Is it really two weeks until Indietracks?

This year the festival is happening in early July, trying not to clash with the London Olympics. The torch will still be going from town to town while we party and a parade of grannies and celebrities will be carrying it, crossing steel bridges and posing in front of sky high cathedrals. Who cares about the Olympics, Beckham won’t be playing, right? And anyways, we’ll be in Derby of all places. And this year I’m staying in Mansfield, not Alfreton, which is a big change for me and I don’t know how will that work. And that’s because the Travelodge in Alfreton was my headquarters for the last two years, were the breakfasts at Little Chef were appalling but much needed, and the late night wine drinking with Andreas and Nana at the picnic table on the porch were nothing but memorable. And now, because some geniuses booked every single room of the Travelodge way in advance, I couldn’t find a space. And so, as the Premier Inn in Alfreton was also fully booked, the third closest hotel was my choice: Mansfield. Because I’m not camping. Ever.

Happily some friends will also stay at Mansfield which means that sharing a cab won’t be a problem. But, how well it will work? Probably cabs will be over 10 pounds. And then, I wonder how long does it take from this hotel to Butterley Station. Stuff to figure out. Figuring it out starting Saturday. Because Friday we’ll probably miss it. Our train doesn’t arrive to Alfreton until 9:30pm. And I feel going to the festival for just an hour or two, doesn’t make much sense at that point. Jet-lagged.  Traveling all day. A good sleep and rest might be the best idea at that point. Waking up early would be great, head to Tesco and supply ourselves with Diet Coke and other important nutritious elements. But I won’t count with waking up early. We’ll give it a shot. Most probably waking up around 10am and heading for breakfast around 11am. Cristóbal has been raving about the breakfast at the Mansfield Premier Inn. As much as I love British breakfast, I can only have it once a year. It’s a heart attack. Sausage, bacon, egg, hash browns, toast, brown sauce, etc, etc. Delicious. But only once a year. Indietracks time.

Some days ago I made a list of the gigs I plan to attend. There are a couple of clashes like always. Clashes that make me worry, that wish I had the ability to multiply myself; clashes that annoy me, clashes that shouldn’t happen. Though they will happen, always. It’s impossible, unless everyone shared the same music taste. During the last couple of weeks I did my homework as well. I listened to every single band playing the festival, especially, and in detail, those that I didn’t know, that have been under the radar. And well, they’ve been under my radar for a reason clearly. No surprises there. And I went and listened some of them again and again because my dear friend Jennifer told me that I would like them, that they are great, that some have even political lyrics, but no. They didn’t make me feel an urge to release their music. Yeah, that’s the bar I have now. If I want or not to release their music. It doesn’t mean that I will do that of course. But it’s more like, if I had the money, if I had the time, and if the band was willing, will I release it? And if the answer is yes. Then, I like the band, it’s worth of 40 minutes and warm beer on the front row, holding the metal fence and clapping in between every single song.

So Friday. It makes me very sad to miss The School. Their song “Let it Slip” is a modern indiepop classic and a favourite of mine for a couple of years now. And their song repertoire is not far behind. But well, here I’m crossing fingers that they are booked to NYC Popfest next year. Because that’s the only festival I attend next year.

Moving onto Saturday.

Arriving at the festival grounds around lunch time would be perfect. The first band I want to see is not playing until 2pm, so there will be some time to hang out, say hello to friends, and perhaps grab a bite. Wonder what will be the lunch options this year. Will there be at last a proper sandwich place, with real hamburgers? Or instead of vegetarian indian, maybe I can find some chicken tikka? Or what about a kebab truck? I think that would be a big hit. But then, probably the options will be the same. Though, I keep crossing my fingers.

At 2pm Vacaciones will be playing and it feels a bit like a dream. How many years listening to Vacaciones. How many years since they split. But now suddenly they decide to come back. Perhaps it was because the Japanese release of the double CD including all their Elefant recordings? It wouldn’t be a surprise if that sparked it. The CD is a must have for anyone that loves pop. It’s indispensable. More than a decade since they started playing in their native Murcia, the band of the great Rafa Skam is ready to charm the English crowd. Songs like “Poppy Girl”, “No Me Digas Que Me Quieres”, “Espero una Respuesta”, are already classic songs in my book, and for the first time, I’ll be able to sing-a-long. And LOUD!

As soon as Vacaciones gig is over, it’s time for Evans the Death. Actually I’m listening to their album while I write this post. It’s a great debut album, though I miss a bit the lack of production of their demos. But nothing you can do about this, it’s meant to happen.  Since releasing “Catch Your Cold” on the compilation”Do You Think It Will Snow Tonight?” I became a big fan of the band. Young and talented. With bright songs, catchy, and fun. It didn’t take long for a bigger label, than Cloudberry, to offer a release, and well, nowadays they are releasing their music on Fortuna Pop and Slumberland. I never got around to offer them a 7″, something I would have loved. But that’s ok. Now they have 2 7″s out and an album, all of them really fantastic. I feel they could get even bigger. I have seen them before already, at London Popfest, when they played among the first bands and the 100 Club was nearly empty. I feel at Indietracks they’ll have a much bigger crowd as they are not to be missed. My new favourite song of theirs is “Wet Blanket”.

By 4:40pm half of my wishes come true. Also half the reason that I traveled to Indietracks. Half a reason that made me decide that this will be my last festival. One of my favourite bands of the last 10 years or so. Liechtenstein. Where can I start? I guess back in 2006? That’s when I heard for the first time “Stalking Skills” on myspace. It was AMAZING. When I put together that same year a tape called C-06, I had to include it. Liechtenstein re-recorded the song for me. And the rest is history. Later they will release a couple of 7″s in their own label Fraction Discs, penning more indiepop classics for the ages, like the super fabulous “Passion for Water”. And also two strong and dazzling albums would see the light of day. During all this time, even though I’ve seen the members around, especially dear Renée, who actually I saw play solo once, I’ve never managed to catch Liechtenstein live. And I’ve been close, very close, like that one time that they came to NYC Popfest and I had to cancel at last minute my flight for personal reasons. And it’s been like that, always. But at last, I’m heading over the UK, I got convinced that I had to buy a plane ticket there, when I saw they were going to play. After that, I would have seen all modern bands that I like, and I don’t see the point of traveling to attend any other festivals.  But I still have the wish of releasing Liechtenstein again, a proper release this time. No compilation. I love them. So much.

At 5:20pm, hopefully, I can make it to Bart Cummings and Pam Berry’s gig. They will play at the church and probably it will be packed. Two big names, in a tiny tiny place. So what’s the solution? Probably sit on the grass area next to the church and listen from there. Peek through the windows? We’ll see. This could be a magical moment for many, including me. Bart is releasing a new EP soon on Matinée, and from the promo song that’s been around, I can say it promises a lot. Hopefully it will be sold at Indietracks and I can get Bart to sign it for me. Should be nice to see Bart after that time in Berlin when we barely talked.

If I’m still outside the church by 5:40pm (which is the most certain thing at this year’s Indietracks), I’ll head to Gold-Bears. It’s true, I’ve seen them many times by now, but they are always fun to watch. Jeremy and company know how to put a show full of ramshackle guitars and fast-paced indiepop a la This Poison! If you’ve never seen them before. Don’t miss them. There is no one around playing this kind of frantic indiepop. And, you must know, they released last years’ best album.

At 6:20 I will head to see Joanna Gruesome for 20 minutes. I enjoy them, but I have mixed feelings. I find them charming, but nothing special. Their music sounds like the 90s, but for some reason I’m compelled to watch them. I think it’s because the girl/boy vocals. They are catchy and very poppy. My friends tell me that live they don’t have a girl singing. That is not a good sign. I’ll check them out, and see if they convince me. If not, heading straight to the Jasmine Minks at 6:40. This may be my first clash, only if Joanna Gruesome are good enough. The Jasmine Minks for sure are fantastic, but I could miss a bit of their gig just because I saw them last year already. But if I don’t have to miss any Jasmine Minks that’s fine with me too. To sing “Cut me Deep”, “Cold Heart”, or the INDIEPOP-HIT “Think!”, is life-affirming. Front row at the Jasmine Minks is what I recommend. They sounded glorious last year, no reason for them not to this year.

And now it’s time for the headliners. Both I’ve seen before. Go Sailor, once, at NYC Popfest, whereas Veronica Falls, like six times, all over the world. Both are great bands, and have plenty of hit songs. Songs that should be dancefloor fillers. And most of you will be watching them too. You know how good they are. So I’ll see you there. And we’ll have a beer.Then head to Librarians Wanted disco, to dance a bit. After an hour or so, Indietracks last train to Butterley will be leaving and our festival day will be over. Nostalgia will embrace us all and we won’t want to fall asleep, never wanting this day to be over. Just waiting for one final Indietracks day, Sunday.

But Sunday, let’s leave Sunday for next week.

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Now onto our obscure band of the week: The Harpoons.

HARPOON: 1610s, from Fr. harpon, from O.Fr. harpon “cramp iron, clamp, clasp” (described as a mason’s tool for fastening stones together), from harper “to grapple, grasp,” possibly of Germanic origin, or from L. harpa- “hook” (cf. harpagonem “grappling hook,” from Gk. *harpagon, related to harpe “sickle”). Earlier harping-iron (mid-15c.). Sense and spelling perhaps influenced by Dutch (cf. M.Du. harpoen) or Basque, the language of the first whaling peoples, who often accompanied English sailors on their early expeditions.

A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal. A harpoon can also be used as a weapon.

Some of you might remember an interview I did to Bristol’s Rorschach. The latter had formed from the ashes of The Harpoons. I tried interviewing the guys again about The Harpoons but never heard from them again. Anyhow, I think everyone should be aware of their one and only 7″ they released, “Tunnel Child / Cindy Storm”. Why? Because it’s fantastic proto-indie-pop. Yeah, I’m coining a new term here. But you’ll understand me when you listen to it. It was back in 1984 when this was released, and they were ahead of their time. “Tunnel Child” is pure bliss of guitar pop, with trumpets, great lyrics, and trumpets, and choruses. Just how I love my indiepop.

On that interview we talked some bits and pieces about The Harpoons:

Yabbo: From what I remember Jon Brokenbrow (the Harpoon’s drummer) had quit and we decided to start a new band (Rorschach) with the same line up – but with Cris Warren on drums. Geoff and I had become friendly with Cris while out busking in Bristol. Cris would tag along sometimes and play harmonica.

Geoff: the Harpoons had run their natural course. The new line up and material was a lot fresher and more punchy.

Yabbo: Geoff is my oldest friend – we met at primary school when we were little children. I met Pete Stillman when I was about 14 and thethree of us pretty much learnt guitar together – often practising at ourhomes. We had a lot of very poor quality equipment. Because we were all learning at the same time I think it was easier. Geoff and I met Scott in an old nightclub in Bristol called ‘Yesterdays’. We were looking fora new singer for the Harpoons and we went up to various good looking blokes and asked them if they could sing – one of them was Scott. I seemto remember that he never got in touch, but then we met him again at a party and it came together. He was a good front man – handsome and charismatic – and he could sing.

The band was formed by most of the guys that went to form Rorschach indeed. It had Geof on bass, Yabsley (Yabbo) on guitar, Pete on guitar, Dominic on vocals and Jon on drums. On the single they got the help from Tom on Sax and Ian on trumpet. The record was produced by Steve Street (is it Stephen Street?) and the sleeve came courtesy from a guy called Phil. The single was recorded at SAM Studios in Bristol, their hometown.

The record is dedicated to “Andy Jones and those Pineapple days”. A bio on the Bristol Archive Records site clears what this means:

Formed out of the ashes of Fishponds-based goofy garage band ‘Groovy Pineapple’ with the departure of their drummer to art school in 1983, the Harpoons (with Pete Stillman on lead guitar, Steve Yabsley on rhythm guitar, Geoff Gorton on bass, Jon Brokenbrow on drums, and Dominic Fitzpatrick on vocals for the single, later replaced by Scott Jarrold after joining Shrewd) were a regular feature on Bristol’s pub rock and club circuit in the early 1980’s, playing frequently at the Western Star Domino Club, the Granary, the Bristol Bridge Inn and the Thekla as well as at other less typical venues, including a memorable gig at Glenside Psychiatric Hospital!

A session for Janice Long’s Radio 1 show recorded at the Abbey Road studios in 1983 led to a growing fan base, with the band’s double A-side single ‘Cindy Storm / Tunnel Child’ produced by Steve Street receiving extensive air play on late night national radio. A tour was arranged, with the band playing at such far-flung venues (for a Bristol band) as Dingwalls in London, and Southampton University. Their exuberant, guitar-driven sound with psychedelic touches, with many of their lyrics penned by Steve Yabsley, the popular BBC Radio Bristol presenter, continued on after the departure of drummer Jon Brokenbrow when the band reformed as Rorschach (with Michele Schillace on drums, who would later play for Portishead), and later as Santa Cruz, who signed to MCA and produced one album before disbanding in the late 1990s.

And that’s about all the information about the band online. It’d be great to hear more from the Rorschach guys, but if any of you have any more information about The Harpoons, if you ever saw them live, or any other anecdotes please share!

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Listen
The Harpoons – Tunnel Child

This is the last part of my NYC Popfest review. And then onto Indietracks because there’s less than three weeks for the greatest indiepop festival of the year. Time does fly.

Let’s say this is just gossip, but when Pushy Parents got offered a place to practice before their Saturday gig, well, they couldn’t say no. I had vaguely met the band on Thursday, after been baked in the Cakeshop’s basement oven, just outside the front door of the venue just in that moment when people are  about to go home but don’t want to leave. Those extra fifteen, twenty minutes, outside the venue, hoping for something exciting to happen. Something else. Amanda and Helena, who were staying at my place, were figuring out with the rest of the band the plans, and what way were people walking towards their subway train. They spoke in Swedish naturally. And the rest of the band thought I was left behind, ignored. And then is when I briefly met them, as I say, “don’t worry about me, I understand perfectly what you are saying”, in my broken svenska. That’s when I briefly, really briefly, met Petter, Therese and Frida. Isak, the other member of the band, I had met last year in London Popfest as he had also joined that time Amanda to be part of The Andersen Tapes.

Friday I left early to work and the girls headed to Flushing for authentic Chinese fare. Saturday they were the ones who left early. They had the chance to practice just before their gig at some place in Brooklyn. They’ve never been to this rehearsal studio but they had an address and a key. The story goes a bit like this, they find the address but there are like 20 doors. All of them are locked. Now, which door will the key fit. Kafakaesque and post-modern as it seems, the key turns on one of the doors, and they end up in a sleek and fancy Brooklyn bar. There are no instruments around, no microphones, just a drum kit. This can’t be it, but there’s beer. It’s a bar after all.

They end up practicing outside the bar with the few instruments they’ve been carrying.

Meanwhile I’ve been attending the afternoon show at Spike Hill in Wiliamsburg. Chelsea and Bayern are playing the final game of the Champions League. Some people are caring about the game more than the shows. I bring in some tacos I bought from the truck outside and the bar tender is nice enough to not kick me out as this venue also serves food, and bringing your own is not allowed. From far away, biting my tortillas filled with cecina and having a pint of Hoegaarden, I enjoy one of the best NYC bands at the moment, Pale Lights. I talk a bit with Comet Gain’s David Feck and get him to sign me an old 7″ I have. Then with Felipe from Cola Jet Set we head to Academy Records and later for some bulgogi to get ourselves back together. It’s already 8pm so we head to Public Assembly.

What can I say about the Pushy Parents gig. First of all this night had the strongest lineup of the festival, with Electric Pop Group, Comet Gain, Seapony and Pooh Sticks. But it was Pushy Parents the one I enjoyed the most. You may think it’s sacrilege, with some indiepop classics up there on the billboard. It may be that I’ve seen Comet Gain and Pooh Sticks before, so the impact wasn’t much of an impact. Seapony sadly didn’t sound like on record and Electric Pop Group were nice but you couldn’t stop wondering what if they had their full band. Still enjoyable though. But Pushy Parents, they were the openers but they felt as the ones who were closing the gig. There wasn’t anything else after for me. I had my dose of fantastic indiepop and why keep on listening. I was done for the night. Especially after their last song, a rendition of Amanda’s old band Free Loan Investments. The song: “Bomb the Bourgoisie”. I remember asking her on chat to play this one months ago. It made my day, it may as well made my year.

This was the first time Helena played live. The rest of the band were much more experienced. They’ve been in many bands. And you could tell. They were so tight. They were having great fun. From the already classic “Secret Secret” to “Dear John”, they played a flawless set that encompassed their one and only 7″ record on Elefant and some songs of the upcoming 10″ on Elefant. It was glorious. And all of you missed it, well, pray that they will play again. As far as I know, this was a one-off.

On Sunday, things were a bit quieter. The venue this time didn’t have as much people and the lineup wasn’t as strong. I left just as soon White Town finished as the next three bands were a snorefest as my friend Scott put it. In a sense that was good as I was exhausted and had to go work the next day. But Sunday had a couple of highlights that have to be mentioned. First off, Dot Dash. Great, energetic, and punchy, the band that Terry Banks have put together sounded so good that it was a shame they played so early. Hopefully they become a bit bigger and come back. And what about the Holiday Crowd? They were a huge hit for me. I wonder how I didn’t know about their existance before Shelflife put their CD out. Where were they hiding? Fantastic jangle that for some reason goes unappreciated here. I feel it might be much bigger in the UK. They had songs, they had great chorus, and had stage presence. All the members exuded different personalities, and that is always a plus in my book. They seemed interesting. Would  have loved to exchange some words.

And then my good Canadian friends Sleuth. With Jainy pissed because the sound engineer sucked. Understandably so. They were fun to watch and listen. You could tell they have something special, just a bit of tightening here and there and they’ll be one of the most interesting indiepop bands around. This was cleared the next day, on the Popfest hangover show at the Rock Shop, where the sound was much better and songs like “Fishing for Moonlight” or the “Honey is in the Hive” shined brightly as Jainy’s Postcard Records’ cat tattoo. I look forward to their new recordings a lot. And to have Korean food with them again. It was a fun weekend.

It feels like I’m leaving a lot of Popfest stories out of these posts, but it’s time to move to the obscure indiepop band of the week, Macguffins.

Let’s all transport to Melbourne, Australia, in the 80s. There are many great bands at the moment, some more successful than others. Some good labels too. And there’s one band whose one 7″ always escapes from me. Always at last minute on eBay someone bids more than me. And my excitement, my hopes, are all killed, destroyed, buried. This is one of the 7″s I want the most, it’s the Macguffins and the single is “Rich Together”. A song that makes me tremble for the sincerity of it’s lyrics and the romanticism behind it.

The first time I heard this song was on a mere MP3, a rip from a tape compilation Keith D’Arcy had done for the indiepop-list. The compilation was called “A Sandwich and a Sweater” and I feel it has become some sort of lost classic. It has a lot of fabulous and obscure tracks on it, were every song and every band are worth investigating. Years later I would listen this song again and the B side as well, “Dirty Ol Life”, on a compilation Peter Hahndorf made called “The Sound of Glen Waverley”. It was only CDR and handed to a couple of friends. He intended to release it one day, as the sort of “The Sound of Leamington Spa” but with Australian bands. It never happened because Jim from Egg Records wanted to do the same, so not to step on his toes, Peter let the project on a side. Sadly Jim never got around to releasing it anyways.

Since then I’ve been in love with one of the finest songs I know. A song that deserves to be in thousands of mix tapes and burned CDs.

This fab record was released on the DEX label (catalog 218E) in 1988. The sleeve art is a photo, taken by Gary Moore, of the band though I can’t pinpoint who is who. The band was formed by Rowan Smith on vocals and guitar, Michael Paxton on bass, Michael Wilkins on drums and Philippa Nihill on vocals and keyboards. On “Rich Together”, Glenn Bennie added some guitars. The record was produced by Mark Woods. The single was recorded in Sing Sing studios.

Originally popularized by Alfred Hitchcock, the term “MacGuffin” refers to the object in a movie that drives the action. In most cases, what the MacGuffin actually is irrelevant. It exists solely to get the characters moving and drive the plot forward. The only real requirement is that it must be something people are willing to cheat, lie, steal, kill, or be killed for. As long as it sounds plausible, it’ll work. Still, despite the very loose qualifications for a MacGuffin, great films have used some pretty memorable ones.

I don’t know whatever happened to this great band. I assume they didn’t  have much success. I wonder if they had more songs recorded. If they played live often. When and why did they break up. But there is information about what happened to some of the band members after.

Rowan Smith went to join a couple of bands, Barefoot, Antenna, GB3, Coda, Youth Group, as well as helping recording and playing instruments with a couple more bands. Michael Wilkins played in Redfish Bluefish (who I’ve never heard but it’s said they were proper guitar indie pop!). And Philippa would also join GB3 as well as releasing some records as a solo artist, though she had some sort of breakthrough along Glenn Bennie, as the Underground Lovers, a band that is well known in their native Australia.

The Underground Lovers officially assembled in 1990, playing their first gig in May that year at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel, supporting The Macguffins. In addition to Bennie and Giarrusso, the original lineup featured Philippa Nihill (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Stephen Downes (bass) and Richard Andrew (drums); Maurice Argiro replaced Downes on bass following the first show.

Interesting fact, the Macguffins were still going two years after the release of their 7″. Perhaps it was the success of Underground Lovers that made the Macguffins split? Who knows. But if you know anything else about this long lost band, if you have spare copies of “Rich Together” and want to help a soul in need, please get in touch. Would love to know more about the Macguffins!

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Listen
Macguffins – Rich Together

Quite an exhaustive week thanks mostly to a freelance job that, like a snowball, became bigger and bigger. Moving domains, websites and databases is never fun. Working with some people who don’t understand anything about it, and expect everything to be functional within hours, is really annoying to say the least. My patience wore thin. If I hadn’t signed a contract until July, I would probably call it quits. The money is never worth if it’s going to affect my sleeping patterns. That’s my rule of thumb. But, in the end, I convince myself of being a professional and found some energy, somewhere deep in my soul I guess, and managed to finish it. But of course, there won’t be time to relax. I can see a pile of work coming up, though it won’t be freelance so I’m hoping that I can work at my pace. A pace I haven’t been able to have probably since last May, when things got terribly busy with NYC Popfest, and there was no time for anything else. But no complains then, it was busy but in a good way.

How can I bring back that weekend of Brooklyn Lagers and L and R trains. A weekend when Amanda and Helena stayed at my place and woke me up singing “Secret Secret”, a weekend of new friends and familiar faces, a weekend where indiepop reigned supreme again. I guess Indietracks will revive some of that excitement in a month, but it is a different experience altogether. It’s in the middle of nowhere and “exploration” means seeing trains and farm animals, unlike here in NYC where it has a wider meaning. Though also, the immersion is much different, Indietracks is like an indiepop holiday; NYC, is a different experience. It can’t be compared.

It’s been a couple of years since Maz took over NYC Popfest, and every year he keeps doing it better. You can only salute his taste, trying to always bring the new bands to the NYC public, something that me, attending many popfests, celebrates. It’s refreshing to see bands that I haven’t seen before. And Maz is good at that. He doesn’t just book his friends. As I told him, he is a ‘visionaire’. He knows what the fans want when it comes to indiepop. And mostly because he is fan himself. And it’s clear he dedicates a lot of his spare time to discover new and exciting music. During this NYC Popfest weekend, in a turn of events, at one point, on Saturday, he went up on stage just before Saturday Looks Good to Me. For the first time he addressed the fans directly,  with no shyness or stage fright. He thanked everyone that attended. He thanked all the bands. And last but not least, he invited everyone to the dance party. It was one of my Popfest highlights. I feel it’s important to make these festivals as personal, as friendly as possible. I think Maz is achieving that.

For me there was one band that was brilliant. And they were Cola Jet Set. Tight, fun, and close to pop perfection, Felipe Fresón’s ensemble was as dreamy and fun as you want a pop band to be. Even though they had lost some members in the last couple of years, the band seems to keep going strong, and everyone that is new, replacing an old member, performs just as good, and maybe, better. Alicia, Daniel, Ruth, Joan and Felipe gave a fabulous performance on Saturday night, even to the point that Maz had to ask twice to the sound engineer to give them more time so they could perform two more songs. One of them, an encore, “Al Amanecer”. And the fans were thankful to it. People danced non-stop to songs that most don’t understand because of the language barrier. And that is enough to point out how good they were. And how about Felipe’s introduction to each one of the songs? Not a story of what the song is about, but a little footprint perhaps, a little note with irony and love about what was going to be the next song. It was endearing. And the band smiling non stop, having the time of their life. And Joan leaving the drums, getting close to the stage, hitting his drumsticks, and asking for the crowd to get wilder, happier. And shouting, “one, two, three”, Ramones-style, because they were in NYC, and “Al Amanecer” is as punky as it gets.

And what can I say about hanging out with Felipe. Record shopping at Academy Records where I found the “Not Just Mandela” compilation for six bucks among other things. Having some bulgogi while we waited Pushy Parents. Getting some Burning Hearts records signed, and me, getting my Fresones Rebeldes’ “Al Amanecer” 7″ signed by the master himself. Endless conversations about Spanish indiepop, the story behind Los Canguros, Pepito Sex, and what not. The Barcelona scene, Brighton 64 and Kamembert. Los Negativos. His Vespa and his trip to see Les Calamites. It was good times. And can’t wait to hang out again. Perhaps when I find the time to visit Barcelona. Wouldn’t that be glorious?

And talking about signed Burning Hearts records. Weren’t they magnificent? I got the chills when they played “Into the Wilderness”. I was hypnotized by their set. The two times I saw them. They were just perfect. They had a SOUND. And I feel terrible now for missing them at NYC Popfest 2009, when they were just a duo. So I can’t compare. But this four-piece they are today, they can be huge if they wanted. They have songs, they have a particular sound that is both dreamy and edgy, and they are great musicians. Jessika is among my favourite vocalists at the moment in the indiepop scene. Well, at the moment is a bit paltry, I’d say since they started, 5 years ago, when I listened “I Lost My Colour Vision”, since then, she is one of my favourite vocalists. White socks up to her knees, holding the microphone and playing at the right time the keyboard, she exudes passion and control, and I find myself  bewitched by their songs. And I say it now, I wanted to release it back in the day. I love that song, and funny enough, they didn’t play it. But they played all my other favourite songs, so why would I complain.

It was sad that last year they had to cancel their Indietracks show. I was so excited to see them. I thought that maybe that was going to be my last chance. But the world is generous, and I was lucky to see them twice in NYC this May. Once at the sauna of The Cakeshop, sweating like if I was running a marathon in the Sahara desert, and then at The Rock Shop, where only a few, those militant indiepop fans, attended that Monday after Popfest. A Popfest hangover show indeed. Seeing Jessika and Henry again, since 2009 when they came to play with Cats on Fire, was great. And they haven’t changed a bit, they are nice, humble and friendly as they were. And they keep doing great music. And you know, I look forward to one day when I can work with them. They are among the best bands around, really creative and talented, that deserve to play more festivals around. It’s a bit confusing to see why they don’t get invited to more shows around the world. They are as good as Cats on Fire. And shouldn’t be seen as a sister band or something like that. They are a band on their own. And they keep better and better. “Into the Wilderness” should have been a HUGE hit last year.

There’s more to what NYC Popfest offered and I will continue to cover it next week. Also hopefully there will be time to do a little preview for Indietracks. I need to do that because I don’t have a clue yet if there are any clashes this year for me. Need to organize myself. Anyhow, moving to the meaty part, the one that is important for all of us, indiepop collectors, the obscure band of the week. This week I’ll introduce you to The Lowthers, from Manchester I believe.

I believe they hail from Mancunian lands, but I can’t assure you 100%. I can only tell you this for sure, they were formed by Simon Howles on vocals, Fran Wright on guitar, Julian Dyson on bass and Roger Quigley on drums. They were called “Fine British Mitherers” and they were around 1987 and 1988. Maybe earlier too. Maybe later too.

They appeared on two compilations. The first one is from 1987 and was a tape compilation called “Are You Ready?”. This was a proper indiepop compilation that included the likes of The Haywains, The Driscolls, The Mayfields and more. The song they contributed was  “Whoose Afraid?”. I remember hearing it. Though I can’t seem to find an MP3 of it. I’m sure many of you have it. And if you have some time, please do send it my way. I feel I have this compilation somewhere on MP3, but I still haven’t had the time to organize some of my hard drives, nor my computers, since I moved to NYC. Somedays I seriously think I need an intern or even better an assistant to organize a bit the mess here. Any takers?

The second compilation appearance, the one I know I love, is on the “The Disparate Cogscienti” compilation, released in 1987. This compilation was on the Cog Sinister label ran by The Fall’s Mark E. Smith. The song was “Sylvia” and what a song it is. It’s pure jangle! But first a little history of the Cog Sinister label thanks to Discogs:

The first appearance of the Cog Sinister label was in 1987 when The Fall used it as the imprint for their self-released anthology album “Palace Of Swords Reversed”. The imprint returned in 1990 when the band signed to Fontana and used Cog Sinister as a vanity label for their releases. When they moved from Fontana to Permanent Records, they continued to use the Cog Sinister brand on their releases .Since leaving Permanent in 1995, The Fall no longer used Cog Sinister on their new material. However, since 1997, the imprint has become part of the Voiceprint label group, and is being used for reissues of the group’s back-catalogue.

“The Disparate Cogscienti” was the second release on the label and it includes another gem, Beatrice’s “A Girl Like Me”. So I do recommend getting it, as I listened Jessel’s recommendation once, that time he took me to a – secret, secret – to find so many great records in what may be the best record shopping experience I’ve ever had. That day I picked up this fabulous black, white and yellow sleeve from one of the racks, after my good friend asked me if I knew about it. Of course I didn’t. He said it was worth it for the Beatrice song. Though he did mention that The Lowther’s song was quite good. And good it is. And the compilation is worth getting for The Lowthers song too I say. On Discogs at the moment there’s a copy for 4.99 euros if you are interested. I say get it.

Sylvia s(y)-lvia, syl-via as a girl’s name is pronounced SIL-vee-ah. It is of Latin origin, and the meaning of Sylvia is “woods, forest”. The Latin form Silvia was more popular for centuries until recently. Rhea Silvia was an ancient nature goddess, mother to the twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus. Shakespeare used the name Silvia for the love interest in his play “Two Gentlemen of Verona”, probably intending to give the impression of a typical Italian girl though the name has come to be regarded as an English name. Through the centuries, Sylvia has many variant forms: Silva, Silvaine, Silvana, Silvania, Silvanna, Silvia, Silviana, Silvianne, Silvie, Sylva, Sylvana, Sylvanna, Sylvee, Sylvette, Sylviana, Sylvianne, Sylvie, Sylvina, Sylvine, Sylvonna, Sylwia, Zilvia and Zylvia.

Who was this enigmatic Sylvia, that the vocalist is saving himself for? Was she real, I wonder. If she was, she did inspire a fantastic indiepop song. Or maybe they were inspired by a historical Sylvia as Shakespeare did? If so, I would rule out the Sylvias with different spelling, so no Queen Silvia from Sweden, and no Silvia Pinal from those Mexican soap operas I saw with my nanny back when I was a five year old. Or Sylvie Vartan, that French chanteuse who was pretty pretty. We rule her out too sadly. So what about Sylvia Syms, the British actress? She is a possibility. It’s not a rare thing 80s band singing about actresses from back in the day. The other known Brithish Sylvia I can think of, and then I can’t think of many as I’m not British, is Sylvia Pankhurst who was a main player in the English suffragist movement in the early decades of the twentieth century. So no, don’t think they sang about her. Most probably, I’m just thinking too much and they just sang about a Sylvia they knew, a Sylvia from their neighborhood who they had a mad crush with. Lucky her. The song is really GOOD.

The only other fact, and perhaps the most interesting fact, is that Roger Quigley, the drummer, went to form The Bitter Springs, The Montgolfier Brothers, and the Verspertine record label. Alright. Most of you may know these names. But why were The Lowthers forgotten? Maybe because these were their only two songs? Hard to believe, but it’s a possibility. Two songs that weren’t released as singles, but on obscure compilations.

But still, I want to ask, because “Sylvia” is a fantastic jangle pop song that could be showcased in the great Sound of Leamington Spa compilations, does anyone know if they recorded more songs? what happened to then? did any of you happen to catch them playing live? if so, do share what you know or your anecdotes.

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Listen
The Lowthers – Sylvia

Back to blogging after two weeks and writing in between South American world cup qualifiers games. That’s how busy it’s been. Busy because two weekends ago we had the city’s premiere indiepop festival, NYC Popfest and the week after, last weekend, Memorial Day weekend, I traveled to Washington DC to do some tourism among Harley Davidson motorcyclists that arrived from every corner of the US. Hope some people missed the blog. I did.

The most important news is that The Deddingtons’ retrospective album is out now on the Cloudberry Cake Kitchen label. This is the second release in the label and I’m very proud of it. It’s been a long way since the day I interviewed Chris Morgan on the blog: meeting him  and Andy in Nottingham, at the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn, where we all had fish & chips and a chilled beer, transferring these 10 songs from tape to digital, working and re-working the artwork, going through different mastered versions of the tracks, and so on. It took quite a while, but now I can say that at last, after more than 20 years these songs can be listened in all their glory!

The release has the same design and aesthetics as our first release on the label. Vertical, book-style, digipack, black-white-blue colors on the front and back, and full color booklet. 8 page booklet. You can expect the same class-design on the rest of the series, and you know the next release we are working on is a full retrospective of long-time favourite of mine, Strange Idols, from London, UK. We cater for you indiepop fans, we know what you want. No plans of broadening our horizons nor branching out,  we keep true to indiepop, even if sales go down and down.

On other Cloudberry news I have started working on the new fanzine. Hopefully it will be out by September or October as the latest. This time the fanzine will be printed in turquoise ink and will feature the lovely Miralda from Youngfuck on the cover. There will be interviews to Youngfuck (of course), Spook School, Nixon, Earth First, and more. Keep an eye on it!

Also, have you picked up your Cloudberry tote bag yet? We have them now on black canvas and they are very limited.

Next week I’ll try to look back and remember NYC Popfest. And also I’d like to have a look at Indietracks. I am going and I haven’t had the time to look at the schedule, not even to see if there are any clashes this year. I hope not! So those posts have to happen soon. But today I want to see if there’s any luck in trying to find more about some obscure band that is as mysterious as it gets. The name: Magdelene Fields.

I absolutely know nothing about the band. Who they were? Where were they from? What years were they active? Who knows. Clearly they are from the UK, but that’s about it.

Some months ago while meeting with Brian from Earth First for some beers, we talked about this band. I had totally forgotten about them. I have heard them on YouTube thanks to a Japanese guy called Takashi who disappeared from the map, not before thinking the world was against him and everyone wanted to “steal” his obscure bands. Childish behaviour, sure, but not surprising in an indiepop fan. Seems we have more neurosis than emo kids. Anyhow, thanks to him I know the existence of many great British bands from the 80s. I’d say a year or two ago he had this YouTube channel where he posted lots of songs from obscure songs, it was really amazing, it was like opening a can of candy, full of new flavours. I’m glad I ripped most of these songs to MP3s as the channel has long been deleted. Probably because he felt zealous about sharing these songs with the rest of us mortals.

Brian had also heard this song on his Youtube. I don’t remember how we ended up talking about them, but we agreed on how great this song was. The song was “Christmas Island” and as Krister says, it sounds like The Rain, it sounds jangly, it sounds as pop perfection. Who wrote this song? And whatever happened to this band?

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, 360 km (220 mi) south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, 975 km (606 mi) ENE of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and 2,748 km (1,708 mi) west of the Territorian city of Darwin. Christmas Island has a population of 1,403 residents who live in a number of “settlement areas” on the northern tip of the island: Flying Fish Cove (also known as Kampong), Silver City, Poon Saan, and Drumsite.The island’s geographic isolation and history of minimal human disturbance has led to a high level of endemism among its flora and fauna, which is of significant interest to scientists and naturalists. 63% of its 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi) is an Australian national park. There exist large areas of primary monsoonal forest.Phosphate, deposited originally as dead marine organisms (not guano as often thought), has been mined on the island for many years.

Captain William Mynors of the Royal Mary, a British East India Company vessel, named the island when he sailed past it on Christmas Day in 1643. The island was included on British and Dutch navigation charts as early as the beginning of the seventeenth century, but it was not until 1666 when a map published by Dutch cartographer Pieter Goos included the island. Goos labelled the island Mony, the meaning of which is unclear. British navigator William Dampier, aboard the British ship Cygnet, made the earliest recorded visit to sea round the island in March 1688. He found it uninhabited. Dampier gave an account of the visit which can be found in his Voyages. Dampier was trying to reach Cocos from New Holland. His ship was pulled off course in an easterly direction, arriving at Christmas Island 28 days later. Dampier landed at the Dales (on the west coast). Two of his crewmen were the first recorded humans to have set foot on Christmas Island.

As far as I know, it’s Mary MagdAlene, not MagdElene. I wonder where the Magdelene names comes from, though I’ve seen some churches with that spelling in several British pages. I don’t seem to locate any fields named Magdelene Fields either. I assume it’s a made up name. But don’t quote me on it.

There’s only one fact, this song was released on a compilation LP called “New Reaction Volume 2” in 1988. It was released on the Reaction Label, catalog number UNREST 9, and included these bands: Mind The Gap, Mr Robinson, The Rain Devils, Magdalene Fields, Dream Studio, Candybox, Barbedwire, Mike Gari, Hands Up, One Touch To Go, The Partners, Touch And Go, Big Orange, Hands In The Heavens and Midnight Media. None of them I know. There was a Volume 1 released before that had a red/orange cover, whereas volume 2 had a turquoise cover. The bands that appear on the first volume are unknown to me too.

An interesting fact is that Reaction Records seems to have spawned from a metal label, Ebony Records. You can see more info about it here. It seems the label moved into more “alternative” stuff and decided to change it’s name. Don’t blame them, come on, it’s metal. Who can listen to that all their lives?

And that’s all the information there is about this mysterious band. If you know anything about them, please share! Would love to know what happened to this band and if they recorded any more songs. Judging by the quality of “Christmas Island” the rest of their songs have to be amazing!

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Listen
Magdelene Fields – Christmas Island

Just five days away from NYC Popfest and here I am trying to catch up before I’m swept by four nights of indiepop. Four days of indiepop that will paralyze the city. My city. A fabulous showcase of classic and up and coming bands. I have to say I’m mostly excited for the new-ish bands, as I have already seen the “established” ones! I will always prefer to see something new than seeing something for a second time. Been there, seen that, give me a surprise. My favourite Cindi Lauper is playing again, but then, that’s the norm, she plays every indiepop festival in the world. I must be a masochist, but I’ve seen the ukulele ensemble more times than any other band in my life. How did that happen? I don’t know. I must have a serious talk with all promoters in the world. But it will be hard, now she has street cred. Oakland label you know.

But there are some really exciting bands in my to-see list. Years of friendship and admiration, and good times, and beers, and I get to see Amanda play for the third time. First time as Pushy Parents. I heard their smash-song “Secret, Secret” so many months before it came out. And I was hooked. It made me unhappy not being able to share it. It was too good. And the release date seemed so far away. And then the 7″ was released. And they swore never to play live. I must congratulate Maz from Popfest to convincing Amanda to come and play these songs. I can’t really wait.

What about Cola Jet Set? I’m just thrilled. Sure, they don’t have Anita Dinamita fronting the band anymore, but I’m sure I will adore them. How couldn’t I? It’s Felipe’s band. Felipe from Los Fresones Rebeldes. One of the best bands that Spain has given the world. And Cola Jet Set is not far behind. I wonder if they will treat us all with a cover of “Al Amanecer”. All of my Spanish friends tell me they always play it. But then, here in the US, maybe not many know this classic song! They are also playing this Tuesday for free at The Cake Shop. Seriously, I must go. Songs like “Suena el Teléfono” or “Quiéreme” are indiepop hits in my book.

At last I’ll get to see The Electric Pop Group. A Swedish band I’ve followed since their early days, when they self-released their first and brilliant self-titled album. I was running the Mira el Péndulo blog back then and Martin was kind enough to send me a copy. “Popgirly” was played so many times at home. From that day on, the band started to gather a loyal following, signing to Matinée, and release a couple of EPs and another album. They played many festivals, but none of those I attended for a reason or another. At last, I will be at the front row.

Burning Hearts? Check. When they announced that they had to cancel their Indietracks gig I was bummed. I was looking forward to it. Jennifer was even sadder. I don’t know if the rest was too. Sure, they were replaced by The Parallelograms who were, GLORIOUS, but I wondered and wondered how this Finnish duo would sound live. How would that masterpiece called “I Lost My Colour Vision” sound at the church stage at Indietracks. How. It doesn’t matter now. They will perform here, in my city. I met them back in 2008, Henry and Jessica, when they came with Cats on Fire. Remember chatting a bit back in Union Pool. Jessica and her perfect Spanish. I was impressed. Wonder how will their masterpiece “Into the Wilderness” sound here.

Speedmarket Avenue. I remember back in the day, they had this perfect 7″, way before signing to Elefant, “He’s a Rebel”. What a song that was. And then they were quiet. Very quiet. Suddenly they signed to Elefand and released “Way Better Now”, another smasher. And then an album, and more 7″s. Still, the song for me, is that one, “He’s a Rebel”. Will they play it? I know Amanda is doing backing vocals for them. A nice plus. I’m very curious about how Isak and his gang can pull this one off. It should be great. I’m counting on them.

Dot Dash. I interviewed them not long ago. Perhaps they have the darkest sound among the bands I want tp see next weekend. A bit more angular, a bit more post-punk, but you know, done with a lot of taste. It promises a lot.

Back in late 2010 I released a compilation called “Do You Think It Will Snow Tonight?”. In that little 5-song EP, a brand new band was captivating everyone with their sweet sound: Seapony. At that point their 4 track demo was a common sight in every website and on all my friends’ facebook pages. Soon they released a 7″ and then an album. This Seattle band is one of the best new indiepop bands around, by far. They deserve to get bigger.

Then Pale Lights should be good. Mr Phil Sutton’s new band is jangly jangly, and he sings! If you remember The Soft City EP, he was singing on that, and it was quite fantastic. Then on the album he left singing duties to Dora Lubin, and whereas it was great, truly great, I always wondered why did Phil stop singing, he should do it again. And now he is doing it again, and he does it pretty well! I saw them a couple of months back in Brooklyn, at an art gallery. They were just formed and you could see something good shaping up. I believe they have or will have a 7″ out pretty soon, on their own label Calico Cat. I hope it’s ready for next weekend.

And last but not least, my favourite Canadian band: Sleuth. I’m very thrilled that one of the most talented bands around is playing New York. It’s true, not many know about them. Let’s say they are Vancouver’s best kept secret. And hopefully in the near future Cloudberry will be putting out their first 7″. That’s the plan at least. Very happy to see them after going for beers last September when I visited their city. Now it’s time for them to be in my city. NYC. I’m very excited to hear their new songs. So far, only a tape released, and one song on the compilation that came bundled with my last fanzine, Cloudberry 406. They are wonderful. And I hope they dazzle the crowd.

I feel that’s half of the bands playing Popfest? So, quite positive. Then of course there’s Comet Gain and Pooh Sticks which I’ve seen before and I love. So should be one of the best weekends of this year. For sure.

And I don’t feel the same way with Indietracks sadly. A friend said that it’s perhaps I’m getting old. But I don’t think that’s it. I feel promoters are getting old. Maybe that’s wrong to say. But I don’t feel old. I still crave for new music and new bands. But some still stick to the same old. But more on that on my next post. This is pretty long already.

But before we move to the obscure band of the week, let me tell you that I have brand new, and very limited, Cloudberry Records tote bags! Postage is included in the price, just heads up. And The Deddingtons release date is June 1st. Also you can now pre-order Earth First’s debut 7″. Many more news will be announced soon. A new fanzine for example. Yes! And a Strange Idols retrospective on Cloudberry Kitchen! And more. More. Much More. Just keep in touch, and I will keep you in the loop.

A flashback in time. I remember NYC Popfest 2007. Up the stairs to the second floor of Europa, in Brooklyn. Pants Yell! are playing. I don’t care much about them. “Heartless”,  I thought. I walk towards the merch table. And there are these tapes inside a briefcase. I know the band name. I’ve heard some of their songs. My friend Johanna shared with me some MP3s years before. Those were the times when we were on Soulseek and she was the mysterious ‘rascalette’, way before she wrote songs with Mr. Dan Treacy. I recognized most of the tape’s songs. But I never imagined they had a US release. The band name was Crime Time. They were Swedish. And they have been forgotten.

OK, not completely forgotten; I’ve actually tried in vain getting in touch with them a couple of times. I want to include them on The Sound of Starke Adolf compilations. No reply though.

The songs on the self-titled tape, released by Rub-A-Dub Tape Club,  include:
A1. 18 & Waiting
A2. A Dizzy Day in May
A3. I’m Just Waiting to Hear You Say You Made a Mistake
B1. We Need to Talk
B2. No Time
B3. What Would It Be?

Songs A1, A3, B1 and B2 were originally released on a CD-R titled “Serenghetto” back in 2004 I believe. In this CD-R their “hit” song was included: “Stop Playing Football”. I assume this CD-R was self-released. A1, A2, A3 and B3 were recorded in Lenken’s basement in February 2004 and also in Apelangen’s kitchen and garage in June 2004. They were mixed by the great Mattias Malm (Everyday Mistakes, Horsechimes). I wonder if this Lenken is the same as Victor Lenken, my good friend from Second-Hand Furniture. I wouldn’t be surprised. He has good taste.

B1 and B2 in the other hand were recorded in July 2003. So all in all,  that’s 7 songs total. I do know there is another song recorded, a superb cover of the Television Personalities’ “Smashing Time”. So that makes it to 8. Were there any more? Any clues?

The band was formed by Peter Moller on vocals and guitar, Molly Streijffert on vocals and guitar, Terese Nordstrom on bass and trumpet and Mikael Ellingsen on drums. When did they split, I don’t know. What are they up to, who knows. All I know is that they made fantastic crash pop songs, ramshackle greatness, something the Swedes were doing perfectly back in those early days of the past decade. Pure fun, youthful tunes, and guitars that crackle. Those were the days when I fell in love with indiepop. And later, that was the time when I fell in love with NYC Popfest. Always a bag full of surprises.

Oh! And one last thing, I’m DJing on the Saturday show of NYC Popfest. Say hello!

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Listen
Crime Time – Stop Playing Football

Thanks so much to my favourite club promoter around, Matthew Rimell for this interview. Right now, TODAY, I don’t think there’s any better indiepop club around than Big Pink Cake. Matthew and Heather (Big Pink Cake) have been going for some time now, seen many other clubs pop up and then disappear, but they keep going strong. I still remember the first time I met Matthew, a long time ago, in Hamburg for a our friend Nana’s birthday party. We both played tunes, spinned the classics and the should-be-classics, and danced until the next day. Fantastic times. An exquisite taste, and true to his politics, Matthew, and his Big Pink Cake, deserve the recognition of the whole indiepop community.

++ First questions first, how did you two meet?

We met at school during music lessons and it evolved into a friendship with a shared feeling of stuff that was going on at the time

++ And how did you get into indiepop?

Well I was really influenced by my older brothers record collection, stuff like early Felt, Postcard Records, stuff on 4AD and Factory stuff jumped out at me. But then somewhere during early 1985 a band called The Jesus and Marychain grapped my attention which led to me wanting to know more about Creation records.

++ So Big Pink Cake. What made you start the club night? What is the manifesto? 🙂

Partly because no one at that time seemed to be talking or doing anything to celebrate the importance of C86. The music around that time led to so many special memories and I thought it was a shame that it wasn’t being seen as something very significant..as I think it really really was. We had a chat as friends do in a pub, on the bus home came up with a few names that seemed right, but Big Pink Cake seemed perfect in many ways..it still does. The manifesto is simple, its about celebrating indie pop and its relations with the kind of passion that we think it deserves. Big Pink Cake is inclusive and will always be so. Its about having a positive and friendly attitude…we definitely don’t do egos.

++ When naming your club night what other songs were options for the name? Or was it a straightforward decision?

Well looking at the original notebook the other choices were Completely and Utterly or the Only Fun in Town, Big Pink Cake seemed to say more about us really and we totally identified with it massively, aesthetically and I guess politically too.

++ Back in the 80s I’d assume you were going to lots of clubs. Which were your favourites? And how much influence of those nights is there on Big Pink Cake?

Well The Tropic was a massive influence on us I guess as we used to go together, the sticky floor was a bit gross but it really was spectacular. The Western Star Domino Club was special and quite a unique little place. I think the biggest influence on me was the attitude, it was refreshingly optimistic…which you certainly did not get with other very prominent sub cultures at the time. It was definately inspiring to be around something that felt fresh and different and weirdly comforting that some people were really really not getting it at all! that kind of made it all the more special.

++ Are many of your friends from back then not into indiepop any more? Why do you think this has happened?

I don’t have many friends that are still into indie pop that are were into it then. Around 1985-87 Heather and I would go to The Tropic and we were the youngest ones there! Most of the people there were university students or older, we hadn’t even taken our O levels yet. But the people I did meet a little bit later on got a bit fed up with indie pop and became mods or more influenced by the 60s thing, or started to listen to entirely different music altogether.

++ And so, what have kept you into indiepop and doing it for the kids?

I don’t know. Its what a person references I suppose a feeling of what has really shaped you and what you identify with. For me the indie pop stuff that I bought back then is as fresh and inspiring as it was when I was 15 or 16. The idea of independent pop being presented as something so special and with the love, care and attention to the whole package is just beyond words really, its an example of how things could and should be.

++ Matthew, you’ve DJed in many countries and in many cities. Do you have a favourite one so far? What crowd has surprised you the most and why?

I have DJed in lots places and all of them have been a complete joy and honour to play in. I loved the Hamburg P!O!P! fest in 2009 that was so special…I couldn’t help myself and tried to play indie pop with punk and people seemed to like it (sorry Pete from Horowitz, if I sort of took over.) Sometimes I can get a bit possessed by the proceedings…but Daniel from So Tough So Cute was a massive inspiration in just going for it and throwing yourself completely and utterly into the music. Crowds that surprise me is a difficult one, one thing you learn I think whilst DJing is never assume anything, this will work or this won’t work etc, it really is about creating an atmosphere and going with it and never take people for granted.

++ What about the Big Pink Cake Weekenders. You just did one in July, right? How different are they from a regular Big Pink Cake night? Are they easy to organize having so many bands?

The weekenders are hard work and Heather and I are nail biting the whole time especially with the lead up, with things happening here and things not going quite to plan there. We do love it though, the bands that play are always great, the people, the links other people make, its totally worth it. We have learned lots and lots from it, basically to relax a bit more as opposed to having a bit of a nervous breakdown, it gets easier with each one simply because you’ve done it before and you relax into it better.

++ From club night, to a label. How has your experience running a label been so far?

Well we’re starting off quite small and that’s what we want to do. We want to put on bands that we’re passionate about and do them the justice that they deserve. We see it as a bit of a natural progression really,it certainly wasn’t our intention but we love the bands that we put on and to do something extra for them is all the more worthwhile.

++ First release was the “Piece of Cake” compilation that included bands that had played in your club. By now many more bands have played in Big Pink Cake. Is there any plan to do a second volume?

Yep, one is in the pipeline, but its hard organising a compilation, people think they have to record something new, or we haven’t done anything for a while and so you have to reexplain it and it can take forever…but we’re on the case.

++ And speaking of which, what have been the best gigs you’ve experienced at Big Pink Cake?

Too many to mention really, I think one that sticks out for me was seeing Francois And the Atlas Mountains perform at The Avon Combined Services club that was just so magnificent, organic and completely spellbinding, seeing Gregory Webster do an acoustic set was pretty amazing, Pocketbooks at The Cube, The Wendy Darlings at The Cube cinema with films as a backdrop was pretty special. Too many really I could go on and on.

++ Second release is the “Best Of” The Groove Farm. They are from Bristol, just like you. So I want to ask how important is this band is for you as well as for your town? And which are your favourite songs by them?

Actually I might be wrong but I think The Groove Farm are from Plymouth, they moved up to Bristol during 1985, I might be wrong though. The Groove Farm is a massively important band for Heather and I. It was the first band that Heather and I were really really passionate about together and totally loved! So for us to put out the cd was like a dream come true, I couldn’t believe it when it was happening, it was a sort of I’d better pinch myself moment. My favourite songs by the Groove Farm are ‘Couldn’t Get to Sleep, ‘Corrupt,’ and ‘It Always Rains On Sundays.’ Bristol well mixed feelings really, its nice to go home, but as you well know I don’t live there! Most people are surprised to see me at gigs in London and think that I’ve come up especially. Bristol is where I grew up and my family are all still there…but really its a bit too small for me, I like living in the busyness of London.

++ Is there more plans to release more old gems from Bristol?

Yep, The Kick Inside have got a release coming out as does Jonny Collins of Modesty Blaise, but we don’t want to keep it Bristolcentric as that would be a bit daft in our eyes

++ And the last release so far, the brand new Garlands 7″. One of the best singles this year for sure. I can go on and on why I love this band, but I want you to tell me why do YOU love it? And what can people expect from this single?

The Garlands are one of the most important bands right now. Perfect perfect POP, a total rush of sheer joyous energy, Christin’s voice is just so wonderful and angelic. They remind me of all the reason’s why I love indie pop, the songs are up there with the best of them. From the single you can expect two songs that will capture, stir and melt your heart and leave you wanting more and more, all dazzled by the sheer beauty of it all.

++ So on the label side, what are you bringing to all of us in the near future?

We have some surprises in store, any more would be spilling the beans…and we can’t and we won’t, but yes we’re really excited…we can only hope you will too.

++ Let’s talk a bit about yourselves. When you are not doing Big Pink Cake related stuff, what other hobbies or interests do you do?

Well I’m in a band called The Fireworks, that’s quite new at the moment and we’re only into our 4th gig, I love to read when I can, mainly philosophy or stuff with a philosophical perspective that might be a bit challenging or make me think about why stuff works or why people think in specific ways. I really love 60s glass and have a few prized possessions, I also love doing nothing, my busy day job sees to that pursuit very well.

++ And what about the obvious question, can you bake a cake?

I used to make cakes every Saturday when I was about 14…but I’m probably no good at it now…I love cooking though…cakes as ace…I can bake a pretty good flapjack, thats because they’re easy.

++ Last question, so, club, label, when are you writing the Big Pink Cake fanzine?

I’d love to but I know I’d sound like Matt Haynes almost immediately, the ‘Are You Scared To Get Happy?’ fanzines were so amazing and so passionate that…well I think I would just come across as too passionate and worry if I’d embarrass myself, but then I think just get on with IT!!! Looking at fanzines though, they do seriuosly take a long time to do, especially if you want to do it well, art work that says it right, colour of words that expresses it in the right way…I’d love to you’ve planted a seed maybe…who knows maybe one day.

++ Thanks again Matthew, anything else you’d like to add?

Just to say a big massive thank you to all the amazing and fantastic people that we’ve met so far along the journey so far, it really has been brilliant and one thing that Heather and I say constantly is how wonderful it is to meet so many great people within the world of indie pop that make your heart go ‘awww’ and give you a special feeling of being humbled by peoples loveliness.

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Listen
Razorcuts – Big Pink Cake

It’s “Heaven When You Smile”. It is. And I’m waiting for it. ‘Waiting for the sun to shine, waiting for you. Waiting for a rainbow, waiting for the rain, waiting for you’. I’m in heaven when you are by my side. ‘Waiting for my moon to rise’. ‘Waiting for the stars to sing’. The song plays and paralyzes me for a moment. ‘Waiting for the clouds to dance’. The lyrics, simple but evocative, set a mood immediately in my room. A sunny Sunday outside my bedroom, but inside, the rain seems to be pouring and the grey clouds start pushing the ceiling onto the ground.

Melancholy and nostalgia vs. happy-go-lucky. A discussion that springs up often when talking about indiepop. There seems to be two different schools, one that celebrates the first, and one that does the same for the second. The first one seems to be rooted in the days of C86 Britain, whereas the second, in the twee 90s of American indiepop. Which one I prefer? The first clearly, but I do enjoy the second when done correctly. But then, I know many people that can only do one or the other. And that’s when the discussion starts.

I’m transported back to those days in Spain, where I was in heaven. The train rides crossing uncivilized lands of emptiness. And empty trains as well. Tourist on Monday. Tourist on Tuesday. Weekdays. And then under the shadow of Segovia’s aqueduct, feeling the weight of past history over my shoulders, things started to make sense. The candy stores, which I avoid religiously, made her smile and giggle. For me, it was walking through medieval streets in Toledo, where every store display had swords for sale. And before everything, I waited. I waited hours, at Barajas airport until I got a tap on my shoulder. Everything was going to be good from then on.

I saw the record sitting on Uwe’s shelf. Grace Kelly’s photo printed in color on the sleeve. Grace Kelly over a black background. Angry Flowers on the top left corner and an evocative name for a song “Heaven When You Smile”. Uwe asked me if I know about this single. He says it’s rare now, but five years ago it wasn’t hard to find in record shops in Berlin. I have never seen this record ever. But I recognize the label, Exile Records. I have a Tumbling Hearts 7″ on this same record label. And it’s great. “There’s a TVPs cover on this 7-inch” – Uwe tells me. Sadly it’s the only copy he has left and he has already sold it on eBay, to a rich Japanese customer probably.

My Grace Kelly walking through fountains in Parque del Retiro, taking photographs in the royal gardens at La Granja de San Ildefonso. Circumnavigating Avila on top of their medieval walls, tracing the whole old town while we stopped to gaze the horizon from each tower that raised towards the sun. And climbing even higher on the tower at El Alcazar de Segovia, among photo-frenzy Japanese tourists. We kept getting closer to heaven.

Museums, cathedrals, churches, we went to them all. We went to Cervantes’ house and took pictures with two of my childhood heroes, Don Quijote and Sancho Panza. We were in awe at El Escorial. And later in Madrid we ended a week of smiles at the Popfest, ending brilliantly with The Close Lobsters, on a comeback that was nothing but glorious. And then I DJed. And we danced. I played Hormones in Abundance and Patrik danced to it. And TCR. God, if I will ever get the chance to play their songs for people to dance again. My favourite band for years.

And then it was tears in Barajas after a sleepless night. And now we end up again in the “waiting” situation. 2 months and counting for Wales. For a tap in my shoulder at Stansted airport. And then a train ride, one that I know well by now, to Nottingham. Then to Mansfield. Never been there, but my beloved Travelodge, with it’s picturesque Little Chef, is already fully booked. Every year it’s harder to go to Indietracks. It may as well be my last. I want to visit new countries, new places.

I play the next song on the record. The B side of this record is indeed a fabulous rendition of the Television Personalities classic “Painting By Numbers”. And the A side is a wonderful slice of pop. “Waiting for Heaven” has the growling of the Wedding Present, the romanticism of The Wild Swans and the urgency of Yeah Jazz. It rapidly became a favourite of mine. Since that day. With the chiming guitar all over the song, and the beautiful and simple solo that jangles and jangles. It’s a love letter, it’s a hymn to any who has ever fallen in love.

The Angry Flowers hailed from Göttingen, Germany, a university town in Lower Saxony. Across town, the river Leine river runs through, and it still fondly remembers the days when it was part of the Hanseatic League. The population in 2006 was 129,686. This release is from 1986, wonder how many people lived there then. Less than 100,000 for sure. The band was formed by John Rose on vocals, Matthew (whose real name is Matthias Hanich) on bass, Harry on guitar and Ralph on drums. I suppose they had German names and just for the occasion they had their names in English, as it’s the case of Matthias. The release was recorded in autumn ’86 at Beton/Kassel and it is dedicated to Miss Grace. Of course. Some other credits on the sleeve include cover design by Ted Baxter and the back cover photo by Alaska. The engineer was Roland Platz and the record was produced by the vocalist of the band, John Rose.

And that is all I’ve could find about this GREAT 7″ record. Did they have more songs? Whatever happened to them? It seems Matthias ended up studying in London, maybe he stayed there? And did they make music after? If you know the wheareabouts of the Angry Flowers please let us know!

Today I finally managed to buy a copy of the 7″. From Uwe. Of course.

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Listen
Angry Flowers – Heaven When You Smile

I should be taking a nap but instead I decided to keep my promise of a blog post every weekend. Well, every weekend that I’m in town. I just came back from visiting the MOMA PS1 museum here in Queens, with Scott B from Summer Cats. I got in for free as I’m a Long Island City resident. To prove I’m a resident I showed an invoice on my iPhone to the clerk of my latest CD order on Amazon.com, a Rudolf Rocker album. My name was printed there along the shipping address, my address. Prior to that we went for brunch at a cozy place called LIC Market. Hash, red peppers, eggs and duck for me. And toast, always toast, and butter on it.

We talked about the usual, indiepop. Something I learned today, that I didn’t know at all, was that James Turrell, an artist I studied in university, and who has been converting Roden crater into an amazing work of art, is Jen Turrell’s (Rabbit in Red, Boyracer) dad. How cool is that. Now the Flagstaff, Arizona connection makes so much sense. We chatted about the Melbourne scene, Summer Cats, The Motifs, The Zebras, and he tipped me that Hugh from Summer Cats is starting a band with the guys from Audiobooks. Promising. Oh! and Scott is building a music social network, much better than last.fm. Just wait and see!

Waking up early has never been a skill of mine. But yesterday I did it. Even earlier than on weekdays. At 7am. I know, many of you think that’s normal, and I’m complaining for no reason. But for me, it is very hard. It takes a big effort to get out of bed. But I managed. The reason: Princeton Record Exchange. On Record Store day.

I went there with two friends from work, one that is very much into classical music, and the other who has a very eclectic taste but knows quite a bit about indiepop. On the way to Princeton he had Comet Gain playing on the car, and on the way back he had Gold-Bears. It feels strange when someone not connected to the scene is into this music. I don’t mean it in an elitist way, but it feels everyone that loves indiepop eventually gets sucked in and gets involved with the scene, releasing records, promoting, blogging, doing something.

Princeton is such a pretty town. It’s a shame we didn’t have much time to explore it. The university buildings had a varied architecture and there was a good vibe to the whole town, even though it’s in New Jersey. Upon arriving to the record store, greeting us with a shocking yellow sign, we noticed a long line of people waiting to get in. As long as two blocks. It was a terrible idea to come here on record store day, was my first thought. I wasn’t interested in any records from record store day, and making that line seemed unbearable. But if I was going to be there, I wouldn’t mind picking some stuff and then selling it on eBay. Why not. If I don’t do it, someone else will. Maybe pick up a Bruce Springsteen?

But luckily things turned out better than expected, people that didn’t want to purchase any record store day special release didn’t have to make the line. So we went in and got lost among thousands of records. Most of them were crap, as usual, but there were some good finds. Especially on the CD section, where for $2 I found many late 90s and early 00s indiepop albums. On the vinyl section there wasn’t much to be found. Not much second-hand, and very little 7″. But still, it’s fun to browse and dream that you’ll find a hidden gem, one that has been waiting patiently for you, one that other people doesn’t even know what it is.

It really gets me when people at the record store, other shoppers, try making conversation with you. There was this guy, long-haired, wearing jean shorts and Timberland shoes, who was browsing records next to me, being very loud on the phone. He seemed proud that he was spending hundreds of dollars. I felt bad for him. He clearly doesn’t know about eBay. Anyhow, at some point he grabs one of the box sets on the shelf above the 12″s. And he turns to me and asks: “Have you heard this box set by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Any good?”. I was puzzled. I only answered, “No, sorry”. I mean, do I look as someone who would listen to that? But wait, there’s more. Ten minutes later another long-haired guy, with beard this time, asks me, “Have you seen any Ozzie?”. So now, people expect me to browse records for them? And also, browse bad music? I should stop wearing black t-shirts and black jeans. Clearly I should become some sort of traffic light, more colorful, more “poppier”.

And today, having internet back at home (it didn’t work for 2 whole days!! it was awful, a nightmare!), I started designing some ideas for a new Cloudberry website. It’s shaping up nicely, but will probably ask some friends to test the UI and give me some feedback about the design. Alexandra was telling me that there was no reason to change the old one, but I feel, after 5 years, the site has kind of grown old. It’s not really visually striking or anything like that. I feel it serves it’s purpose, but it’s funny, I dedicate my life to create websites and interactive packages, and I haven’t done some sort of ‘top’ design for Cloudberry. What do you think?

Also the totebags are being made as we speak. Hopefully I can pick them up this week. I’ll keep you updated about that. And when it comes to releases, well, The Deddingtons tracklist is up on the site (and now just waiting for the band to decide which song they’d like to give away as a freebie)/ The CD album, part of Cloudberry Cake,  should go to press shortly. And that’s not all, people who are fans of Cloudberry on facebook got the chance this week to listen one of the upcoming songs on the Nixon 7″. The response was fab, everyone is loving it. For this release we are just waiting for the final mixes and then we are set. Exciting times ahead for the label.

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On to our obscure band of the week, Scissor Fits, who were from a time where indiepop didn’t exist, 1978. But they were really indiepop. And they have a strong connection with the music we love, and with a label I love. So on to that.

As a curious cat that I am, I wondered about this:

It is most likely that scissors were invented around 1500 BC in ancient Egypt. The earliest known scissors appeared in Mesopotamia 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. These were of the ‘spring scissor’ type comprising two bronze blades connected at the handles by a thin, flexible strip of curved bronze which served to hold the blades in alignment, to allow them to be squeezed together, and to pull them apart when released. Spring scissors continued to be used in Europe until the sixteenth century. However, pivoted scissors of bronze or iron, in which the blades were pivoted at a point between the tips and the handles, the direct ancestor of modern scissors, were invented by the Romans around AD 100. They entered common use not only in ancient Rome, but also in China, Japan, and Korea, and the idea is still used in almost all modern scissors.

Anyhow, the Scissor Fits were a band that played often at Snoopy’s in Richmond, London, a venue that Mike Alway used to promote. And not only that, Mike Alway was a part-time member of this band. And occasionally their manager. Yes, the same Mike Alway that will later start a label that would redefine music, el Records.

Wikipedia has a few lines for the band:
The Scissor Fits were a post-punk English band founded in Hounslow in 1978. They are best known for their classic DIY punk single “I Don’t Wanna Work for British Airways”, which was recorded before they had appeared in public. A part-time member and occasional manager was Mike Alway, later famous for his A&R work with Cherry Red Records and el. They also released a live EP titled “Soon After Dark” which contained the pre X-Files classic “The Government Knows about UFOs”. The band comprised Nick East (vocals), Simon Ives (bass), Colin Roxborough (rhythm), Bud Drago (drums) and Vic Watson (lead) in the early days. When Drago returned to his native US he was replaced by drummer Pete Garrard.

And I’ll tell you a second connection with indiepop, the vocalist, Nick East, was going to be in an el Records band years later.  Can you guess? I could by the melody and the vocals. Give it a shot. Yup, you are right, The Gol Gappas.

Not so many years ago one of their tracks appeared on the Messthetics compilations, and there’s a little text about them there:
The Scissor Fits hailed from Hounslow, barely two miles off the main runways of Heathrow, so “I Don’t Wanna Work for British Airways” takes to heart the DIY maxim “write what you know.” Their debut EP was recorded before they’d ever played in public, and ‘dedicated to the Soft Boys.’ Mike Alway was a songwriter and part-time guitarist-and-general-inspiration who actually went on to manage the Soft Boys: he had the ‘Fits open for them several times during the Underwater Moonlight era. (Alway later managed the Monochrome Set and launched the Blanco y Negro, Reviere, …If, él and Sound of Chartreuse labels.) Yank drummer Bud Drago put out a (remarkably American-sounding) EP on the same Dubious label but soon headed back Stateside (he’s now in Character Z, and running www.listening-post.com), while the ‘Fits went on to record a live EP for Tortch that featured a couple of DIY’s finer, longer, more psychedelic numbers. The band-name? “a Don Martin cartoon in MAD magazine depicted a woman with a long cigarette holder accidentally stubbing her cigarette out in a man’s eye. The resulting sound effect was ‘SIZZZA – FITZZ’ or something like that…”

I was in touch with Nick East some years ago. I wanted to interview him about The Gol Gappas. I believe he was working in Leeds University then, he probably still does. He seemed very nice but sadly I never got back any answers to my questions. I’m a big fan of them. I did ask him if Cherry Red had any plans to make some sort of retrospective of all their songs, which are not too many, but it seems that Cherry Red won’t do it. Do you can never say never.

They released two 7″s as far as I know. The first was “Taut? Tense? Angular? And Other British Rail Sandwiches” and it included five songs:
A1         I Don’t Want To Work For British Airways
A2         A Small One
A3         I Wish I Hadn’t Shaved My Pubic Hair Off
B1         D.H. Lawrence Wasn’t A Mexican
B2         Waiting For Your Love In The Shower

Did they work for British Airways at all? I have never traveled in BA. It’s usually Continental or Virgin Atlantic when I go to London Heathrow. Is it that terrible BA? I wonder because that is probably their best song, a catchy popsong that pre-dates what the TVPs would so sometime after. It should have been a hit, it should have been bigger than the Beatles maybe. And if anyone has a spare copy, you know, I’m looking for it! This 7″ was released by Dubious Records and the catalog is SJP 793.

The second 7″ was released by Tortch Records in 1979. Catalog number was 005. This one seems easier to find, I’ve seen a couple on Discogs, but at the moment I’m a bit broke! But I do plan making up to it soon. All the songs were recorded live at Covent Garden, Rock Garden on September the 7th of 1979. The songs included were:
A         The Government Knows About UFO’s
B1         Who Wants To Live Forever?
B2         Aniseed Trail

The also appeared on some compilations. They included “I Don’t Want to Work for British Airways” on the Cherry Red comp “Labels Unlimited – The Second Record Collection ” and “Radio Teeth” on the 1,000 Only Records release “The Snoopies Album: The Last Remains Of A Richmond Venue “. The latter one seems very rare, there’s one listing going for almost $100!

Here are two scans from their first 7” that tell the story behind the members of the bands. Really interesting stuff! Scan 1 | Scan 2

And that’s about all I could find from them. They were clearly ahead from their time, and I feel it’s not crazy to say that the Gol Gappas picked it up from where the Scissors Fits left it. I do wonder if they had any more songs recorded. I wonder what happened to Nick East in between these two bands. I wonder what are they doing now. If you know anything else, please share. You know what the comments section is for 🙂

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Listen
Scissor Fits – I Don’t Want to Work for British Airways

What a busy week this was! I guess I will have to get used to going out many days in a row, during workdays, if I’m going to live in New York.

As many of you know this past week was the Chickfactor 20th anniversary, with shows in DC, New Jersey and New York. 3 nights of 90s nostalgia, bringing back to stage the likes of Black Tambourine, Small Factory, Honeybunch, The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, The Aislers Set, Pipas, and more. Two of these NY nights were sold out, packed, with not many hipsters to my surprise. It was mostly these nostalgic people, a half generation older than me, with their own indiepop stories. Stories I was a stranger to. I wasn’t around the heyday of the Chickfactor ‘scene’, so at first I did feel a bit displaced. But eventually, things kicked in again. It’s only indiepop you know.

So on Sunday, our first international friend arrived: Vernon from Singapore. A little group of us joined him and Alex who was just passing by that day in New York from Melbourne, via DC and Chickfactor, on her way to Malta. We had some thai food, which I found a bit bland, but nonetheless it was a great evening, talking and catching up. It was almost a year since the last time I saw them. I stayed up late that night. On Monday I would stay up late again after a long day of work. Kristine and Lisle were arriving to New York and I was hosting them at my place. Their plane from Chicago was delayed, which is no surprise. And of course, we stayed up late chatting and chatting. I don’t really know where Kristine got their energy from, she had attended the DC shows already and she was craving for more in NYC. I must becoming an old man, because I can’t figure this out.

And then of course it all started. Taking the R train all the way to the Bellhouse in Brooklyn. On that dirty and old train with it’s yellow and orange seats. Never a good ride on the R. And finding a place to eat around the Bellhouse, that’s another problem to solve. Not my favourite venue at all, the Bellhouse seems to host many indiepop gigs for some reason. The lightning of the stage is terrible, so hard to get good pictures, or even shoot video. So against all odds, as I use my camera as a bona fide machine gun, I took around 10 pictures total in 3 nights. Not very me.

Hoegaarden pint in hand, I didn’t raze the merch table either. Prices were not from the 90s but from the 00s. I guess that makes sense, but I was expecting $2 7″s instead of $5. That’s what they cost back in the day, right? Maybe I’m naive, but why raise the price 15 years after? Anyhow, I already had most of these records, but the ones I didn’t have, I bought, which were a few. I did get a Softies t-shirt. Though I’m not a big fan. But I like Tiger Trap and Go Sailor a lot. So, why not support Rose Melberg?

I didn’t get to meet the 90s luminaries of American indiepop. No one new in my book. I did get to finally meet Brian and Yvonne from the Tartans and they were great. But from the older generation, no. I find that those jangly heroes of mine from UK  or Europe are way more friendly, more reachable, than the American ones. I can’t grasp why yet. But one day I’ll write a whole discernation about it. This is something that puzzles me.

The festival was well organized, you could tell they took care of every detail, and having someone to ‘host’ each night, to present every band with some little background story was a great idea. My only complains of course, and I assume many would agree, was that it was hosted during weekdays, from Tuesday to Thursday. Not very inviting for people that live and work in New York. And the other complain I have is the overpriced tickets. 80-90 dollars for 3 nights is a bit too much in the indiepop world. NYC Popfest, a true New York analogy, charges 50 dollars for 4 days and more bands. And during a weekend. And bands that are as good. Can we agree on that? I think so. And my last complain the special guests. They weren’t really special. I mean, it’s great to see Franklin Bruno or the guy from Love True Always, but come on, let them play with the whole band. Just a guy and a guitar doesn’t feel like a special guest to me. That was a bit boring to be honest.

But after that first hour of special guests everything turned upside down, so many great bands that made every night worth it! I can’t thank enough having the opportunity to see The Aislers Set live. I thought it was never going to happen. Or another favourite of mine, The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group, who share my last name and wrote two of my favourite albums ever. Or seeing Pipas again after 6 years! True, as you can see, it was the Wednesday lineup the one that I enjoyed the most. That was the big night for me, for my taste. I know everyone was head over heels for Tuesday, with the mighty Black Tambourine headlining. I may say something here that won’t please many, but Black Tambourine is my least favourite Pam Berry band. I think “Throw Aggi from the Bridge” is a monumental song, but the rest of their songs are just alright. For me Pam Berry’s best are either Glo-Worm or The Pines. And hey, The Pines did play Chickfactor, on Thursday, and that was pure bliss. They even covered Aurora by The Cat’s Miaow as I requested Joe when I saw him the prior Thursday while we walked over the High Line Park.

And as soon as it all ended, I slept eleven hours straight. And I booked a plane ticket to London, to attend Indietracks. There was an empty hole to fill and I didn’t found a better way to do it. So, even though I’m not invited to DJ anywhere in the UK this time, I’m heading to Indietracks! And after Indietracks I’ll spend a week in Wales visiting castles with my favourite girl. Can’t ask for more at this point. It’s all perfect.

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Let’s save the Cloudberry news and label stuff for next week. Let’s move to our obscure band of the week: The deBuchias.

I actually was in touch with Justin Salmon, one of the members of the band, not so long ago. Asked him to do an interview and he was up for it. But still haven’t heard from him. Probably life got in the way. It happens. Thing is that last week I finally managed to get a copy of the one and only 12″ The deBuchias released and that song on the A side is so so good, that I need you all to know it. It’s called “Introducing Jane” and it’s beautiful.

The band was formed by John Bramwell on vocals and guitars, Tig on bass, Steve Perry on drums and Justin Salmon on harmonizing electric guitar. You might have heard the name John Bramwell. He would later from the well known band I Am Kloot. On this 12″ the band is introduced to us as “The deBuchias featuring Johnny Dangerously”. This Johnny Dangerously is John Bramwell of course, and he had already released a 12″ on his own, the “You, Me and Alarm Clock”. I still have to manage to track a copy of that one, but having head the songs I say, if you see it, snatch it.

But the deBuchias single, on Village Records, catalog number 111, with it’s yellow jacket and mysterious black and white photographs of women putting on make up, is something else. And you can still find it for reasonable prices on Discogs especially. This record included two more songs on the B side, “Tearing it Down” and “Subway Life”. The first one was already released on the previous 12″ Johnny had released, and “Subway Life” was a track that had already appeared on the “Manchester North of England” compilation. The record was engineered by Graham Massey and Jez at Real to Rell in Macclesfield. And the photographs of the sleeve were courtesy of Michele Jones.

The only other bit of information I could find was the the band played a couple of important gigs like the Glasgow Mayfest, the Green Room and the Manchester International. They supported Tom Robinson and Billy Bragg at Nottingham Festival as well. And that was 1990. The nostalgic era I didn’t get to see.

And that’s all there is about this band. Who was this mysterious Jane they sing about? Did they ever record more songs? Why did they split? And what happened to them? If you know anything else, please share! Would love to know!

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Listen
The deBuchias – Introducing Jane

Thanks so much to Todd Shuster for the interview! The Impossible Years were a great band from Philadelphia who released only two singles. First a self-released 7″ and later the first ever release by Dan Treacy’s Dreamworld label. And that was a 12″. Great pop songs that if you don’t know them yet, it’s time for you to discover!

++ Hi Todd! Thanks a lot for being up for the interview. You know, for some reason I thought you were British, because you know, you released on Dreamworld Records. Does that happen often?

No, you were the first.

++ So yeah, let’s go back in time. You started as The Jags, right? What made you change your name? And why The Impossible Years?

The Jags were born during the excitement surrounding the CBGB’s scene and the English punk bands, both of which inspired  the name and sound.  When our original bass player, Charles Bright, left and Tony Marsico joined us, the sound changed and the name The Jags didn’t seem to fit anymore.  Our manager suggested The Impossible Years and it seemed right.

++ Talking about movies (The Impossible Years), care making a top 5 movies by Todd Shuster?

I’d really love to, but it’s hard choosing five.  Certainly, A Hard Day’s Night and West Side Story would be the two movies that provided a soundtrack to my childhood.  I guess most of the later choices would be predictable:  The Godfather, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver…hmmmm, maybe someone should make a movie about a lovable pop group who commit extreme acts of violence.

++ And what sparked you all to start a band? What bands were you listening and loving at the time?

The Jags started because we were all huge Ramones fans.  We were also listening to a lot of English bands at the time who were also rewriting the rules of pop:  Buzzcocks, Gen X, Jam, etc.   We were also looking back to the early Who;  A Legal Matter was one of our first covers.

++ What about Philadelphia bands? Was there a nice scene in town? Which were the places and venues were you would usually hang out and see other bands? Do they still exist?

When we first played (July 4, 1978), we weren’t aware of anyone else playing this music.  At the time, you were really an outcast among musicians/bands who didn’t take punk/new wave bands seriously.  After we became involved in the local scene, which at the time was mostly a club called Artemis on Sansom St. in Philadelphia, we still only met a few other bands and each band sounded totally different.  The only thing linking the bands together was the fact that there were only 2 or 3 places to play, so we were all contained.

++ So who were The Impossible Years and how did you all get to know each other?

Seth Schweitzer (drums) and I met in fifth grade when we discovered that we were both hooked on Dark Shadows (the gothic soap opera).  A few years later, we were reintroduced by a mutual friend and in eighth grade we found ourselves in a band together.  We played together again in high school and, this time, the group included a very talented piano player by the name of Charles Bright.  A year or so after we left high school, I heard the Sex Pistols,  took a trip to NY, checked out CBGB’s and Max’s and was ready to start playing again.  Seth and Charley were listening to the same bands and hot to play again, so in March of 1978, The Jags were formed in Charley’s parent’s rec. room.

++ You self-released a single, “She’s No Fun / Baby Baby”, first. I haven’t seen this record. Is it hard to find? How many copies were made? And what made you decide to go through the self-release way instead of looking for a label?

The record is pretty hard to find at this point.  We put it out ourselves at a strange time in our history.  We were between bass players again and Charley joined us for a second, short period. Charley recorded the single with us, but by the time the record came out, Howard Luberski replaced Charley and that became our final line up.  We released the single because there weren’t really any local labels around and we had almost never traveled outside Philadelphia.  We wanted something out there that could represent us. Looking back, it probably wasn’t the best choice for a single or the best decision, but…

++ And then you contributed to two compilations: “I’d Rather Be In Philadelphia” and “Battle Of The Garages V II.”. What’s the story behind these two records? Do you remember who put this compilations together? And how did you get in touch with them?

We had recorded a three-song cassette at a local 8-track studio.  When we were approached by the people who wanted to release I’d Rather Be In Philadelphia, we gave them Flower Girl from the cassette.  The Battle of the Garages V. II is a longer story.  We were fooling around one night and made an effect-laden over-the-top version of Attraction Gear on our TEAC 3340 reel to reel four-track.  Our manager sent it to Greg Shaw, who we didn’t know, but knew of.  He liked it, asked that we rerecord it for the next Battle of the Garages comp.  We did and he included it on V. !!.

++ So how did Dan Treacy got in touch with you? Did you know who he was then?

There was a review in Sounds about the Garages LP and the writer focused mainly on Attraction Gear.  Dan saw the review, contacted us and asked us to be his first release on his upcoming label Dreamworld.  We knew of the TVP’s, but we didn’t know him.

++ Did you ever meet him? On pre-internet times, how did you work with him? The phone bills must have been very expensive!

True.  Dan paid for all the phone calls, but our manager always had funny stories about calling with special rings, etc.  I guess there were calls Dan DIDN’T want to pay for.

++ What’s the meaning behind the EP’s title “Scenes We’d Like To See”? Is there any scene you’d still like to see?

We got the title from a regular column featured in Mad Magazine.  We liked the double meaning.

++ “Attraction Gear” is such a beautiful song. What inspired you?

Seth wrote that one;  it fits his abstract style.  It’s certainly one of my favorite Seth songs.  He didn’t write a lot, but when he brought a song to us, it was usually great.

++ Which would you say is your favourite The Impossible Years song?

Hard to say.  We wrote a lot of songs and, since we didn’t record much, we sort of dropped songs every so often for new ones.  I think my best early ones are I Agree and Denise, that date back to the beginnings of the Jags.  I like a lot of the songs on My Report Card.  I still have a special place for our earliest Jags songs.  It’s one of my biggest regrets that we never made the Great Lost Jags Album.  That’s why I rerecorded a group of them and posted them on YouTube.

++ And what happened after? Why didn’t you release more records?

There wasn’t any interest from the indie labels.  We decided to buy a four-track cassette machine and I had this idea that we would just record good demos, release our favorites ourselves and not care about the fidelity.  This was before we had heard of GBV and the lo-fi movement.  It was a good idea, but by then we were sort of spent and it didn’t happen.  I inherited the four-track, spent a few years making a lot of demos and then released them as a solo CD, My Report Card.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many? Any anecdotes you could share?

We played a lot, mostly around the Philadelphia area.  We played up and down the east coast on the Battles tour after that was released.  It was fun getting to play with a lot of the bands we liked.  Standouts include X, The Cramps, The Mumps, 999, Violent Femmes, The Three O’Clock.

++ When and why did you split?

By 1987, we were sort of finished.  Howie got married, Seth went back to school and I got married and went back to school to become a teacher.

++ Are you all still in touch? What do you all do these days? Still involved with music?

Seth and I have known each other forever and we’ve always stayed close.  I’ve run into Howie a few times since, but we’re not really in touch. I’m still teaching, Seth got married and became a teacher, Howie works for the IRS and still plays in bar bands. I play for school events with a band I put together there.  We play for fun, mostly cool covers.

++ In 1997 you  put together a CD called “My Report Card”. What was included in it? And more importantly, are there copies available?

My Report Card is a home-recorded 20 song CD of songs that would’ve been the next Impossible Years set.  In fact, two of the songs are from our last live demo and we were already playing a few others live when we quit.  I don’t think any of the distributors have any left, but anyone who is interested can contact me at shusters@comcast.net.

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies does Todd Shuster has? Do you collect anything for example?

Aside from music and guitars, I sketch, create videos and I do many things as an extension of my teaching.  I run a guitar club at school and mentor children.  I also do extra technology services for my school district and we run a daily TV news show from a makeshift studio that goes out to all the classrooms.  Teaching is a wonderful career that fosters creativity.  It’s the best place I could possibly be post-Impossible Years.

++ I do plan to visit Philadelphia soon as I’m close now! So maybe I can ask you some tips on what to see? Are there any sights or places that you would recommend visiting?

If you’re a history buff, we have a lot of things to see and do within walking distance in Olde City.  From Betsy Ross’ House to Ben Franklin’s Post Office to the Constitution Center, Liberty Bell, etc.  We also have great restaurants and the Rittenhouse Square area.  It’s a great city to visit.

++ And what about a Philly Cheese-steak? Where can you find the best?

Ah, I’m a vegetarian, but anyone will tell you that Pat’s Steaks in South Philly is the best.  It’s easy to find, just ask anyone.

++ So, what are the plans for the future? I heard a rumour that you might be covering a Television Personalities song soon?

I recorded a version of Someone To Share My Life With and it will be included in V. 4 of the TVP tributes released by The Beautiful Music label. I still play and record and my options are always open.

++ One last question, what would you say was The Impossible Years biggest highlight and why?

Just having the opportunity to play our music was a privilege.  Releasing the E.P. with Dan and being included on Bomp’s Garages comp were certainly exciting.  Ours was only one of 16 songs, but we heard from a lot of people all over the world.  The late 70’s, especially, were an incredible time to be involved in the new music scene.  We saw amazing bands and had incredible fun.  It was like being invited to a private party.  Luckily, we still have the music and it’s still great.

++ Thanks again Todd, anything else you’d like to add?

Just thanks to you for keeping the buzz alive.  I really appreciate that there are people who still care and are devoted to the scene.  Be well.

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Listen
The Impossible Years – Attraction Gear