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Penitentiary Blues
In 1931, the Republic Bank of Dallas fails. Among the executives there is John Lomax (1867-1948). He lose his job, like many others in those days. Originally he is an English teacher and folklorist, previously he was full professor at Texas A&M University (Agricultural & Mechanical), later worked as a member of administrative staff at University of Texas, and was co-founder of Texas Folklore Society. He is a nation-wide known figure owing to his anthology of cowboy songs and folk ballads.
In sight of his father’s depression his eldest son encourages him to begin a new series of lecture tours about American folk music. In the course of this they go to New York and Washington. Lomax concludes agreements with a publishing house and the Library of Congress. For the latter he takes to make field recordings on him. In the summer of 1933 his expedition starts. His youngest son, then 18 years old Alan go with him. Go after sounds to plantations and farms, at juke joints and penitentiaries. At Angola Prison Farm in Louisiana he discovers twelve-strings guitar player Lead Belly, who has been sentenced for attempted homicide in a knife fight. In 1934, after his release he become driver and assistant of Lomax’s next round. He gets publicity and recording contract through Lomax, and finally become one of the most influential blues musicians. Just very few names who covered his songs: Abba, Nick Cave, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Nirvana, The Fall, Brian Wilson, Tom Waits.
And there is the infamous Parchman Farm in Sunflower County, Mississippi. There he makes recording with Bukka White (1909-77), who has been imprisoned for shooting assault. Parchman Farm Blues about the hard times was written by him, but this is „When Can I Change My Clothes”, because there’re old pictures from the farm
„Most of the guards were untrained men, employed because they knew how to ‘handle and drive niggers’. We saw with horror that there were sadists among them who took pleasure in persecuting, beating, and torturing the helpless prisoners. We did meet sincere, kindly men trying to better the lot of the prisoners, but they were hampered by the limitations of the institution itself. A report in the New York Post confirms my own impression of a generation ago: ‘The state penitentiary system at Parchman is simply a cotton plantation using convicts as labor. The warden is not a penologist, but an experienced plantation manager” – said Alain Lomax. Also here were inmates such famous murderers as Son House (self-defense, pistol, 1902-88) and R.L.Burnside (dice game, pistol, 1926-2005). And there were many nameless prisoners whose songs has been recorded by the two Lomax
1. Bama – I’m Going Home 2. Bama – How I got in the penitentiary (interview) 3. 22 and Group – When I Went to Leland
Bama – How I got in the penitentiary: Well, boss, the way I got in trouble the first time: the folks was barin’ me, and I cut and shoot a feller up. So, I just got in the penitentiary and just worked and worked and worked so much. I had to work. Cut up the fellow, shoot’um up. And then, when I got out of the penitentiary, I thought I had worked enough, and I decided I could make my livin’ without workin’. And I commenced with puttin’ pistols on folks. And that wouldn’t do. And I commenced to stealin’ everything that wasn’t hot and nailed down. And the polices commenced to runnin’ me every whichaway – every way I turn. So, after I got’um started runnin’ me, I just kept on doing wrong – fightin’, stealin’ – you know – an’ robbin’. And sometimes I wouldn’t (doing) be nothin’ but I’d been doin’ so much ’til that when they’d get me, I’d due to been got anyhow. An one, two time they ‘rrest me, an’ I told’um I hadn’t done nothin’, an they said, „Arrest you in egvance – you gonna do sumpin’.” So that way I just stayed in the penitentiary all the time, boss. In and out, in and out, for the last 18 years.
Alan Lomax (1915-2002) , after death of his father in 1948, continued his father’s mission. He introduced Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger and others on radios and in concerts and records. His big fish was Mississippi Fred McDowell (1904-72). He also went after songs to the Caribbean, Europe, and North Africa. “Neighborhood investigation shows him to be a very peculiar individual in that he is only interested in folklore music, being very temperamental and ornery. … He has no sense of money values, handling his own and Government property in a neglectful manner, and paying practically no attention to his personal appearance. … He has a tendency to neglect his work over a period of time and then just before a deadline he produces excellent results” – was written by an FBI agent, for Alan Lomax was observed as a supposed Communist between 1940 and 1980.
44 songs from his Parchman Farm recordings between 1947-59 on 2CDs with 124-page hardcover book have been released this month by Dust-To-Digital. These Negro work songs are perfect for your everyday job.
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essence of delta blues by rnr666
From New Records
Easy Aussie pop music by Hierophants, their single will be released on such great garage rock and punk labels as Goner (US), Goodbye Boozy (I) and Anti-Fade Records
The members also are in Ausmutenats (synth-punk) and Frowning Clouds (psychedelic garage folk rock)
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Most fashionable garage rock from the end of the 60s. I can’t compare them to no one, so much not, that I have successfully discovered the Sex Pistols, the Clash, even the Joy Division in their music, but they haven’t to do with these, because they rather tell about Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Rolling Stones or Jesus & Mary Chain (!?), but let’s say, you mix the Stooges with Black Lips, grate a Spanish male singer with twang in it, and sprinkle lot of vocals on it. This is the essence of Davila 666 from Puerto Rico. I have written it when they played in RNR666 Party in Budapest some years ago. Posthumous single collection on LP, CD and cassette on Burger Records (US)
Content Nausea
Rock? Yes. Indie? Absolutely. Punk? Of course. Parquet Courts is a punk band, but an Exploited fan spits on it. The music of Content Nausea album is a mix of Velvet Underground and Fall under pseudonym of Parkay Quarts. It’s a Parquet Courts’ side project.
on What’s Your Rupture Records? (US). In Europe it’s available on Rough Trade (UK)
Parkay Quarts Euro Tour in Nov
Without Empathy
There is in the press kit that musically S’s is highly influenced by Pixies, Cabaret Voltaire, The Normal, Kraftwerk, and takes inspiration from bleak sci-fi films such as Eraserhead (David Lynch, 1977), THX 1138 (George Lucas, 1971), Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985), Blade Runner (Ridely Scott, 1982). But forget the Pixies! It’s mistake, this is pretty hard electro-noise, maybe he has intended to write Pigface. Xiu Xiu is also comparable to him. The most relevant parallel act is Foetus (most important alter-ego of J. G. Thirlwell, aka Clint Ruin).
Exploded View of Love is a concept album, about indifference of selfie, corporate and online social lifeforms, a dystopia about the world of Homo Leviculus.
From New Records
Meatbodies. Is Chud Ubovich’s „fast & loud” garage rock band. He is touring guitarist of Mikal Cronin, and bassist of Fuzz. Is a Ty Segall band. He plays drums and bass on some tracks on Meatbodies’ first album
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Live digital album of British psychedelic rock band The Oscillation
Ressurected Dead Milkmen
„Home Recordings 1993-1999” on vinyl and cassette by HHBTM Records (US). Professional amateur high standard lo-fi bedroom country rock blues punk like Velvet Underground, Daniel Johnston or Pink Reason by Joe Jack Talcum founder of The Dead Milkmen. In 1979 it has started as an imaginary band, which released his home recordings. The real band formed in 1983. There was a minor hit Punk Rock Girl in 1988. After break-up (1995) and suicide by drug-overdose (bassist, 2004) they have reunited in 2008. Since then here is their second album Pretty Music For Pretty People
Best of Slim Twig
Slim Twig is a Canadian film director who also makes music (like David Lynch, or John Carpenter ). It’s meaningful for his pop musical orientation that he made some split releases with US Girls, Dirty Beaches and Ela Orleans.
His latest album will be re-issued soon by DFA. „A Hound At The Hem” is a concept album, thematically and musically it based on Serge Gainsbourg’s Melody Nelson. Significant disparity that the story of Melody Nelson was the reality of the two main characters’ life. That is so good owing to this specially reason. And because of Gainsbourg’s genius, of course. So good…it’s gem in his amazing life-work. Naturally „A Hound At The Hem” is far from it, but perhaps non-irrespective of it, this is the best work of Slim Twig.
All This Wanting
directed by US Girls
From New Records
Tunnel of Love‘s Andy’s new trio The Monsieurs play Ramones Trash, but there’re two madmoisilles. Crazy world.
self-titled album on Slovenly (US)
One, Hilken Mancini studied dance and musical theater at the Boston Conservatory. She plays in fuzzy, noisey rock bands: Fuzzy, Gramercy Arms, Sheperdess, and she made some common recordings with Chris Colburn from Buffalo Tom.
Tunnel of Love in Budapest at RNR666 Party in 2008: Video. Photos.
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Jolly Columbians beat their instruments. Traditional cumbia chaos by Ensamble Polifónico Vallenato
Staubgold Records (France / Germany)
King from Cadillac
Luke Winslow King plays with his band a mix of old, but maybe eternal American tunes: ragtime, country, blues, gospel, dixie, bluegrass, jazz, rock and roll with minimal and occasionally brass band orchestration.
Swing That Thing
from second album „Everlasting Arms” by Bloodshoot Records (US)
King is living in the musical jungle of New Orleans, where he studied music theory, but his scholarship was received in Prague. He comes from a small Michiganian town, Cadillac.
From New Records
The Felines, Danish girl trio, twangy, little noisy, punky, doo-wop indie guitar pop
„Want” LP on Soundflat (Germany), cassette on Burger Records (US)
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One from our saint rock’n’roll madman: Timmy Vulgar from Human Eye. Now with his Organism. Like some Butthole Surfers
Timmy’s Organism – „Singles & Unreleased Tracks” 2xLP on Hozac Records (US)
Deerhoof is Deerhoof
„All sorts of stupid phrases have been said for their music, e.g.: experimental, avantgarde, noise, art rock, but Deerhoof is just one of the best pop bands in the world.” – RNR666
Deerhoof is a base, a point of comparison. I have gathered some „Deerhoof-like”, „Deerhoofesque” or „Deerhoof positive” artists from RNR666
Gentle Friendly – „It’s noisy, with keyboards, you wouldn’t like it.” Very playful experimental pop. Maybe like the early Animal Collective. Or Deerhoof.
Roze & The Rice Cakes – Funny, playful, jazzy. It brings the Deerhoof to my mind. On other sites this is called art rock.
Blanche Blanche Blanche – Experimental pop like Zappa or Deerhoof or something similar.
Joy As A Toy – They mention Talking Heads, Stereolab, Mr. Bungle and Deerhoof like same style music. Playful eclectic progressive pop.
Binidu – They’re high above the indie rock category. His music comes to my mind the Deerhoof and the French band is comparable to them. Fresh and playful music.
Papeye – Indie hard rock from France. The sound is similar to Deerhoof (I love) and Don Caballero (I don’t like).
Orval Carlos Sibelius – French multi-instrumentalist, who make music in really various styles from abstract electroinc dance to psych folk pop. His music often comes the world of Deerhoof in my mind.
Their 13th album La Isla Bonita will be released on 4 November by Polyvinyl Records (US). It was recorded live, DIY style, during „a weeklong sleepover arguing over whether to try and sound like Joan Jett or Janet Jackson
Deerhoof formed as a drum’n’bass duo in San Francisco in 1994. In 1995 Satomi Matsuzaki joined them as a singer within a week of arriving in the United States from Japan without any band experience, and went on tour only a week later… Later she would be the bass player too. And a guitar player is there too, not of course. If you want more music click