from the sunset till the sunrise

THE PUSSYWARMERS is a Swiss band. I wrote some years ago about them

„The Pussywarmers is a band of a traveling circus. They play swing for the rope-dancers, blues for the knife thrower, tarantella for the lion tamer, dixieland for the magician, cha-cha-cha for the trapezists, tango for the bears, polka for the poodles, waltz for the monkeys and criss-cross for the clowns on four languages.”

They have recently released the Nightride EP under the name of THE PUSSYWARMERES  & RÉKA’S ELEKTRONISCHE ABTEILUNG via Annibale Records. And it is totally different than their previous recordings. So I have had to ask what is the story of this project?

Réka: At the beginning of the year we introduced „The Pussywarmers & Réka’s Jizz Ensemble” which represents our „Tropical Big Band”. For the new record we decided to strip down to a quartet: „Elektronische Abteilung” which means „Electronic Department”. It´s a concept for an „Alter Ego Band”. Inventing this band in a Band-Project lead to more freedom in the creative process of composing and recording.

We have a hideout in the mountains of Italy where we are only allowed to play in a low volume.  These situations forced us to play around with loops which we kept on sometimes for hours. This sounds and loops created sometimes states of hypnosis. In this new found state we also started to experiment with new sounds and instruments. For „Nightride” we wanted to capture those moods and used instruments that would reflect perfectly those nights. From the sunset till the sunrise.

„Nightride” is very cinematique, so a big influence – for this new way of writing and recording music – were definitely movies. In Zürich exists the Institute of Incoherent Cinematography. Pablo Assandri – the head of IOIC – organizes silent movie events to which he invites musicians to create new film scores for these movies in a live situation. He invited us a couple of times and we loved it. To compose music to images is a very different approach. Music can be created which would never arise in normal practicing situations. Characters and scenes of the movie can become your muses. For example we played for Fred Niblo’s film The Temptress (1926).

The event series is called „The Underworld in Silent Film”. Here is an old trailer just for the feeling

Next silent film event will be on 30 March. Marena Whitcher’s Shady Midnight Orchestra will play on the film Der Geisterzug (Ghost Train, Germany/UK, 1927) by Géza von Bolváry.

NEXT PUSSYWARMERS & RÉKA SHOWS

30.3.2017 / Geneve (CH) / Bongo Joe / NIGHTRIDE RELEASE TOUR
1.3.2017 / Basel (CH) / tba / NIGHTRIDE RELEASE TOUR
1.4.2017 / Zurich (CH) / Bundeshaus Residency 68 / NIGHTRIDE

interview with Pakistani hardcore band

DEAD BHUTTOS

Punk among the last things come to my mind from Pakistan. Rather a short, but hard story of a young country: bloody secession from India (1947), and of Eastern Pakistan  (Bangladesh, 1971), Kashmir, violent power games, and millions left it behind for a better life. How total the chaos there nowadays?

Hassan: The usual. Life trudges on despite the numerous national tragedies we’ve faced over the years. I’ve become desensitized to the usual power games and propaganda, because otherwise it is very easy for someone to lose their sanity if they focus only on Pakistani news. I would rather use my free time to detach myself from the chaos, and study the complex power structures at play.

Are you the Dead Kennedys of Pakistan?

Hassan: Nope. We had no intention of being that. Musically we are different, and we would never like to be considered “this or that” band of Pakistan. We’re just making music we can relate to, regardless of who we’re influenced by or where we come from.

Your hardcore is like the Finnish. What are your music influences?

Hassan: I don’t know how accurate that comparison is, but yes – Finnish hardcore is one of my favorite styles. Tampere SS, Terveet Kadet, Riistyet, Mellaka, Rattus, Kohu-63 are some bands I enjoy a lot from the scene. To an extent, I guess hearing punk music in Finnish (as well as in Japanese, Swedish, Spanish, etc) actually inspired me to do vocals in Urdu.

Basim: Yeah the cold crusty stuff is great. I end up playing so much rock stuff and listening to it when we are recording, in my spare time I try to mix it up.

Punk and underground music scene there?

Hassan: It is small, close-knit but with a potential to grow. However, people lack general enthusiasm for music, so the entire situation can be quite hopeless sometimes. I have been putting on shows, been in different bands, run zines etc for the last 7 years and it’s always an uphill struggle trying to maintain the DIY ethics.

The Pakistani society is conservative – at least I think so. What is the reaction of the society for punk?

Hassan: Conservative societies make for great motivation, in a perverse sort of way. If I didn’t get ostracized for my speaking the truth, I would not have this rage inside me nor the desire to shout on a microphone.

Basim: Sadly nowhere has been immune to these right wing morons. They hold power in Hungary, could very soon do so in France, can’t really make head to tails of what’s happening in Poland, USA is going down the toilet, and the UK is so far up its own ass (and by referendum!) Fuck Victor Orban & everything he stands for.

I have read your lyrics.

„Hammer and sickle, a slogan of the people / But what was achieved? / The people got fucked / Since then we’ve been crying, while all the bastards keep looting” (Democracy is the Best Revenge)

„Bread, clothing, medicine / A small house to live in / Give me free education / For I am a Muslim too”  (What is the meaning of Pakistan?)

You are seem disillusioned. Democracy is the best revenge for what?

Hassan: Who knows? You’ll have to ask the Bhutto family for that answer, it’s their quote.

RNR666: Reputedly it was said by twice prime minister Benazir Bhutto, but we can not ask her, because she was assassinated in 2007 two weeks before the next election. She was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim state.

Are you students or/and workers or/and aliens?

Hassan: I concluded my education last year, and am currently working. Sheraz is finishing his education, and Basim lives and works most of the time in the USA.

What is your opinion about Pakistan Antarctic Programme?

Hassan: I don’t know too many details about it. I know there is a Jinnah Antarctic Station by Pakistan, but the public hasn’t been disclosed much information.

Basim: That is where the mothership is located!

RNR666: I have asked this because so strange that a young country with so many social and political tensions is running an Antarctic programme – anyway that station is named after the founding father of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. I am sure it is just because India is also running one.

But now here come The Real Bhuttos!

Benazir father’s Zulfikar Ali Bhutto founded the family business Pakistan Peoples Party with the slogan „Islam is our faith, democracy is our policy, socialism is our economy. All power to the  people” in 1967. He was president between 1971-73, and prime minister between 1973-77. Military coup 1977. He was accused of murder and after a show trial he was hanged in 1979.

After the execution Benazir was imprisoned until 1984. Her brothers Shahnawaz and Murtaza fled the country and founded a terrorist organization in Afghanistan. Tried to assassinate Pakistani military dictator general Zia-ul-Haq more times. Shahnawaz died suddenly in his 26th year in France in 1985. It is said by poison.

Murtaza went home after seventeen years, but because did not get desirable position formed a maverick fraction inside the party. He was sought by the police on the charge of inciting attacks on two CIA centres. He was killed along with six other party activists in a shooting affair when the police tried to arrest him during Benazir’s second government in 1996.

After the killing Benazir was removed from office on corruption charges. She was given jail sentence together with her future president husband, but she went into exile. After eight years she went home to run on the elections in 2007. She was very careful, two days before her homecoming wrote her last will.

They all lie in the home of dead Bhuttos. It was built by BB. It ‘s beatifully harmonizes with the slogan of Pakistan Peoples Party: Roti, Kapra or Makaan, id est „Bread, Cloth and Shelter” for everyone.

Az Urna nevű nagykanizsai ördögi horror fém banda 2002-ben indult „hódító” útjára. Aki felmegy a metal-archives.com nevű oldalra, elég érdekes dolgokkal szembesülhet a név kapcsán. Például csak Olaszországban 2 darab Urna létezik, de a cseheknél is van egy elég régi formáció.

Az alábbi beszélgetést Márti & Pali készítette Malevolus-szal egy mámoros éjszaka.

Íme:

RNR666: Úgy tudom a Venom zenekarnak is alapítója voltál!

Urna: Jól kezditek. (Nevet.) Mivel nem vagyok közel hetven éves ez valami pletyka lehet. Az viszont igaz, hogy a Venom Possessed bakelitje volt ’92-ben az első Black Metal album amit napi szinten oda-vissza lejátszottam. Sajnos csak kölcsönbe volt.

RNR666: Akkor beszéljünk az Urna zenekarról, ami szerintem egy kurva jó név!

Urna: Kösszönjük szépen!

RNR666: Az Urna története?

Urna: A Princeps Daemonum mellett ezt szintén Nox-szal kezdtük, csak egy ével később, mint a Princeps-et. A DENIAL OF GOD hatalmas favorit. És akartam egy kimondottan magyar nyelvű, és nevű Black Horror Metal hordát. Akkor még bele sem gondoltunk, hogy rajtunk kívül lehet még másik ilyen nevű banda is, de ez underground színen nem szokott probléma lenni. Lásd Malediction (pécsi death metal banda – RNR666). Az Andróék splitet akartak, az angolok meg közös koncertet. Haha..

RNR666: Kibaszottul tetszik az Urna név, ebből lett később a POKOL?

Urna: Így van, mert sikerült egy koncert képes felállást összehoznom a Teurgia pár tagjával, és az óbudai koncertünket POKOL néven adtuk. Első koncert és „megszeppent” vidéki srácok.

RNR666: Miért, szar volt a koncert?

Urna: Kezdjük ott, hogy egy hónap alatt tanítottam meg a Nocturnaléknak 5-6 dalt, ebből egy feldolgozást. A „hangmérnök” késve érkezik, én az első visításnál, majdnem beszédültem a dobok közé. Az Abruptum Aerge Facere Alci száma helyett, a Heic Noenum Pax került terítékre. Ja, én meg szombaton mentem középfokú angol vizsgára, úgy hogy a corpsepaint egy részét nem sikerült lemosni. Tanulópénznek jó volt. (Már megint nevet…)

RNR666: A metal-archives-on semmi info nincsen a borítók és a számcímeken kívül.

Urna: Persze, mert a ’02-es reh.demo nem hivatalos, meg ott vannak zagyvaságok. Tudod?

RNR666: De a metal-archives-on szinte 0 info van bazzeg!

Urna: MERT NEM VOLT HIVATALOS!!! Én csak átvettem grátisz azoknak, akik a DEUM NIGRUM INVOCO kazinkat berendelték a ‘zine-emmel együtt. Ott linkek vannak, hogy e-bay, amazon, stb… Hivataloson kazettán fog kijönni, mert annak kultusza van!

RNR666: Nem is az, hogy kultusza van, hanem egy létező forma.

Urna: Meg figyelj! Te is nagyon jól tud, ha adtatok ki „7 EP-t az RNR666-on keresztül, hogy nem úszol meg 200 rongy alatt sem egy ezer példányos CD-t, sem egy 2-300 példányos kislemezt. Ja, és akkor a 10-12 incsesekről még nem is beszéltünk. A DIE-HARD kiadványokról meg pláne!

RNR666: Az milyen? Vastagabb bakelit?

Urna: Kivitelben szebb, jobb gazdagabb, ennek eredménye, hogy drágább is! Például a WITCHCRAFT/AGE OF AGONY split 10″EP nekem közel 8 ropiban volt. Vagy szintén a WITCHCRAFT DIE-HARD kazik, még több. Volt a 3 kazi, mellé póló, vihargyújtó, sörbontó, mindez szitázott fadobozban! Na ugye…

RNR666: Erről az AGE OF AGONY-ról én már olvashattam talán a Hammer World-ben? Ők kanizsai banda?

Urna: Nem, de a Zalai Metal Kommandó oszlopos tagjai. A két alapító lövői. A dobosuk Peták vitt ki minket a UNITED METAL MANIACS FEST tizedik felvonására, ahová szinte csak a dán haverok miatt mentem ki, de a floridai Black Witchery énekessel igencsak összehaverkodtunk. Szegény Impurath, mit reszketett mikor stagedivelni akartunk vele. „Not stage diveing with Hungarian Guys!” Hahaha… Hailz AGE OF AGONY!

RNR666: Na de a WITCHCRAFT 20. jubileumi bulijáról is mesélj már! Még friss az élmény, nem?!

Urna: Khm…. Igen az élmény friss, de igencsak megcsináltam magam! Viszont Angmaréknak kurva nagy respekt a szervezésért. Még kajálni is tudtunk a fasza zenekarok mellett! Ja itt ismét a Petákkal ünnepeltünk. Már haza is a Különleges Sörök boltján keresztül mentem oda útnak. Amúgy az Urna két legutóbbi ex tagja is tiszteletét tette. Azért az is fontos, hogy a stúdió is pont szemben van, ahol véglegesítjük a zenéket! Hail to the Klaan!!

RNR666: Az Urna dalokról még valamit!

Urna: Alkottunk kábé 12 saját dalt meg feldolgozásokat a Vondur, Mayhem, Absurd, Darkthrone hordáitól. A barcsi Detonic-tól már nem, mert a gityós lelépett egy helyi Hatecore brigádba. Egyébként volt neki Vérbúlcsú néven is egy „onemanprojekt”…

RNR666: A Vérbúlcsú rémlik, de amúgy neked voltak ‘zine-jeid is, ugye?

Urna: Volt kettő saját egy számot megért, meg most a HORROR ET ABRUPTA, de az meg filmes lap lesz, majd nehéz szülés lesz. Talán a körmendi TOTAL WAR FEST-re materializálódik…. Ezenkívül a BLAST ‘zine hozta le a HAEMORRHAGE, BLASPHEMY, DEIPHAGO, MORBOSIDAD intijeim. A MORBOSIDAD-ban ráadásul hörögtem is a Solomon’s Gate című BEHERIT klasszikust!

RNR666: Na, ha már a filmek szóba jöttek, azokkal mi van?

Urna: 1986-ban Ómen és The Exorcist című filmekkel kezdtem. Amúgy megnézek sokféle mozit, de a horror az első. Viszont annak minden ága szinte! Na jó, az Ed Wood filmjeit nem, de olaszoktól sokat, főleg Argento & Fulci. Az amcsiktól meg John Carpenter alap, Kubrik szintén, aztán Joe Dante is.

RNR666: Oké. Amúgy Urna koncert csak a budapesti volt?

Urna: Nem, volt még Nagykanizsán is a Kodály Zoltán művházban kettő, de többre nem vágytam. Még lett volna egy reunion a Feretrum tagjaival, de nem tudtunk időpontot egyeztetni. Erre szoktam mondani, hogy Kanizsán nem igazán lehet együtt zenélni szinte senkivel! Ennek ellenére nincs harag egyik volt tag felé sem. A Princeps Daemonumról mit szeretnétek tudni?

RNR666: Az egy másik beszélgetés legyen, ha lehet….

Urna: Be vagy baszva?

RNR666: Beee… Hehehe!

Urna: Folytatjuk legközelebb!

Márti: A Csíki Sör hatására az urak viccesre itták magukat, így a Princeps Daemonum tolódik, de még kitérünk egyébbre is Malevolus-sal.

an island, close to the sea, full of sun and green

in a huge and chaotic, besides beautiful and unique city

BIG MOUNTAIN COUNTY is a relatively new but great psych garage rock band somewhere in Rome. They are blessed with ability to write hits, even in the manner of Butthole Surfers. Moreover the bassplayer Wolfman Bob is our old comrade. He played at rnr666 party in Budapest with three different bands: wild garage rock Ultra Twist, lo-fi punk Trio Banana, and of course Big Mountain County.

How you have become musicians?
As for many other musicians: listening to music at home, trying to play any instrument and finally being completely captured by the desire to play over and over.

Your hometowns are Catania, Bari, Pescara, Rome. There are long distances between these cities. How you have got together? You understand each other without problem, or there are difficulties because of the language differences?
We come from different and quite far towns, but there are no particular language differences. So no communication problems. Alessandro and Bruno have met each other in Catania, their common hometown. They met Bob in a music festival, where they were performing with their respective past bands, Bruno and Alessandro with “The Boliers” and Bob with “The Ultra Twist”. A few years later, they all moved to Rome, where Alessandro and Francesco met each as roommate. They began playing guitars and writing songs together and soon they decided to start a new band, involving Bruno as drummer and Bob as bass player. We believe that the difference between our origins is one of the keys of the band. Alessandro and Bruno come from Catania, a hot and spirited city, Bob comes from another lively and dynamic town, whereas Francesco comes from a quiet village close to Pescara. These differences reflect on our music styles. So yes, we have different languages, but just “musical languages”. However, this is not a problem, but an unbelievable resource, since playing and writing together is a continuous mutual exchange, which every time creates new songs, new sounds and new atmospheres. We definitely like to be different but to appear as a unity on the stage.

You spent a month together to produce a better sounding in a house on the base of Etna. Was the session successful? Could you use that under ground latent energy?
Definitely yes! We live in Rome, a huge and chaotic (besides beautiful and unique) city. Sometimes we need to escape from the rhythm of the city life in order to find new inspirations. Therefore, when we had to complete our first LP Breaking Sound, we decided to stay a month in a nice house on the base of the Etna, where we had more time and the right atmosphere to write new songs and find out new sounds. Those days were relaxing, inspiring and stimulant. That was the right place in the right moment.

In some songs (e.g. Brain Machine) I have discovered the strong influence of Butthole Surfers. Are there accidents, or are you also big fans of those funny guys?
We know Butthole Surfers and we like their music. Anyway, we do not know if they directly influenced some of our songs. As said before, we are four and we have various and very different musical influences.

Psychedelic music is very trendy nowadays, almost every second village has a psych fest. What do you think about this revival?
We like psychedelic music, we play psychedelic music, so we follow the trend… Psych music surely is not new, but we believe that many bands are proposing new different, modern and interesting interpretations. We think that this kind of music can be fully expressed just during live shows. Therefore, we promote the spread of psych fests and we hope every second village will have more than one psych fest. We are so sure about this that we are contributing to the organization of the first Rome Psych Fest, which will be held in next October.

As band what was your biggest show experience?
We had many unforgettable shows, but if we have to choose one, that is Sarajevo in 2013, during our first European tour. We were very far from home, not only because of physical distance, but also because of history and culture. However, we felt at home. People got really involved by our show and our music. The atmosphere was perfect, in poor words, unforgettable.

Where is Big Mountain County geographically?
As for songs, pictures, or poems, each can have its personal idea about the Big Mountain County. Therefore, we cannot say where it is. In our minds, it is probably on an island, close to the sea, full of sun and green lands. Do you know any place like this?

What are your plans for the future?
In this period, we are promoting out live CD Anachronicle, out for Area Pirata Records. In the same time, we are writing new songs to record our second studio LP, which will be more psych and experimental than “Breaking Sound”. Our idea is to record in autumn and release the album at the beginning of 2017. Meanwhile, in next October, we will share the release of a 12 inches split, out for Annibale Records with the Italian band “Lame”, a project of Stefano Isaia from Movie Star Junkies. It will contain two new tracks by Big Mountain County, one to dance and one to dream.

And for the past? What would you change in the history if you could?
To answer this question is not easy. Everything could be better, but worse also. We think that what is done is done. Fortunately, just music and songs remain. We prefer to learn from the past in order to make the future better.

pic: Gyerage. More BMC at RNR666 Party in Budapest pics

On the 10th birthday party of RNR666 there will be a French ultrafuckin’hot rock’n’roll band, VAGINA TOWN.  They’re so amazing like The Cramps.

Lavór: How did you got together?

Jeremie: Gina and I met in high school at respectively 17 and 15 in 98. We got together something like a year after and kept being stuck after each other ever since. We started to play music in bands in 2007. Vagina Town started has a duo beatbox bass guitar in 2009. We’ve been playing trio from 2010 to 2011. Then the band has been in stand by, until we started all over again in 2013 has a four pieces with Patou (drummer), and Rachouchou (keyboards).

Szabó: What represent your name?

We found that name during the first days of the band. It could have been Ravachol Crack* or Sex Minute. We were much more in some high speed energy at the time. Beat box guitar wolf…  Anyway, we caught „Vagina Town” by watching an episode of Californication. Which is not a so funny series in my opinion…  But some good jokes I admit.  „Vagina Town” is also a real porn movie shot in the 90’s .

Now, talking about the band, Vagina Town can represent sex, energy, energy of sex… repressed and just about to blow everything up if you don’t let it out. Or having rough sex with a pure heart. … I’m not really sure actually.

*Ravachol (1859-92) was a French anarchist. He tried to make a better world with bombs. After some experiments he lost his head.

Zsófi: How often do you get joking questions about the influence of cramps on vagina…. town?

Not so much, because in France people are quite lousy at speaking foreign languages. So if you’re lucky enough to meet someone listening to the Cramps, he’s maybe not totally aware of the meaning of it. But we got many many comparison with them. Whereas I don’t think our music sounds like the Cramps. We love the Cramps for a long time. But we also love …. the Beatles (and know every songs) for example. Patou and I are listening to a lot of old rnb soul stuff… And many more things combined…

I think our Cramps thing is… in the clothes, girls playing music, some live energy and the sex references. We had the luck to see them once, performing in Brussels in 2003. I’m dreaming one day Poison Ivy would lend a hand on a Vagina record!!!

Lavór: Is it sexism or not if a band has boy and girl members too?

Jeremie: I’m not sure to understand the question. There’s probably some sexist attitudes in the band, it depends a lot of what you call sexism. I like to think we’re just people playing music. But I really like to play music with THESE special girls.

Gina: I don’t feel any sexist attitudes in the band. But sexism appears more often during the shows in the public or among the other bands we are playing with. I like to play with girls, I had a few girl bands, but it’s not my main concern to play with girls only.

Lavór: 1st is the Sex, 2nd the Drugs, 3rd is the Rockandroll. Is this proper order?

Jeremie: Sex 1, Rock n roll 2, Drugs 3 for all of us. As drug is an upper for exploring other things, or a way to stand the world. As you know, drugs can be very destructive and leading to poorness and diseases. So drugs! Yes!  But as an improvement of something. I’m not so excited about taking legal happy pills, working in an oxygen factory in 2072. Luckily, I’ll be death by drugs then.

What’s your opinion about the legalization of ecstasy and MDMA?

I’m not sure I’m pro or anti drug legalization. As I told you about drugs before: what are you looking for by taking drugs? When you’re depressed, poor, if you got any problems… drugs won’t solve any of them. But drugs do feel fucking good. So yes if legalization means: avoiding cops, jail, money problems, providing state care… If it’s about taking money from the drug dealers to offer the market to big companies of the (not always)legal economy, with the same cynicism: it’s not a matter of excitement. But boy, I love so much to listen to music, watch gigs on MDMA!

See you in Budapest!!!!!!

in the centre of the city under the starry sky on the rooftop of Corvin Store

on 19 JUNE at CORVINTETŐ from 7 pm!
with the incredible LOUIS PANTHER (H)
cousin of Gustave Tiger

The concerts will start soon after 7 pm because it must be end up to 10 pm on the rooftop. The party continues with 6 DJ girls until dawn. It will be a crazy night.

Facebook event

Some people say: it’s Howlin’ Wolf with Venom, others say: just like The Stooges, Dead Kennedys or AC/DC.

„We’re just playing blues. Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the cross of road 61 and 45 in Clarksdale. We have contracted with him at the corner of Fleminginkatu and  Vaasankatu in Helsinki. We’re in Robert’s league.” As guitarist Robert Johnson made the biggest impression on blues music.

BLACK MAGIC SIX INTERVIEW

RNR666: When, where and WHY did BM6 form?
Yukka (g/v): Black Magic Six was found 2006, but we count our birthday form the first gig 14.2.2007 in Chemnitz.

Why we put up the band?
Maybe we were just bored, hehehe.

I heard originally a lot more people were going to play in the band. Would the band’s name really have been J- Tan & the Black Magic Six? And so would there have been seven of you in the band? How did you finally become a duo?
That´s true. Originally we had some dudes from Damn Seagulls, The Mutants and Disgrace playing in rehearsals, but pretty soon we realized non of these guys came to rehearsals. Then there was just me and Japandeer in rehearsal room. I went to local music store and bought distortion pedal and octabass pedal and the sound of BM6 was there.

Jukka, what’s the deal with your other band, the Disgrace? I found an issue of the Hungarian Metal Hammer zine from 91 or 92, and they were already writing about you! (They also wrote about Japa’s old band’s – Sweetheart – demo at about the same time)
Well, I started playing heavy metal when I was kid late 80s. We played grindcore & death metal couple of years and got bored pretty soon. We started to play straight punkrock until last year. The band ceased all activities January 2015.

This is the seventh time you are visiting Hungary, and you are playing here since your first album. How did you get to know people here?
We were counting sixth time, but you are probably right, ´cos we are old sods and it´s hard to remember what happened yesterday. The basic reason for our tourin’ was Myspace. When we put our music there 2006-2007 we got shit loads of response all over the world – also Pali from Hungary. People asked us to play all over the world, so we did – and still do that, even though Myspace is pretty dead.

What is the first thing that comes to your mind about Hungary? If I am not mistaken, besides Budapest you also played in Debrecen, Szolnok and Miskolc.
We haven´t played Debrecen yet, but gonna do that this Friday. First thing coming my mind from Hungary is the venue in Miskolc and how the guys did the load into the venue. It was in basement, there was a window about three meters high from the floor – and this tall guy took shaky ladder, and guys upstairs gave him big Marshall cabinets thru window – and this dude single handed took Marshalls in his lap, on shaky ladder and took them down one by one. That was scary shit…

You know Hungary pretty well (besides the region west of the Danube). How were these gigs outside of the capital?
Loved to play in Szolnok and Miskolc. Especially Tomi Pub from Szolnok is always in our hearts. Friendly people, good atmosphere, drunk and having a hell of a party!

You have a song called “Imre you are a punk’”about Imre Antal (RIP), the unforgettable Hungarian TV personality. What is the story behind this – how does a Finnish band know about Imre Antal?

Tovább / Read more »

 THE EXPERIMENTAL TROPIC BLUES BAND

INTERVIEW

Pali: The band was formed in 1999. How should I picture The Experimental Tropic Blues Band of the day and how were the concerts?

Boogie Snake (guitar): We haven’t changed too much, except that we don’t play neo blues the way we used to. We’re more a surrealist para-rock band now (or Belgian handi-rockers). Concerts were really fun, it’s rare when we don’t enjoy them!

Your line-up hasn’t changed, a rare thing. Do you click so well?

We do.We’re friends since high school and like the same kind of music in general. We tried to play with additional musicians, but it didn’t work that well.

You look like common and regular guys but you do get wild on stage as seen in Electric Cock’ video. What the bloody hell was that?!

LoL, yes I know what you mean. The electric dick is a way to prove that you can do music with anything! Even with your cock! Things went crazy when we played that song (Garbage Man, revisited). Dirty Coq (guitar, vocal) had also a few troubles with the cops in certain places.

You shared the stage with anyone around the place. Who were the ones who made you say: „wooow these guys really kick ass!!”

Tovább / Read more »

Dustin Wong & Takako Minekawa – Savages Imagination. Album review.
Let’s see my notes! Well, at first, who is Takako Minekawa?

Do you remember the J-pop explosion in the 90s? Exactly I think the members of shibuya-key movement, e.g. Pizzicato 5, Cornelius, Kahimi Kane, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Towa Tei, Maki Nomiya and others. Among them Takako Minekawa made the wittiest music. Her particular experimental electro-pop was influenced by the 60s French Yé-Yé and Brazilian Tropicalia movements, Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk, house and the fashionable electronic dance music of the 90s, for instance the Ninja Tunes’ artists. And her music was nevertheless unmistakeable Japanese. It was very playful and silly parade of sounds and moods. Between two catchy pop songs always was something peculiar, but funny abstraction, but often also inside the catchy pop melodies. Her records were released between 1995 and 2000, and there was a hit in 1996, Fantastic Cat

After 13 years silence she came back last year with a common album with Dustin Wong. He is a Hawaiian born half Chinese/half American guitarist. He grew up in Japan and went to college to the US. There he founded an experimental guitar duo with Matthew Papich (nowadays: Co La): Ecstatic Sunshine (2004-07), and a Deerhoofesque art rock band: Ponytail (2005-11). After the break-up he has begun solo career, and makes experimental guitar albums. And now here is the next Minekawa & Wong album. And it’s (or at least, I like it) better than the previous one. The music is very playful and silly parade of sounds and moods. Inside the songs, between two peculiar, but funny abstract electro-pop melodies, always are catchy pop tunes. Unfortunately many people averse to the phrase „pop”, and same time they consider „rock”, „metal” and  „punk” as positive things, when there are many load of shit under the label of „rock”, „metal” and „punk.” This is pop, because this is not rock. Rather alternative disco a la Mouse on Mars.

And here is another strange thing. The „Savage Imagination” comes the Beastie Boys in my mind, while this is almost entirely instrumental album. And this fact has been observed after I listened to it many times! Well, their rate of creativity is equivalent with the mentioned boys.

LP and CD out on 22 September by Thrill Jockey Records (US)

CD and digital on Plancha Records (Japan)

And finally let’s see the cats!
A rabbit tail long interview with Takako Minekawa Tovább / Read more »

DEMJÉN HIRST
is a chaotic garage rock band in Budapest.
They will play before Audacity at RNR666 Party
in Budapest on Sept 11.

INTERVIEW

– The members?
– Dániel Bernáth (guitar, vocal), István Nagy (drums), Gyula Veres (guitar).

– Where do you live?
– Budapest, but we’re from east of Hungary.

– When it was founded, and why?
– 2 years ago. But we have been doing it more seriously for 1 year. We were at same class at University of Fine Arts in Budapest. In the early times our goal was just to drain away our tensions, and to gratify our primitive instincts, but today we do it for success, money, shine, free beers and so on.

– Did you think to write Hungarian lyrics? By the way, what are its themes?
– Yes we did, but rejected the thought. There were many reasons, but the first: the language of rock is the English. And such music like ours needs this simpler form of expression. In Hungarian I can’t express myself in such manner that I would like to do it. In Hungarian it’s harder to be rude. I should say sophisticated banalities about things of the life as love, pain, anger, hope and similar banalities of the life.

Tovább / Read more »

The Natural Child is one of the best rock’n’roll bands recently. They started as a trio in Nashville, 2009. They are mixing garage rock, blues and punk elements in their music. During the years they have been influenced by the roots of rock and roll, so their blues burns with more power, their rock has a pretty heavy taste and they also add country elements to their music, while they just simply keep the élan of punk.

The Second Best Rock and Roll Band of the World

an interview with Seth (g/v)

Nashville is the capital of country music. How does it influence the average days there?

In Nashville everything is from the country, or from its profits. Many offices and bureaus use the Peace in the Valley (really very famous country song) for when they put you on hold on the phone. Country music also determined my life, because my grandfather was an excellent country guitarist. He played with Red Foley and Hank Williams. Lots of celebrated musicians took part in his famous all night long boozing and playing music in his home, like Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, one or twice Elvis Presley. My father could tell about these parties. I smoked weed for the first time on a morning after a party like this. I was nine or ten. My mother sent me over to grandpa for something. Everybody was sleeping, except Willie Nelson (multiple Grammy winner country legend) . He was sitting in the garden and offered me his cigarette. I asked him: what is this? He said „God’s gift to the suffering people.”

Tovább / Read more »