Punk Vinyl Records

Arts Roundup: The Friday Indie Rock Review Edition

Arts Roundup: The Friday Indie Rock Review Edition
Good morning! In what’s totally a break from our usual coverage, there is a lot of local indie-rock news to discuss today! Such as: that new video right there.

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Stones Throw Records Celebrate 10-10-10 With 10-Hour, 10-DJ Party and 10-Record Box Set

Stones Throw Records Celebrate 10-10-10 With 10-Hour, 10-DJ Party and 10-Record Box Set
This coming Sunday happens to be one of those days when all the numbers in the date magically align. It’s October 10, 2010– 10-10-10. The venerable West Coast rap label Stones Throw is celebrating the occasion with a marathon party and a vinyl box set. At the L.A. venue the Sex , 10 DJs will play for 10 hours, all of them spinning 45s. The party starts at 4 p.m. and goes all the way until 2 a.m …

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Things 2 Do This Weekend

Things 2 Do This Weekend
Halloween is a comin’ and there is no shortage of fall celebrations ushering in the season.

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Author Steven Blush Announces Book Tour, CMJ Panel

Author Steven Blush Announces Book Tour, CMJ Panel
Originally published in 2001, American Hardcore: A Tribal History is a comprehensive and …

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Ben Folds goes down a ‘Lonely Avenue’ with Nick Hornby

Ben Folds goes down a ‘Lonely Avenue’ with Nick Hornby
Ben Folds is in many ways is sort of a bridge between the first generation of singer-songwriters who bore the title from decades ago, by virtue of his innate knack for killer pop hooks, and contemporary …

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Anybody knows what really is emo?

EMO = EMOTIONAL HARDCORE

In the summer of 2005, I was talking to a friend about the state of music. Of course, the subject of Emo came up. This was a friend who actually knew what Emo was, and we eventually got pissed off beyond all reason. So, I said those fateful words: “I’m going to make a website about this.” Unfortunately, I was 14 at the time, so, of course, I wasn’t exactly mature. Regardless, what was written worked well. I think the semi-retarded approach to the subject kept people coming in. However, that bullshit isnÂ’t going to cut it anymore. So, we (Brian, Marissa, and I [Holly]) decided it was about time to re-write everything. After all, if we’re going to be getting this shit out to a larger audience, it would be better to present as mature.

Contrary to popular belief, Emo is not short for Emotional, at least not really. It is not a style, either. It has nothing to do with cutting yourself, or boys with swooping haircuts taking pictures of themselves. Emo is not about whining about your problems. ItÂ’s got nothing to do with your girlfriend breaking up with you. If you believe that, youÂ’re exercising your right to do so. This does not, however, make you correct.

Emo is short for Emotional, sort of. It’s short for Emotional Hardcore. Say it with me, folks. And repeat it several times to yourself. The thing I’ve never gotten is how people can even begin to believe that it’s short for ‘Emotional’, because, well, the theme song for Fraggle Rock is emotional, for christ’s sakes.

One response I usually get, when I say that itÂ’s short for Emotional Hardcore, is “Well, if all music is emotional, wouldnÂ’t it just be Hardcore?” I respond with telling them what the word ‘EmotionalÂ’ means, when talking about Emo. The emotional aspect of Emo comes from the lyrics. They are, of course, emotionally driven, but usually actually about one emotion or another. ItÂ’s usually about anger towards something, or whatever you want. Its instrumentals are brutal and loud, and seemingly random. They are the instrumental equivalent of screaming your lungs out.

Another question I get a lot is, “What if an Emo band got popular? Would it stop being Emo?” The answer is: No, it wouldn’t. In the recent months, Circle Takes The Square has gotten somewhat popular, thank god.

However, people need to understand that Emo is essentially DIY punk. It cannot be mainstream. It can be as popular as it can possibly get. But it’s still not mainstream. When we say DIY, we mean it gets where it gets without corporate promotion, and it’s produced independently. What happens if you happen to see a Circle Takes The Square album at Wal-Mart? You stop taking drugs. This wouldn’t happen. You’re probably only going to find their album at, say, an independent record store. Even those don’t always carry what you want. It’s usually best to go with a distribution (or ‘distro’) website. You’ll notice that those sites rarely charge very much for music, and they usually carry vinyl as well. They’re always worth a look, and I have yet to find a distro that I wouldn’t use again.

When I think about the songs I’ve heard, only one song comes to mind that’s Emo and about a break-up: Venus & Bacchus by Saetia. But, take note: It isn’t a “boo hoo, my girlfriend broke up with me, I’m gonna whine about it” song. It’s about how much the guy hates what the girl did.

Emo started in the 80’s, with a little band by the name of Rites Of Spring. While this is arguable, as the Husker Du album Zen Arcade, which is said to have started the style, came out before Rites Of Spring’s End On End album. But I digress. Rites Of Spring were only together from the spring of 1984 through the winter of 1986, but in that span of time, they set the stage for the shape of punk to come. The term Emo started when people at Rites Of Spring concerts started yelling “You’re emo!” at them. This is part of why people say Rites Of Spring started Emo. I tend to go with this, partially because I don’t like the thought that an album started the genre. It makes more sense that the band themselves did.

Emo sparked and faded a bit, until the legendary band Moss Icon came along. In my personal opinion, while Rites Of Spring started the genre, Moss Icon perfected it. Their album Lyburnum is widely considered one of the best Emo albums around, as itÂ’s the ideal album. In my experience, the music on the album is perfect for beginners, as itÂ’s not too loud, but itÂ’s not quiet, either.

Other bands like Embrace (the US version), Faith, Void, and so on ruled the scene, blazing the trail for the new subgenre of hardcore.

After awhile, the sub-movement of Screamo began. Bands like Palatka and Swing Kids were the new norm. It was loud, fast, and it could easily kill you, if you werenÂ’t careful. This kind of music has become the new norm for Emo bands, but the unfortunate thing is that, nine times our of ten, it sounds like random syllabl
In short, Emo = Emotive Hardcore Punk eg Rites of Spring, Indian Summer, Saetia, 1905, etc…

Out and about in Manchester!

If you’re tired of going out to the same places and in need to find out what’s on in Manchester, look no further as we list a few of Manchester’s hidden attractions.
 

Fancy a movie? Well the Arty Farty Film Night at an Outlet on 77 Dale Street Manchester is like no other cinema in the city.
With an element of Manchester’s modern art galleries slash cinema every first Wednesday of the month uber cool café puts on their Arty Farty Film night.
Get involved in the mix of things with movie soundtracks to get you warmed up. Entrance is free and whilst your there you can treat yourself to beer and freshly prepared nibbles (beats Orange Wednesdays hands down). Doors open at 7, but get their early to secure a seat as there’s only 30 of them on offer.
See the website to find out more and place votes on upcoming Arty Farty Film Nights.

If your more of a music lover then head down to Clampdown Records on 9-11 Paton Street, where you can find possibly the biggest collection of Rock, Punk, Indie, Funk, Soul and Jazz Vinyl’s around. You might be fooled into thinking your in one of the popular Manchester gigs. With rare and collectable must see’s from The Smiths to Led Zepplin, this place is definitely worth a visit.

Comedy Balloon at The Ape and Apple on 28-30 John Dalton Street will have you laughing your socks off.
The Comedy Balloon at the Ape and Apple is Manchester’s longest running comedy night, with old regulars and new talent getting on stage every Wednesday, for a night of free laughs. Showtime is 8.45pm.

Fancy a bite to eat? Then Sweet Tooth Cupcakery on 34-36 Oldham Street is somewhere you can spoil yourself. One of Manchesters finest cafes, have recently expanded their Chorlton shop with a new opening and equally kitsch little unit next to Pop Café in the Northern Quarter. Wonderful news for those closer to town with a sweet tooth as their melt in your mouth buttercream and fluffy sponge is impossible to resist. Baked fresh on site everyday in a whole variety of tasty flavours, you’ll find it hard to choose.

Other places are the Electrik Vintage Market on 599 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton. Elektric’s Saturday Vintage Market is a definite treat, with stalls selling one of a kind vintage piece’s, Bric a Brac and handmade jewellery. It is also strongly advised to indulge in their wonderful cakes and cocktails whilst making your way around, get down there Every Saturday 12noon – 5pm.
 
If your looking for a bit of a snack then Night and Day Café on 26 Oldham street is worth a visit.
Manchesters Night and Day Café is not only a great place to grab a sandwich and read the papers, it’s also one of Manchester’s most legendary music venues housing some of the city’s best gigs to date. The intimate atmosphere and fantastic sound make it well worth visiting, whether it’s to see unknown acts at the regular open mic night or your new favourite band yet to hit the big time.

Rock For The Coast Benefit

Rock For The Coast Benefit
A top story from this week. The first ever “Rock For The Coast’ Benefit will be held on Saturday

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Having The Return Of The Police

The Police reunited for an appearance on the 2007 Grammy Awards Show. Anyone familiar with Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland knew that a Grammy Awards Show would never be reason enough for the original band members to come together and suddenly decide to perform on television. It was obvious that this was some kind of reintroduction to the band. That suspicion was confirmed a day later when a press conference was held in Los Angeles to announce that tickets would soon be available for an upcoming tour. A group known for surprising the media, their fans and sometimes even themselves, had done so handily. It was that way since the beginning.

The original band was formed by Stewart Copeland as a trio that became a foursome sometime in the spring of 1977. By early summer, Strontium 90 appeared on the scene as a reinvented version of the same group. After having undergone some personnel shifts and adjustments, the band members were Sting, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Henry Padovani. As Strontium 90, the band recorded a few demo tracks, played gigs in London and Paris and worked on perfecting their sound. Sometime in the summer of 1977 they began calling themselves The Police, a name originally chosen by Stewart Copeland.

Looking to get their sound on vinyl, The Police tried laying down some studio tracks in late July of 1977 with the help of music producer John Cale, a Welsh musician and one of the founding members of The Velvet Underground. The recording sessions went nowhere and revealed that Henry Padovani lacked the guitar skills needed to keep up with the others. As a result, Padovani left the band in early August. By the fall of 1977, The Police became the threesome of Sting, Summers and Copeland that we know so well. The trio with a unique sound bigger than the band was tailor made for the small clubs and venues of England’s Punk and new wave music scene. As a result, they became popular with British Fans.

After giving the recording studio another try, The Police had better luck. Roxanne was released as a single in early 1978. Can’t Stand Losing You, So Lonely and their first album, Outlandos d’Amour, followed later that year. Through a deal brokered by Stewart Copeland’s brother, Miles, A&M Records signed The Police to a recording contract and released Outlandos d’Amour in the USA.

In 1979, the band toured the USA to support their newly released singles and the first album. The press loved to describe them as three guys from England with bleached blond hair playing rocked up Jamaican Rebel Music driving around the USA in a cannibalized, overdue rental van filled with stolen instruments.

The blond hair was actually the result of a commercial they did to earn some quick money. Afterward, they decided to stay with the look. The trio did drive around from gig to gig in a leased Ford Cargo Van that had seen better days and was long past the original return date. The van contained ‘borrowed’ instruments and equipment. Actually, according to statements made by the band members during that time, they rented the instruments in New York City for a club date and forgot to return them until their tour was finished. It’s said the band made good on the extra charges for the van and instruments.

Their second album, Regatta De Blanc, was released in the fall of 1979. Walking on the Moon and Message in a Bottle received a huge amount of airplay and helped fill most of their shows to overflowing. In November of 1979, I was lucky enough to squeeze into My Father’s Place on Long Island to watch an amazing performance by The Police. The event was simulcast on WLIR, Long Island’s New Music Radio Station at that time. A friend later provided me with an audiocassette of the performance. I wore that cassette out.

The third album by The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, was released in October of 1980. The record hit number one in the UK and number five in the USA against tough competition which included AC/DC, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Queen and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. Songs like Driven To Tears and Don’t Stand So Close To Me could be heard playing constantly on the radio. Despite all that radio play, people didn’t tire of their sound and always seemed to want more.

Sting’s newly acquired Star Power as the band front man, an actor and solo musician in his own right gave him a constant edge over Steward Copeland. Copeland was his most vocal critic in the band and the two actually got into fistfights on several occasions. It probably didn’t help that managers, concert promoters, publicity agents and record companies all knew there would be no Police or paycheck without Sting and likely took his side on many issues. That must have driven Copeland nuts. Despite the infighting, the band members were still able to agree enough at that time to get down to business and move the band forward.

In 1981, just one year after their third album was released, their fourth album hit the stores. Ghost in the Machine flew to a ranking of number one in the UK and number two in the USA. Spirits In The Material World, Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic and Invisible Sun captured the imagination of fans and were placed in constant rotation on radio stations from coast to coast in the USA. These songs proved that the band could make occasional changes in their sound without evolving away from their fan base as others had.

In 1983, the band released Synchronicity, their fifth and final album to date. It reached number one in the UK and number one in the USA. The album won the group several Grammy Awards and lots of critical acclaim. Songs like Every Breath You Take, King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger became instant favorites that crossed over musical formats and received a huge amount of airplay. Synchronicity II became a favorite song of rock and new music disc jockeys. Today, that album is considered a classic and much beloved by most fans and music critics.

Without an official announcement and with little fanfare, The Police went their separate ways when the Synchronicity Tour finally ended in the spring of 1984. Because of all the albums sold, concerts performed, airplay received and media attention during that last tour, most fans probably felt the band members were just taking a well-deserved break.

The Police reunited for three concerts that benefited Amnesty International in 1986. Unlike the Beatles, there must have been enough esprit de corps there to occasionally get back together for the right reasons. In 1992 the band members reluctantly performed two songs at Sting’s wedding reception after being pressured to do so by the “A” List of guests. That led nowhere.

In March of 2003, The Police played several songs together during a ceremony for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The event was broadcast on television. Unlike the charity concerts or spur of the moment wedding gig, the 2003 performance of the reunited band members gave fans reason to hope for more. It didn’t seem strained and even Sting said he was surprised at how easy it was for the guys to perform together again. That gig proved that the band members could play together and still have a good time. That gave fans a reason to hope for more, but in the end it was all up to one band member.

Sting hit it as big without The Police as he did with them. Anyone paying attention to radio, broadcast television or cable during the 1990′s could not escape him. The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner’s Tales, Bring On The Night and other albums brought the S man lots of attention, accolades and money. Few performers create the kind of musical presence that Sting does and that sells well.

I think the defining moment of his fame as a solo performer during the 1980s and 1990s came at one of his concerts. I happened to see a video filmed for some project about the S-man. After finishing the concert, Sting came back stage. It appeared that he had turned in a long performance and already done one or two encores. He looked thin, almost frail, couldn’t catch his breath, was bathed in sweat, had tight fitting clothes on and all but collapsed against a backstage wall. He was wearing at least four or five Cause Ribbons on his lapel and yet couldn’t get anyone to bring him a bottle of cold water. Sting had become a tool used by the entertainment industry as much as a Craftsman of it. Perhaps that is what brought him back to the band that started it all.

Sting says that he woke up one morning and thought that it was time for The Police to reunite. It may be that he was simply tired of constantly facing the music and everything that came with it all by himself. Even as the powerful front man of that legendary band, it wasn’t Sting and the Police. It was just The Police. As a fan, I always thought of the band as one entity, not one person. Maybe that was what Sting wanted after all his individual fame.

Most people probably think that Summers and Copeland were just sitting around waiting for the call from the S-man. Nothing could be further from the truth. Getting past the reality that both may have felt that ship had sailed along time ago, they have had lively and prosperous careers. Beyond his eighteen solo albums, Andy Summers started his career in 1965 and played with Eric Burden and The Animals, Zoot Money’s Big Roll Band, Dantalion’s Chariot and had many other successful collaborations and projects. Stewart Copeland is considered one of the world’s finest drummers and began his career in 1974. Beyond his work with bands like Curved Air, Animal Logic, Oyster Head and Klark Kent, Copeland has had an amazing number of collaborations and proven to be a prolific and very successful soundtrack composer. But just like Sting, it was The Police that probably brought them the kind of attention that lead to bigger and better things.

A press conference held at the famous Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles the morning after the Grammy Awards told the tale. The Police were back and ready to go on tour. The press event atmosphere was electric and featured Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland playing a set for reporters, invited guests and some lucky fans.

Reporters that were present seemed as surprised and shocked as fans. Most were in awe of what they were seeing, wondered if the reunion would last past the press event and seemed more interested in enjoying the spontaneous show than asking questions. Those that did ask questions kept it unusually light. While it could be that they were just burnt out from the Grammy’s, it was more likely that they weren’t use to dealing with a musically in your face band like The Police. Even Ozzy and his occasional reunions with Black Sabbath couldn’t create the kind of atmosphere The Police could.

Although the new album question is left unanswered at this writing and the future of the band past the tour remains unannounced, there is another question that I think fans would be interested in having answered. If arguments over the music and artistic differences broke them apart so many years ago, what really brought them back together? What made Sting suddenly decide the time was right. What made them all willing to face the same old arguments and pressures all over again? I’m guessing it was Synchronicity. Welcome back guys!

To all my dear R&P buds who feel they were born a generation too late : )?

(and I know there are a lot of you) My friend just played this song for me while on the way back from school. I’m not sure if I like the song yet, but the lyrics really hit me, although I do not get the flower part, because a punk back in the 70′s would have been beat up for that… ah, well, anyway, have a listen if you like, or just read if you want : )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc2jDz6w-…

Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In 77 and 69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn’t care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn’t play guitar,
Not everybody drove a car,
When music really mattered and when radio was king,
When accountants didn’t have control
And the media couldn’t buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn’t know everything

When pop-stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when God Saved the Queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
When my mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs,
And playing games meant kick around
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

I was born too late to a world that doesn’t care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

IDK if that link works, so here is another…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEzd58SfOYg

Ha ha, i guess I’m late on hearing the song, today was my first time, I just like the lyrics, really…