of someone who cares. Also I must say that in the last couple of years he was the only person I continued talking about indiepop. He was still very much connected to what was going on. I was the opposite, the last few years I have very little time to find new bands, buy new records. I’ve lost a bit of that drive. Andreas kept me updated, with links and his incombustible excitement.

I have lost that. And I have lost a friend. And I feel very sad about not having seen him last time I was in Hamburg in 2023, which was a last minute trip and for a few hours. It was a badly planned trip, all last minute. So didn’t get the chance to organize anything. I always thought I was going to return any day, my mum lives an hour northeast of Hamburg, and see Andreas. I can’t believe I won’t. That this is not happening.

I remember lazy afternoons at his place. Always with friends and drinks. The music that was being played was always exquisite. He had the best records. Records I wish I had like those rare Sea Urchins records on Sarah. He also had a great C86 era cassette compilations collection. He even made one of them, the great “Everlasting Happiness” tape (one that introduced me to the fantastic Shine! who I would later release).

Speaking of releases, he was always suggesting me to do this and that. He had great ideas. How I wish I could have made any of those happen like The James Dean Driving Experience of The Pumpkin Fairies. He supported Cloudberry and always enjoyed very much the retrospective releases.

But yeah, those lazy afternoons at his place, usually the day after a gig. The cases of beer by the entrance door. The bedroom on the 2nd floor where he let me crash. And all the friends, a perfect sense of camaraderie.

He was always a champion for indiepop. I wish he organized more festivals. The one he did, the Hamburg Pop Weekender, I couldn’t attend. But it was a flawless lineup. And from what I learned, it was a success. I still have many posters of that festival and other gigs under the names of Three Cheers for Our Side or Adventure Playground that he organized in his city.

I read on a little piece our friend Marco wrote about him something that rings very true. That if you were to see Andreas at the gig you knew the band was good. He had excellent taste and his mere presence was some sort of thermometer of any band, old or up-and-coming was one to not miss. He had excellent music taste.

He was always kind as I said. He was always sharing his music discoveries, and even the rare music he owned. I have CDRs here and there with amazing tracks by Grab Grab the Haddock and even a live gig of Nine Steps To Ugly. He had friends everywhere, and I’m sure his passing touches so many of us. He was particularly fond of his Glasgow days when he was younger and hanged out with the Belle & Sebastian gang, he would always reminisce about that time. He was also very close to the Liechtenstein/Fraction Discs gang in Gothenburg, who he had booked for gigs and made a fantastic friendship that lasts. And so on, and on. He was a bright light in the scene. Always being able to make us all comfortable and happy.

At Indietracks he would rent a car. That was quite unheard for me. Of course it was mainly to get from London to Alfreton, get snacks and drink at Tescos, maybe have lunch around the area, and get to the hotel. Still having a car for me was rare, all of us traveling on a train. A few years ago he got himself a car, not a brand new one, but a vintage, collectible car. He was so proud of it. I first thought he had rented it too. But no, it was his, and it looked wonderful. Out of a classic movie in technicolor.

I’m sorry if my ideas are all over the place and I jump back and forward. I struggle to understand what’s happened. And I miss Andreas. His last email also offered a longer reply to our last communication. That is not going to happen. He asked me to get in touch with Dave Musker from the TVPs and offer him an interview for the blog. He also did that, I was forgetting, he put me in touch with many of his friends in the indiepop world. He was an avid reader of this blog, and now and then left me a comment. It made me happy.

I have assumed that non of my friends read this blog. For me Andreas was the exception. He made it cleared he cared.

Originally from Worms, a town I told him many times I was to visit someday, Andreas was a lawyer for environmental law, his offices in downtown Hamburg. Before that was even cool. He wanted to help all the time. I remember once he even wanted to figure out with Sarah Records if it was possible releasing The Rosaries, The Golden Dawn or Christine’s Cat. So far only the latter has had a reissue not too long ago.

His emails full of references were always a delight to read. Songs and phrases from songs were intermingled with his messages. Examples? I like this one “Have I mentioned that I can’t stand “Pop Star Prat[s]” (Thrilled Skinny)?” And indiepop erudite for sure. And that translated when we met and chatted. Those long nights at the table at the Travelodge in Alfreton after a full day at Indietracks. Everyone chatting and drinking and always him calm, with the right joke at the right moment.

He became a father 10 years ago, I became one 4 years ago. We chatted about this too. We shared recommendations on how to bring up a kid. We shared photos. It was always good to know the new things his son was learning and liking. I was truly impressed with the music taste, he really seem to enjoy good music! Earlier this year Andreas was telling me his son’s favourite album was “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine. Can you believe it? I’m sure he was so proud of it.

I am not sure how to go forward with this post. I’m going in circles. The fact is that I can’t understand what has happened and my friend is not around. Our love for music made us know each other, but we shared more stuff through the years than music, even with this big distance that divide two continents. I know a funeral will happen sometime soon and Nannette Römer, my good friend, is the person to get in touch with if you want to find more and how to attend.

I will always remember you my friend.

The rain it raineth on the just
And also on the unjust fella
But more upon the just because
The unjust steals the just’s umbrella
(Charles Baron Bowen)

Another sad news from 2022 was that Christine Wanless, vocalist in The Revolving Paint Dream (and also on many Biff Bang Pow! songs) passed away.

I also wanted to write about it when I learned the news last September. But again, I wasn’t in the right mindset, the right mood, to write about it. Especially as I didn’t know Christine. Not in person, not online. I hadn’t written before about her bands, I had not interviewed her bandmates either.

She was an important part of early Creation Records from what I’ve read. She was the label’s first female artist. She would also become press and then label manager.

Christine was also part of a mythical band, the Formica Tops. I have only known this band by name. I would love to know more about it. Were there any songs recorded? released? Who were the other members? I know Andrew Innes from The Revolving Paint Dream (and Primal Scream too) was one. I believe they were girlfriend and boyfriend at the time.

Were the Formica Tops predecessors of The Revolving Paint Dream? I have found just one mention on JC Brouchard’s website, where there’s a recording of “La Bulle Jaune” from 1987. This is a version of the song “Yellow Ball” by The Revolving Paint Dream”. Strangely on the band members for thisi recording Christine Wanless is not listed.

The band members listed on Discogs include Alan McGee, Andrew Innes, Frank Sweeney, Ken Popple and Luke Hayes. The only one I had been in touch with is Frank, who I interviewed many years ago about his superb band The Ringing.

The band’s legendary single “Flowers in the Sky” came out in 1984. It was the second release on Creation Records (CRE 002). The two songs on this record are indiepop classics, the title song on the A side and “In the Afternoon” on the B side. Well, not the B side. It was a double A single.

It featured top people on it like Ken Popple on drums, David Musker on keyboards and Joe Foster producing. This record is indeed a classic, so no surprise the German label Edition 59 reissued it as a 3″CDR in 2009 and Optic Nerve Recordings did the same as a 7″ in 2020. Worth mentioning too that on the 3″ version a longer version of “Flowers in the Sky” was included as a 3rd song.

In 1987 the band would release “Off to Heaven” (CRELP 018), their debut album. It is a short one of 8 songs, “Sun, Sea, Sand”, “Flowers in the Sky”, “Stop the World”, “My My, Hey Hey” on the A side and “7 Seconds”, “The Judges”, “Walter Valentine’s Dead” and “Yellow Ball (Take Me Away)” on the B side. The songs were recorded at The Acid Factory in London.

Yeah, the band was based in London. I forgot to mention.

In 1988 “Green Blue Sea” is released as a single. On the B side we find the album track “Sun, Sea, Sand”. On “Green Blue Sea” we see Robert Young of Primal Scream playing bass, Dave Morgan from Alternative TV, The Weather Prophets, and more, playing drums, K. Clinton and S. Pollock on saxophone and M. Wall on trumpet. On “Sun, Sea, Sand” J. Morris is credited for bass. The songs were produced by George & Phil (who are they?) at the Acid Factory and the Greenhouse studios. In 2011 this single was re-released by Edition 59, again limited to 59 copies as a 3″CDR.

In 1990 the band releases their second album, “Mother Watch Me Burn” (CRELP 039). 11 songs this time. “The Dune Buggy Attack Battalion”, “Green Blue Sea”, “Fever Mountain”, “(Burn this House) Down to the Ground” and “Mother Wash My Tears Away” on the A side while we find “Garbagebrain”, “Electra’s Crying Loaded in the Basement”, “Mandra Mandra”, “300 (Coda)” and “Reprise: Mandro Mandro” on the B side. The album also gets released in Japan by Victor Musical Industries (VDP-28069).

In 2006 there’s a Rev-Ola retrospective CD compilation titled “Flowers in the Sky: The Enigma of The Revolving Paint Dream”. Indeed, the band was always promoted and described as an enigma. There’s very few photos of the band. Also very little information.

I believe the compilation doesn’t include any unreleased tracks. Maybe “Untitled (Love Song)” is the only one? The 22 songs are in this order, “Flowers in the Sky (45 version)”, “In the Afternoon”, “Sun, Sea, Sand”, “Stop the World”, “My My, Hey Hey”, “7 Seconds”, “The Judges”, “Walter Valentine’s Dead”, “Yellow Ball (Take Me Away)”, “Green Blue Sea”, “Sun, Sea, Sand”, “Flowers in the Sky (Long Version)”, “The Dune Buggy Attack Battalion”, “Fever Mountain”, “(Burn this House) Down to the Ground”, “Mother Wash My Tears Away”, Garbagebrain”, “Electra’s Crying Loaded in the Basement”, “Mandra Mandra”, “Untitled (Love Song)”, “300 (Coda)” and “Reprise: Mandro Mandro”

The band appeared on many compilations. Discogs lists 25 of them. I don’t know if it is worth going one by one. But maybe better to pay attention on some. The one that I think is the one that picks my curiosity the most is the compilation “A Tribute to Tricky Ricky”. This cassette was released in 1985 by Rouska (RUSK 003) and included bands like The June Brides, The Shop Assistants or The Mixers. On this compilation THe Revolvint Paint Dream contributed two songs, “Sunny Days” and “Wheels on My Scooter”. You wonder why weren’t these included in the retrospective?

The other interesting compilation is Biff Bang Pow!’s “A Better Life – A Complete Creations 1984-1991” that came out last year as a 6CD box set from Cherry Red. On it there’s an early version of “In the Afternoon” with Alan McGee’s vocals.

“In the Afternoon” is indeed the song that appears in most compilations. Perhaps it is the most well known, the beloved, song by fans.

It appears on “Wild Summer, Wow!” released by Creation (CRELP002) in 1984 on LP (later reissued on CD in 1990), “All for Art… and Art for All!” an LP comp released by Dan Treacy’s Whaam Records (BIG 8) in 1984 (also reissued on CD in 2008 by Vinyl Japan), on “Valium Orgasms – A Creation Compilation” a joint LP compilation put together by Rough Trade and Creation in 1986, on “I Love the Smell of Napalm – A Creation Compilation” another 1986 joint release by Rough Trade and Creation, on “Creation: Flowers in the Sky 1984-1987” a CD comp put out by Creation (CRELP 028) in 1988 (reissued that same year in Japan by Victor), on Vinyl Japan’s “Whaam! Bam! Thank You Dan – A Whaam! Records Compilation 1981-1984” (ASKCD43) CD comp from 1994, on the boxset “Scared to Get Happy (A Story of Indie-Pop 1980-1989” put out by Cherry Red in 2013 and on one more Cherry Red boxset, on 2021’s “The Sun Shines Here (The Roots of Indie-Pop 1980-1994”.

“In the Afternoon” appears too alongside “Flowers in the Sky” on the boxset “Creation Artifact 45 – The First Ten Singles (1983-1984)” that Cherry Red put out in 1985. It also appears, on “Creation Soup Volume One” (CRELP101) from 1991 with the same accompanying song and on “Creation Soup: Volumes One to Five”, a box set release that was Creation 100 on their catalog that same year. In 2011 the same two songs appear on the double CD compilation “Upside Down: The Creation Records Story”.

“Flowers in the Sky”  appears on “The Patron Saints of Teenage” a Japanese compilation CD from 1994r released by TriStar. That same song also gets featured on “Children of Nuggets – Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1996) released by Rhino in 2005. Then also in “CD86 – 48 Tracks fromt he Birth of Indie Pop” released by Castle and Sanctuary. And lastly on 2019’s “Big Gold Dreams – A Story of Scottish Independent Music 1977-1989”. Curious why it was on the Scottish music compilation… sure some members were Scottish, but it was a London band no?

Lastly “Sun, Sea, Sand” is on “C88” CD from 2017, “Green Sea Blue” on “C89” from 2018, “Garbagebrain” on “Just a Bad Dream: Sixty British Garage and Trash Nuggets 1981-89” from 2018, “The Dune Buggy Attack Bttalion” on “Various – Losing Touch with My Mind – Psychedelia in Britain 1986-1990” from 2019. All Cherry Red boxsets. They fit Revolving Paint Dream in different music genres for their boxsets.

Another interesting bit of information is that at some point there was a live band called The Revolving Brides which was a mix of Revolving Paint Dream members and June Brides members. How cool! I read that on February 21, 1988, this super group was supported by The Sea Urchins. Are there any recordings by this group? Live recordings at least? Did they play original songs?

I find then a post by JC Brouchard on his blog Vivonzeureux! JC was involved in Biff Bang Pow! and he remembers recording with her the song “If I Die”. He also remembers her from recording “Bébé Tchernobyl”. I didn’t know of this version! The original, as far as I know, was “Chernobyl Baby” the song that the mystery band Baby Amphetamine released on Creation in 1987. Another cool bit of info he mentions is that Christine played a gig with Biff Bang Pow! in Reims, France, on October 25, 1986! That must have been a special gig indeed!

It doesn’t seem Christine continued making music. These were the projects she was involved with.

As I said I don’t have any connection other than loving her songs, her music. Some of her songs will be forever indiepop hits, legendary songs that will be included on compilations of the genre. They are genre-defining indeed.

It is a shame that legends like this have left us. I just hope 2023 is a bit nicer to all of us. Better, nicer news is what I want to hear.

Because I didn’t have the opportunity before, and because this is my only column to the outside world, I just want to thank Christine. For the good times listening to her songs. I would have loved to be born 15 years earlier or so, and in London, so I could have attended one of their gigs. Would have been incredible. I would have been thrilled.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Revolving Paint Dream – In the Afternoon

2022 was a difficult year in general.

A lot of important people left us. I lost someone very close at the tail-end of the year.

It was difficult to me to pay attention what was going on. I remember seeing news of indiepop legends passing. But it is still a blur. Even now that we have changed our calendars. Now that we are in 2023.

Going backwards I recall writing about some of the legends that passed by. But I missed some others that deserved a tribute from my part. I don’t have an answer why I didn’t write about them at the time of the news, or at least when I learned the news.

I will do it now. Maybe it is a strange way to start the year but at the same time, I feel it is good. It is good in the way that I won’t have to look back and feel I didn’t do something I should have.

Tommy Cherry passing away in the first half of 2022 was a surprise. And I meant to write some lines before 2022 was over. But my life has been a bit upside down, with lots of adjustments since I became a father, that days passed and didn’t manage to do what I wanted to do.

I interviewed Tommy many years ago. I am a big fan of his band The Bachelor Pad. That was back in 2008. The year I started the blog. His interview was fun, and I was happy to meet such a talented person.

I remember asking if his songs would be released at some point in a retrospective CD. He said if I was interested. I was. I remember then dropping him a line again asking if we should do it. But I didn’t happen.

We emailed a bit in early 2009. He sent me some flyer scans that could be part of the release. He liked the overall look of the Cloudberry Cake Kitchen and was keen for The Bachelor Pad to be released in the series.

He mentions to me that he has found the video for “Meet the Lovely Jenny Brown” and “Country Pancake“. At that point I hadn’t seen it. It wasn’t on Youtube. Only “Coroner’s Wife” video was on there.

He tells me that he went to see Magazine play the other night. He had seen him previously in 1978. He mentions they were fabulous.

Then he offers to send me loads of fanzines from the time. I say I couldn’t abuse. I say if he has two copies of the same fanzine I’d be happy to take one… he says he has found LOADSA stuff he hasn’t seen for donkey’s years and asks me if they use that expression in America. That he most prized possession among his fanzines is not a ’77 Sniffing Glue zine but The 10 Commandments zine with Orange Juice in the cover.

In 2010 I hear back from Tommy. He tells me he has tracked down the guys from Toadhall Studios and was heading to Manchester to get the master tapes.

And that was the last time I heard from him.

I would have loved to release this record. But this story is nothing special, lots of times you make this progress towards a release and then it never happens. It’s part of doing a label. Life get in between. Sometimes for the artist, and sometimes for the label. This is a hobby in the end and sometimes there are other priorities.

Many years later, in 2014, I hear from someone wanting me to help getting in touch with The Bachelor Pad legend. Lucy from the Sarah Records Doc asked me for his contact info. Not sure if she contacted him, not sure why she wanted his info. Maybe she wanted to interview him? That’d been super cool. I wonder what came out from that.

In 2020 at last there’s sort of a retrospective release. The label Emotional Response releases “All Hash and Cock”. This compilation includes many of The Bachelor Pad’s hits. But not all. On vinyl you can only fit as much. Maybe on CD it would have impossible to fit all the band’s songs on one CD. I don’t know. I never knew if there were unreleased songs. I didn’t ask about that. I don’t know why. It is odd. I usually ask about these things.

A 10″ vinyl titled “Meet the Lovely Jenny Brown” was also released by Emotional Response in 2020. It included a rare piano vocal mix of the title song.

We lost touch. We became Facebook friends eventually, but didn’t really retake the project.

On Facebook too The Bachelor Pad appeared with their own page where lots of great memorabilia was shared.

I never met Tommy in person, even though I visited Scotland a few times. Never coincided at a concert. I would have been giddy to meet him.

The last music project he was involved with was with The Whores (of Perception) I believe. That was around the year 2000. The played a few gigs at the 13th Note in Glasgow and released a record. Then they imploded.

For Tommy the highlights of The Bachelor Pad was playing with The Telescopes and also appearing on the plot of a John Constantine Hellblazer comic book that was written by fellow Scottish indiepop-legend Grant Morrison (ex-The Fauves) and published by DC comics.

I wonder if one day there will  be a proper acknowledgement of the quality of The Bachelor Pad and the talent of Tommy Cherry. I would love to have met. It seems he was lots of fun, original, and with a brain packed with a huge amount of cool ideas.

Rest in peace Tommy.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Bachelor Pad – Country Pancake

Cathal Coughlan passed away on May 18th. The Irish legend had been in many bands including Microdisney, The Fatima Mansions, Bubonique, The North Sea Scrolls and Telefís as well as releasing records as a solo artist. I am not that familiar with all his music but I do love Microdisney. I don’t have many stories to share here. I have a bunch of Microdisney releases but I never was in touch with him or the band. I never saw them live either.

On the other hand, one of my best friends, Jennifer Reiter, does have stories to tell. She posted on May 23rd a heartfelt tribute on Facebook. I loved her piece. And as it was going to stay private in Facebook I thought it deserved to be read by more people. So I asked for permission to publish it on the blog. Happily she agreed. Here is the full text. I’ve edited some names, just leaving the first name, but other than that these are her same words.

Thanks Jennifer.

And most importantly thanks Cathal for the wonderful music. You will be missed.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Microdisney – Escalator in the Rain

I just heard the terrible news that Pat Fish has passed away this past Tuesday. His longtime friend Max Eider posted this message on Facebook:

Very sad to announce that my old friend Pat Fish died suddenly but peacefully on Tuesday evening. Pat rocked my world in every way and his death leaves a big hole in my life and in my memory, much of which was only stored in his outsized brain. Goodbye mate and thanks for everything. I’m going to miss you. Max x

It is hard to believe another indiepop legend leaves us. One that was even bigger than indiepop as you would see at the band’s gigs, social media, and mailing list. People that liked The Jazz Butcher were many. Many, many.

I don’t know if I told this story, but when I was working at the AP I had a colleague that was a big fan. He wasn’t a music fan like me. He didn’t even know what indiepop was. But growing up in the US he had heard and enjoyed The Jazz Butcher on college radio. So yeah, he was a fan. We even went to see Pat Fish play in Brooklyn once. That is the only time I actually saw him live, in a small bar/restaurant in Williamsburg. We talked a little with Pat, I think I have a photo of me and him somewhere.

But yeah, these connections, that possibility to make new friends who love music outside my indiepop peers… I think this was one of the few times it has happened! And it was thanks to The Jazz Butcher. That’s something special to me.

For me it is always strange when I meet a music hero here in NYC. I always feel I have less time to talk to them or even hang out. When I visit the UK and I am at gigs or festivals, the band members are part of the crowd and they go out to smoke in the street and so on. They seem more approachable. Whereas here in the US there is that back room for the bands and so they go in there and they just disappear! I guess I was lucky that the time Pat Fish he played in such a small place that everyone was approaching him!

I can’t remember what we talked about. He was promoting the last Jazz Butcher album “Last of Gentleman Adventurers” and I can’t recall if I bought the record that night or I had already had it. I have it signed though. My memory is blurry about that night. It was 2013 I think. Long time!

I have at home many of the records of The Jazz Butcher, original ones and reissues. They are fantastic. There are plenty of songs that have been important to me. I wrote a post ages ago when I shared the song “Girlfriend“, a true favourite of mine, one of the best pop songs if you ask me. Ever.

I am not great at writing these pieces. I know he will be missed. It is hard to believe. A few weeks ago he was playing at Preston Popfest. I wish I could have attended. The lineup was something any popkid would dream for. And sadly it was also the last Jazz Butcher gig. I know some of my Spanish friends traveled there. I wonder how it went. How did they like it. I was just very jealous. It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled in this world that feels upside down.

And it seems the band was to play Bristol on October 7th. This is heartbreaking.

This is just a small post, from a fan from far away Peru that was lucky to live in the US and work here and find the chance to see him live. Just the once. I traveled to the UK many times to see pop bands but who knows why but they weren’t ever booked at the many festivals I went. One of the first vinyl records I bought was by The Jazz Butcher, it was the “Roadrunner” 12″. Maybe not their finest, but a damn good record. Then I started getting their many records. I don’t have them all of course. There are so many.

Lately Fire Records have been putting out some fine boxsets with the band’s output. There is one coming out soon called “Dr Cholmondley Repents: A-sides, B-sides and Seasides“. Great title, With the classic humour of the band. This will be another must have. I honestly hope they continue putting out this material out. It is just fantastic to have. And now it will help remember the genius, the talent, the quality, the humour, the wittyness, the cleverness, of one of the best indie lyricist that came from the UK, the mighty Pat Fish.

Rest in peace legend. We’ll miss you The Jazz Butcher.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Jazz Butcher – Southern Mark Smith (Big Return)

On Monday we  awoke to the news that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are no more. They call it quits. As a music fan it makes me look with nostalgia the gigs and the times I saw them. As an indiepop fan it may feel like an end of an era. As Cloudberry, I feel gratitude once again for having being able to work with them in the very beginning of the band (and the label). This is the message Kip Berman, the main driving force of the band shared on various social media:

Kip here.

My life has changed radically from the time I started Pains with Peggy, Alex and (soon after) Kurt in 2007, and I’ve decided to focus on a new project @the_natvral.

Pains was a distinct moment in my life. I started the group when I first moved to New York and completed our last record, “The Echo of Pleasure,” shortly before my daughter was born and I moved to Princeton, NJ. From that time forward, I never really felt the same – and the music I was creating didn’t feel the same either.

I could probably tell a few anecdotes from the early days, don’t know if they would add to the legend of the band as they are personal of course.

I think it was thanks to the Summer Cats 3″ that Cloudberry caught Kip’s attention. At that time the indiepop-list was much more active than today. And yeah, Scott from Summer Cats sent a message to it promoting his band’s upcoming 3″ as well as Horowitz’s one. A day or a few days later I heard from Kip on Myspace. They didn’t have any songs uploaded or anything. They were a brand new band.

I am by nature skeptical, so it was quite a surprise to hear such wonderful music. They shared with me the three songs that would appear on the 3″, 3 songs that are classic in their repertoire, “This Love is Fucking Right!”, “Orchard of My Eye” and “Doing All the Things That Wouldn’t Make Your Parents Proud”. They were the second U.S. band to release on the label after Apple Orchard.

They were the second band to design their own sleeve after the Summer Cats. Let me tell you, this is the hardest thing for me to give away, the artwork of the sleeve. It is hard for me to trust that to anyone! But it came out good and in the early days that sort of fuzzy aesthetics became a trademark of the band. A very similar sleeve would be used for their next release, the EP on their own Painbow Records.

At that time Kip said very nice things about the label on the poplist, things that reading them now, makes me really miss 2007, when indiepop was beginning to make some noise (and to be honest, a lot had to do with The Pains).

I feel The Cloudberry series is one of the most exciting things going on in indiepop right now. I’m consistently amazed by the quality (and volume) of bands Roque is releasing almost every week! It’s really a great thing, and it was an honor to be a part of the series. We really love Roque & Cloudberry a lot– he’s really doing it for all the right reasons. Please do check the bands he’s putting out– it’s all quality.

I don’t think the label gets that sort of praise anymore! At least not publicly. I am very thankful to the band, especially the earlier lineup as that was the one I knew best. Kip, Peggy and Alex. The first time I met them, I remember clearly, it was so cool. It was at NYC Popfest 2007. Then I would see them many times, even abroad like in the UK, or in Miami once, a place no band would visit. And that time I remember now they played a song called, “You’re Better by Far Than Everything Around Here”, and I wonder today, is there a proper recording of that track? I can’t seem to recall how that sounded!

I could write many stories as I said, but in retrospect, we must be thankful for the music as they left us many hits, songs that should be classics in the indiepop canon like “Young Adult Friction”, “Higher than the Stars” or “Everything With You”. But they also had a big part in the indiepop renaissance of 2007-2012. They managed to be in the spotlight of just not indiepop fans but also on more mainstream media and that helped indiepop gain more fans. And that is important.

I have a huge poster of a gig in Stoke-On-Trent were The Pains played alongside Horowitz, The Parallelograms and Slow Down Tallahasse… a Cloudberry Night. Dear dear. And it is signed by all band members. On top of that at a later Cloudberry gig, organized by LostMusic, we gave away a CD with a song each for the first 50 that attended. The bands playing were The Manhattan Love Suicides, Strawberry Story, The Hillfields and The Pains of Being pure at Heart. They contributed “A Teenager in Love”. The band was always up for doing these sort of things, gaining popularity didn’t mean forgetting their DIY beliefs. That speaks greatly of them.

It is true that in the last few years I lost a bit of touch. I wish I had attended more gigs of them while in NYC. I regret not doing that now. I didn’t think the band was going to end for some reason. All things end of course. I was naive. Sure I can still go and check out their new projects, and I should do so. I am especially curious about Store Front, Peggy’s band, as it sounds amazing, just up my street. I’ll make a note to go to their next gig. Especially as it was always lovely to see her, always happy and smiling!

But that didn’t mean I didn’t follow them. I bought all the records they put out. They are not signed by them like the earlier ones, but it’s all good.

I remember too working at the Miami newspaper and receiving a promo copy of “Heart in Your Heartbreak”, according to Kip, a very rare CD. How random was that.

As I write these lines I can think of more and more stories. And I am happy about that. Because they were a big part of the label, it happens that a lot of people knew the label thanks to them. And even today, 2019, I get emails asking if I still have a copy of the 3″ single. Can you imagine?

I don’t think this post has any sort of structure. I am just writing as thoughts come to me. I wanted to say thanks for all the years of great music, of waving the indiepop flag with pride. I guess that’s about it. But I can’t stop thinking of good moments, jokes, beers, and different cities we coincided.

I wish them the best in their next adventures and hope to have a beer with them soon. Or as how Kip said just before meeting for the first time, “a beer”? LET’S HAVE AT LEAST THREE!!!!!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – This Love is Fucking Right!

Back in 2012 I shared a cab ride with Colm and Bentley. That was the one and only time I talked with Bentley and I must say it was a fun ride. From the Travelodge to the Indietracks grounds. Joking and gossiping about the indiepop scene. Me sharing a cab with these two friends that have formed the wonderful Language of Flowers, a friendship which I believe started in the mid-90s when both of them shared a flat in Leicester. The story says that they would eventually record a 4 track demo, when Colm and the rest of the band (Marc, Ashton and Tara) were looking for a drummer in Belfast. It didn’t matter that Bentley was in Manchester at the time, Colm would get him into the band, it was the right choice, and then with the new completed lineup in 2003, they would record a demo that would get them to release the album “Songs About You” in 2004.

It was going to take 8 more years for me to see them at Indietracks.  Yes, Language of Flowers was playing! The band had already split by 2012, but they were doing a reunion gig just because, I am guessing here, it was Indietracks, the most important indiepop festival.

In the past I had seen him playing, in 2011, with Help Stamp Out Loneliness with him now as guitarist extraordinaire. An amazing gig at the outdoor stage. It was truly fantastic. Of course I had a softer spot for Language of Flowers, they were the older band and for many years I had played their CD on Shelflife Records time and time again. I knew the songs by heart and I always wondered if I was ever going to release some of their songs. That was a dream. I had bugged Colm many times about three songs that were never released, if they could be put in a 7″. As you might have noticed that never happened. But yeah, it was special.

Maybe now that I think of it, I may be mixing 2011 and 2012 Indietracks festival. Maybe the cab ride took in 2012 and not 2011. I can’t say. But that wasn’t the only time that I shared a moment with Bentley. As many Indietracks goers that stay at the Travelodge might know, after the festival closes its doors for the day, those staying at this hotel in Alfreton, hang around for some more drinks in the wooden picnic table that is just outside the front door. I remember a night that Bentley was there, among many of my indiepop friends. Sharing a drink and having a good time.

And last week I get to learn that Bentley is no longer with us. It came as a shock.

I really wish I had met and talked to him properly. As I said earlier, I was quite the fan of this two bands he was involved with and he seemed a genuinely interesting person. I only have this two snapshots of him, plus of course the gigs when I saw him play. Always at Indietracks. I know the bands played many other places but I wasn’t lucky enough to travel to Europe in those occasions. But I was terribly happy to at least be able to say that I saw them and that they were brilliant.

I am very sorry and hope things get better with time for his family, friends and bandmates. Condolences to them. In memory of him, a charity has been put together for The Smile Train, who empower medical professionals to provide free cleft treatment to children. At the time I am writing this post 89% of the goal money has been raised. I am sure any help will be appreciated.

Rest in peace.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Listen
Language of Flowers – Songs About You

I have been shocked by the news that our friend Dicki Hermansah, who I got to know through the band Sunny Summer Day passed away a few days ago. To be honest I don’t know the details, I have learned about this event on Facebook, through several posts of friends mourning him. I can’t believe this has happened.

I didn’t get the change to meet in person. Online we talked quite a bit. The first time we were in touch must have been more than 10 years ago, in 2007, on Myspace. I was then working on the Cloudberry 3″CD series and I asked his band, based in Bandung, Indonesia, to contribute 3 songs to this project. They were keen on it and even sent me 5 songs. 2 extra ones. The songs on this 3″ were “You’re The One For Me”, “Happy in the Summer” and “Something in Your Eyes”. The limited CD was a success as the 100 copies sold pretty fast. I remember when looking for imagery for the artwork he asked me to use some flowers, make it look kind of Sarah-ish but in colour. That’s how it ended being that way.

The other two songs he offered me would end up in other compilations I put out, for example “Shining Light” appeared on the first volume of “The Sound of Young Java” and “Colours of Fantasy” on the “Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing EP” that was given away at many indiepop clubs around the world. Later on, in 2008, the band would contribute the most amazing song they wrote, “In Summertime” to the “Sound of Young Java Vol.3”. This song was a collaboration between the band and the talented Cris Miller of Silver Screen. Many years later, at a NYC Popfest, Cris would play this song, and we all wished Sunny Summer Day was there to play it together with him.

I do know that Sunny Summer Day was invited to NYC Popfest. They applied and were up to coming to play here in 2016. I would have loved that so much. I think they had all the intentions to be here but visa issues made it complicated for them to get to this country. Seeing them and meeting in person would have been great after many years of chatting about music.

Now I remember too when he asked me to share on Youtube some songs he recorded with the band. I ended up uploading a video of them playing the Field Mice’s “Emma’s House” and also of “We’re Going Fun“. The next year they would cover Ride’s “Vapour Trail” and they asked me to add it to my channel as well.

He was just 34 years old. And with so much talent and great taste. His band spearheaded an Indonesian indiepop scene that in 2007 was just starting to make waves. Now we all think of Indonesia as a country that produces great indiepop. Back then it was new. He was one of the few that believed in our music.

The band released a perfect record in 2016 called “Traveled Backwards” that was released by Lisdia Records on CD and tape. Dicki was so kind enough to send me two copies and a t-shirt. I’ve played this record yesterday night on repeat. It is so good. I wonder how his next album would have sounded. Even better I am sure.

I think of his friends, his band mates and his family. Me being so far, not even having met him in real life, and I’m really sad about this. I can’t even imagine how they feel. Or how the Indonesian scene must be feeling.

His legacy and his songs will live on. That album and the two EPs they released will be cherished by everyone that will discover their jangly sounds. It is very easy to fall in love with Sunny Summer Day’s music let me tell you. And we’ll remember Dicki as one of the most enthusiastic popkids from Bandung, Indonesia, and the whole world to boot.

Rest in peace my friend.

Definitely this has been a quiet year for indiepop. When I was answering the Twee.net poll about the best of indiepop of 2014, I barely had answers for any of the fields. There have been a bunch of good records, I won’t argue that. But I think they’ve been so few. So few. And most importantly I think there was a lack of new bands, new talent, new blood, in the scene, that have made it feel stagnant.

This 2014 is the total opposite of 2006, the year many things changed for me in indiepop. That was a year full of new bands, of new discoveries. I know many times I reminisce about that time, when Myspace reigned supreme for music. I still had my blog, Mira el Péndulo, it hasn’t been hacked yet. It was a year of new making new friends, break ups, and novel experiences. In the real world, parallel to mine, 2006 marked the 20th anniversary of C86. I had the brilliant idea then, as I’ve mentioned before in this blog, to put together a tape called C-06. That’s when the snowball Cloudberry started.

This cassette included a bunch of up and coming bands. One of them was Slow Down Tallahassee, a band that we won’t be lucky to see reunited no more.

I’ve been meaning to dedicate a piece to them since the news of some months ago, because even if I wasn’t close with them, it affected me a lot. Here was one of the first bands ever that trusted me, and one of the first bands that I knew I had to release. They were talented, fresh, sure about themselves, and cool as f•ck.

As many stories I have, I met them through Myspace. I used to spend hours searching for bands. I loved that there was this option where you could search by influence. I must have searched for the “Shop Assistants”, when a band with a strange name appeared. A band from Sheffield with a name that nodded to Florida. At that time I was living in Florida, so it came as a surprise. Why would any band call themselves anything with Tallahassee? It’s not like it’s a fun town I thought. There was a profile photo of three girls and three songs. I remember one of them was U R Grace U R. And it wasn’t the version you know. It was a very lo-fi recording, much noisier, less crisp. It sounded out of an 80s tape, like a long lost recording of the Sohfas or the Wilderness Children. I was in love. Immediately.

They hadn’t released anything by that time. These were their first recordings. I asked if they wanted to participate in this tape I was putting together. I think I had this prepared text where I explained what this C-06 was going to be about. I must have forwarded them that too. And they said yes. I was very happy. I asked for U R Grace U R. And I was going to have it.

I was looking at Discogs and it says that the Sheffield Phonographic Corporation released their first 7″ in 2006. I think that’s wrong. It was 2007. The tape was out in December 2006 and I’m pretty sure there was no release yet. In any case, yes, they put out this first 7″ but before that, and I’m very sure of this too (though my memory is playing tricks on me), I had release the 3″ on Cloudberry.

This was the 10th release in the 3″ series. Again, Slow Down Tallahassee were so easy to work with. So friendly. They gave me three songs, “So Much for Love”, “U R Grace U R” and “Candy”. This were newer recordings and sounded much crisper than their previous demos on Myspace. The A side, “So Much for Love”, was/is such a cracking indiepop song.

This wasn’t the last time we worked together. It was 2007. I kept in touch for a bit. The song “Down the Alleyway” was included in the Thrilled to Bits 3″ compilation. This was a very special EP as it was a Cloudberry gig in the UK, with Horowitz, The Parallelograms, and Slow Down Tallahassee on the bill. I remember I chose this song before their first album came out. They sent me a CDR with a handwritten tracklist of their album and told me, just pick any song, the one I like the most, and use it. Such friendly gestures, such trusting gestures, are so hard to come by.

They kept releasing some records on the Sheffield Corporation, who sadly didn’t behave very nicely with me, but that’s another story. What’s important is that Slow Down Tallahassee kept putting put amazing songs out. They recorded a handful of promo videos too. Sadly there’s not many live footage of them. And I say that because I never got to see them live. Never. Now I regret that. They didn’t play Indietracks or London Popfest after I started traveling to Europe, after I graduated and had a proper job.

I didn’t meet the band either. Just Claire, when she was playing drums for the Parallelograms that year that they were announced at last minute. That was just luck. Pure luck. It was my highlight for that year’s Indietracks (I’m sure that I’ve mentioned before in the blog too). It was such a beautiful gig. I remember clearly the atmosphere at the church, it was giddy, and boiling, and everything felt so right. It was were everyone there belonged to be at the moment. I’m so glad the band that canceled or couldn’t play or whatever wasn’t there.

I met the Parallelograms for the first time ever after the show. And I was introduced to Claire too. We spoke just a little, not too much. Maybe 5 minutes at the most. I thanked her for Slow Down Tallahassee. Asked her about what was coming next, any other recordings, and so on. It was a lovely meeting, and we even took that photo together with my friend Andrew from The Felt Tips.

We lost touch even though we were friends on Facebook. I didn’t know much of her musical adventures. Until a year ago when I was put in touch with The Nature Set thanks to a friend, Andrew (another Andrew). The band sent me their 7″ and some CDRs with unreleased songs. I sent them some records in exchange. I didn’t know Claire was in the band until I saw the photo on the 7″ cover. And it made me so glad that she was still making music after Slow Down Tallahassee. I had before listened to another project of hers, Bon Bon Club, and now this. You could tell she was very talented and had this energy to start all these different music projects. By the way, I don’t know how many instruments she played but, I saw her drumming for the Parallelograms, and I’m pretty sure she played guitars for Slow Down Tallahasse. And I can’t even play one instrument right.

The news shocked me a couple of months ago. It was definitely unexpected.  Slow Down Tallahassee was a band that helped me build this label. It was a band that made me believe in a scene, they were just so nice, so trustful and most importantly, passionate. On top of that you can add that they had good taste, good influences, and knew their stuff. And they were passionate. They were indeed a beautiful light.

I’m sure this has been a hard year, and I know I’m late, I was a bit shy as I wasn’t close to express my feelings. I’m very sorry. I wish the family strength.

I will miss your music. Because you made so many songs that were important to me. You made songs that were totally indiepop hits too. I wish I had seen you play live. I wish we could have talked a bit longer that Indietracks. I wish I had released more records by your bands too. They were all so excellent. I can only say thank you so many times.

Thank you.

rest in peace.