Ashley Simpson has been replaced. Gone is the pop craze that swept the MySpace concert series world (at least temporarily anyway) as San Antonio’s own Girl In a Coma and Pinata Protest take over. Plus, they don’t lipsync or need plastic surgery to rock. Yes, the Latin music movement is taking over & gaining ground. MySpace Latino & Remezcla is host to a new breed of indie-rock punksters and taking the show on the road with the En Cu Ciudad tour, sponsored by Matrix.
PICK YOUR POISON
Girl in a ComaComa who have already conquered the local music scene after sisters Phanie & Nina Diaz, along with best friend Jenn Alva spent their formative school years listening to records & learning to play and on the road they went. Two years later they found themselves smack dab in the middle of a recording contract with Joan Jett’s Blackheart Label. What emerged was their debut CD,Both Before I’m Gone, tacked full of life-on-the-road ballads and punked-up anthems that have garnished them awards, including a 2007 Independent Music Award, and it just kept growing from there. Barely into their twenties and they can claim dates with Cyndi Lauper and the B-52s, opening for Tegan and Sara, The Pogues, Social Distortion, the Toadies, Frank Black and the Catholics, theSTART, The Epoxies, The Eyeliners, Boz Boorer and The Bozmen, The Groovie Ghoulies, The Cruxshadows, Brassy and The Smoking Popes and they can even claim Morrisey as a fan after opening for his East Coast tour…he even invited them back the next year for a stint in the UK & France.
SQUEEZE ME (pic by Mari H)
Pinata Protest join in with they’re own brand of fuzz-box accordian meets puro punk. Famous for their stage shows where lead singer and squeeze-meister Alvaro Salas and bandmates push their own brand of culture clash on tracks from their debut CD Pinata Protest, such as the lazy man’s anthem on “Suckess,” about a man who is bored with his daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. existence and the title track “Polka Time,” a 46 second clip of the band’s own brand of colliding traditional folkloric musiical triades with irresitible punk. But they really carve out their niche on “Campesino,” a fast-faced song about the unyielding migrant farm workers and the blood, sweat & tears they shed to fight for a little piece of a greater destiny. These guys use music to say what’s on their mind and you’ll not only find them on stage, but on the field practicing what they preach. As a result, they headed West for an invitation to place the Chicano Latino Fest in sunny Los Angeles…
Lester Bangs, music journalist, author & musician (penning record reviews for Creem and Rolling Stone magazines) is even more famous for his notorious tendency to insult and confront his interviewees…
”Well basically I just started out to lead [an interview] with the most insulting question I could think of. Because it seemed to me that the whole thing of interviewing as far as rock stars and that was just such a suck-up. It was groveling obeisance to people who weren’t that special, really. It’s just a guy, just another person, so what?”-Bangs
yes, Bangs was gonzo before Hunter S. Thompson was even a flicker on the radar of cool, in fact, the two had a profound hatred for each other, but if you still don’t know who he is and call your yourself a music journalist…for shame…he was the know-it-all Rolling Stone disser in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famouswho gave the kid advice, played by actor-extraordinaire Phillip Seymour Hoffman. enough said…on with the money-making….
a lesson from the master hater: (fill in the blank, change where necessary)
HOW TO WRITE YOUR VERY FIRST ORIGINAL RECORD REVIEW:
The Cramps founders Lux Interior-sexually ambiguous crowd-teasing front man & his partner in crime Poison Ivy-super-hot psychobilly guitar goddess set out to conquer the New York music scene with their ultra hip brand of leather & mayhem poured out in psychedelia, surf, rockabilly and punk (they recruited drummer Nick Knox in 1977), but in the process they subsequently resurrected western swing and ’60s pop with their own cover-brand of fuzz-box mutant rock’n'roll. thing is, they covered songs no one had ever heard of and they did it with a flair for the dramatic-clad in black leather spandex, red velvet gloves & big hollow-body gold glittering guitars. this was the kind of music your parents warned you about and it sure as hell didn’t make sense in the ’70s disco era. The Cramps were scary cool…surf became punk, punk became rockabilly…and the next thing you knew, they became the poster children for campy horror movie surf-punk…..
what a bummer. i know that’s what you’re thinking. nope, this isn’t one of those top 40 albums of 2008 (ahem, Spin) or even a top ten list. if Spin, Rolling Stone and countless Internet whores are going to say TV On the Radiois the top album of 2008 or Lil Wayne’s Lollipop is the number one song you must listen to before you die, then i am going to stick to my Sunday ritual de lo habital with a big ol’ smile across my face. too many aging psychopaths and half-mad suit-wearing crack addicts are in charge of setting standards for the music genocide of 2008….
picture an avant-garde art film where A Space Odyssey meets the birth of a Christmas baby (not Jesus) on Mars and everybody’s doomed. now, replace the actors with Oklahoma psychedelic alternative rock bandmembers, The Flamming Lips. there is no real plot to speak of….
i will not argue when it comes to Christmas music. i simply prefer the mundane & sad rather then the happy & jolly. (oddly, i prefer only comedic Christmas movies like A Christmas Vacation & A Christmas Story.) i despise the junk musak in every department store & god-forsaken Starbucks which would, of course, come as no surprise to my family who still gives me grief about having never seen the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life”…… me, who loves James Stewart. i know, controversial in my family. and sadly, while everyone else enjoys singing along to “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls” or whatever it is you people listen to to “get in the spirit,” i insist on listening to stuff like Merle Haggard’s “If we make it through December” and The Eagles “Please Come Home For Christmas.” but hey, controversy sells right?
Occupation: traveling musician Band moniker: fill in the blank Mission: to conquer the world one city at a time without spending a dime (and get paid in the process)
sure, a hotel room is a luxury most bands can’t afford and even if you could, roll-out beds are first come, first serve.
…so someone is sleeping on the floor or in the lonesome, cold steel bathtub if too much drinking ensued the night before.
five sweaty guys cramped up in 1986 ford econoline van is not the ultimate travel adventure band whores & hanger-ons make it out to be…but no sleep for the wicked right?
launched in 2004, couchsurfing.com is a nonprofit social network of people who offer their sofas to like-minded travelers in hope that someday the favor will be returned.
stay with a climber, metal head, ex-roadie for pink floyd, cyclist, geophysician, engineer, lawyer (this could come in handy if you have a druggie in said band) and while you’re at it, sample beer at the local hole in the wall, play video games for endless hours, talk life, love & humanities, agree, agree to disagree…whatever you want, just be minful of your host & be sure to thank them.
with the masses waiting in turmoil over who is going to be the next Pres (most of us just want to get on with it) and the ever pressing economic crisis, isn’t it nice to get something free in this here world before the shit hits the fan? and guess what it is folks? that’s right. it’s free music. in fact, a freecover of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall be Released” from Wilco (Obama/Biden supporters) w/Fleet Foxes from a live performance in Bend, Oregon, and all you have to do is VOTE….
it’s all about the hair. first it was a Buddy Holly moptop, now it’s a slicked up mohawk. dead give away for what to expect next from the once king of hot rod country, now vigilante punk god. that’s right, John Evans Bandis reved up & riled up with a new CD in tow….Lucky 13, which this CD monger doesn’t have yet. but don’t start bashing me so soon….
this is it. your last chance to get noticed. your last chance to land that big record contract. became a famous filmaker. you want to be famous right? wanna be a rockstar? the next White Demin? the next Scorsese or Stone? you know you want to. do you cry to mommy at night asking WHY, WHY, WHY? (no, not you guy who attends every damn music festival from the East coast to the West. i’m talking to the talent.) last day to apply is Friday, 10/24/2008. you know you want it. want it bad. real bad. this is your dream, right? was $25, now only $35. the 2009 web site is already up. don’t want to miss out. you’ve been warned. apply here.
it has truly been a labor of defiancy this time around as Curb Recordsfinally releases Hank III’s Damn Right, Rebel Proud after a two-year hiatus since his last record, Strait To Hell (released February 2006). true followers know Hank is no stranger to fighting his own record label, and he still acts like he has something to prove, but this time around he takes on even bigger demons when he tells the Grand Ole Opry to stick it where the sun don’t shine. Welcome to the rebel inside… Keep reading →
that what this band does to me. they hail from San Antonio & they’re called Hacienda. brothers Abraham, Rene and Jamie Villanueva, along with their cousin Dante Schwebel play this mesmerizing, retro, lo-fi sound reminiscent of the early raw Beatles with the upbeat and uptempo harmonies only the Beach Boys could love. add to that the infamous organ-grinding and guitar fuzz work of one-hit wonder band The Sonics with Rick Danko’s (lead singer of The Band) soulful sexy singing bringing it all together. that’s Hacienda and this is what they are capable of. but don’t listen to me (i’m busy crying)…. Keep reading →
when it comes to all-girl bands, the question has always been, “but can they play?”
well, if vintage gear like Fender Mustangs and Orange speaker cabinets are any indication as to the potential of this all-girl rock band, thenSandoz,just might head the next big wave of girlie rock to take over the Alamo City. think Girl In a Coma bluesed up and countrified. never mind the cute sundresses, short shorts and cowboy boots they dawn on stage…
grow your own food & make a record? that’s exactly what Matt Ahern has in mind. he is the owner/purveyor of FARM, Central Texas’ best venue to taste/create/grow-your-own delicious organic goodies this side of the Mississippi. (well, maybe not the best, but he’s trying & he gets kudos for that.) yes, taco town is getting some much-needed competition from the little guy.
Philly’s the loved ones came into town last night & i played the good girl and missed ‘em. see, at work Thursday night, Jonathan and i decided that one of us should call in so at least SOMEONE would get to see them on Friday. i passed on the opportunity and said it should definitely be him. after work, i met the boys for a drink & recap of the show. apparently not that many people showed up so it was an intimate gathering of true fans. (best kind of show-DAMN WORK.)
in 1979, three Minneapolis teens formed a punk band and named it for a Swedish board game no one would have heard of sans Husker Du. and although they never made heaps of money, their influence far outlasted their musical lifespan…
when Rilo Kiley mavenJenny Lewis, one of indie-pop’s most endearing female marauders, came out with her solo album, 2006’s Rabbit Fur Coat, (with the Watson Twins,) i thought be still my beating heart. you see, Lewis is a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll. (my favorite) she’s like the love child of Loretta Lynn and Carole King (if that was possible) and she’s a hottie to boot. she has this way, with a powerful voice and compelling storytelling, of making songs of busted relationships and failed faith really sting.
i’m in a rambling kind of mood, so if you don’t mind, i’m just going to ramble on… i was re-reading Chuck Klosterman’s “Killing Yourself to Live,” when something struck a chord with me. Klosterman goes on about the relevance (err, unimportance) of being a rock journalist and questions “how important this job really is?” (considering he IS a rock journalist for Spin magazine & he’s questioning the very validity of why anyone would aspire to be such a writer intrigues me very much, yes.)
who would’ve thought accordion could be so freeking cool? San Anto’s own Pinata Protest& singer Alvaro Salas (you can also catch him protesting T. Don Hutto on many occasions, even more than me, sadly) rock punk like no one’s business with an onslaught of solo accordion stylings set to hi-jinxed punk riffs.
if you don’t know about the crazed gypsy punk movement sweeping the nation, then let me be the one to inform you. a thirst for unquenchable wanderlust, aimless erotic dancing & a beating to their own tune on exotic instruments has spawned a new breed of theatrical punk bands. meet Gogol Bordello…
Hank Schyma spent his nights singing with his band the Southern Backtones & he spent his days as a cameraman for FOX 26 in Houston. but never did i know he was a snake-wrangling tornado chaser….
i bought this book called “The Field Guide To Elvis Shrines, ” by Bill Yenne, at a Half-Price Booksand was disappointed with the Texas entries. i thought it would be the ultimate travel guide for all Elvis-shaped pilgrimages for some reason, and i mistakenly thought there would be hundreds of entries for Texas, or at least 20. (give or take a few). nope. there are only three, one of them being Foot Hood where Elvis Presley did his basic training and the other two are houses where he stayed briefly. (one is worth noting below, but both houses are now closed to the public). the book is more of a everywhere-Elvis-ever-set-foot-extravaganza. it does list 64 Texas venues, mostly small auditoriums, where Elvis played at one time or another. but where are all of the (Texas) Elvis fanatics i’ve heard so much about, and where are all of the TEXAS shrines?
everything’s bigger in Texas thanks to Biodiesel barrons Willie Nelson and Carl Cornelius who have expanded their operation, Carl’s Corner, home to BioWillie, located off exit 374 on Interstate 35, with 12 master-satellite-high-flow diesel pumps-designed to fill up both an 18-wheeler’s fuel tanks at once. background info here. but, not only can Nelson fill up his biodiesel-running tour bus, he can also perform for the masses in the new Night Life Theater, built to house Nelson’s musicial friends and home to round-the-clock XM Radio’s Willie’s Place Channel 13 (hosted by Eddie Kilroy every AM)… Keep reading →
one of the key idealogical points behind punk rock is the freedom to speak for yourself by questioning authority, but the problem with musicians in politics is that most musicians are content to let you know how they see it & they feel the need to know you see it the same way. there is a place in art for advocacy, but it must sell itself from within, not because (insert musician) says so. that said, where do punk singers political affiliations lie?
what a bummer. i know that’s what you’re thinking. nope, this isn’t one of those top 40 albums of 2008 (ahem, Spin) or even a top ten list. if Spin, Rolling Stone and countless Internet whores are going to say 
