Penetrating Insights

Top 100 Cult Nude Scenes!

2009-11-08T00:15:00.006-05:00

Inspired by Mr. Skin's rather meh Top 100 Nude Scenes of All Time, Mike McPadden (aka McBeardo) has compiled his own Top 100 Cult Movie Nude Scenes, and they are actually pretty darn great.

Here we see one of my all-time faves, and No. 95 on Mr. Skin's list: Betsy Russell in 1983's Private School.

Batman 290!

2009-11-04T01:52:00.005-05:00

Ever find something again after decades that really freaked the hell out of you at the time?

Something you'd forgotten about completely, probably from way back in your childhood - and then decades later it just re-appears out of nowhere, with no warning, no context, and a big shudder goes up your spine, you flash cold, and there's that spasm of dumb fear where your brain recognizes the thing, but before it's figured out what it is or why it knows the thing, and it's sort of like the vertigo spins now, everything crashing inwardly for a frozen long minute, and then you think OH - MY - GOD!!!?

I love those moments.

For me, the Jack Chick comicbooks (stuff like Exorcists or Chaos, not the tracts) were like that.

And Batman 290 was like that.

Originally published in August 1977, I would have been almost five years old at the time. I just happened upon this picture the other day while surfing, and I almost collapsed in my chair with the gibbering horrors.

I've since read up on the storyline, and frankly it sounds pretty dumb to me now (Skull Dugger's Killjoy Capers!?); at the time though, as a little kid back in '77, whoo -- that story, and most particularly this cover by Mike Grell, seemed really, really scary.

I guess it was the one-two punch of Batman, powerless and held back by demons he's not even aware of, while at the same time you've got the creepy-looking Skull Dugger killing this guy (who is obviously in great pain) by projecting a skull onto his forehead.

Crazy stuff.

If you've got a I-saw-this-thing-and-it-freaked-me-out similar story, I'd love to hear it!

Strip Clubs in the daytime

2009-11-02T03:00:00.007-05:00

Even more than regular nightclubs, strip clubs (and other erotic businesses) look strangely seedy by day.

All the better.

No No Zero in The Nobody!

2009-10-30T23:48:00.009-04:00

Jeff Lemire - who you may recall did the wonderful artwork for No No Zero's Rough Stuff album - recently released his first comic for DC/Vertigo, The Nobody. Here we have a couple of early work-in-progress pages from that same title.

The artwork features a poster of none other than No No Zero (!!) adorning the door of a young lady's bedroom (for some reason, featuring the rose from the cover of Depeche Mode's Violator album?!?). We also see that she has a poster for Catl on her wall, and still another for C'Mon taking pride of place above her headboard.

What are we to make of this? Are we to believe this girl has a thing for Toronto-based bands getting a bit long in the tooth? Has such a person ever existed? Is this no less fanciful than the idea of an invisible man, walking around doing things no one sees?

Regardless, it's very flattering if you're one of these bands and I knew I had to mention it here. When Jeff first sent it to Johnny LaRue, The Nobody had yet to come out, so I was asked not to post about it. This is also why the lettering has yet to be done in the speech bubbles.

Now Mr. Lemire is on to his next title, a series called Sweet Tooth about a boy with antlers on his head!

What will this guy think of next?

Canadian Design!

2009-10-22T22:22:00.009-04:00

I may be that rarest of Canadians, someone happier with the hockey game off - but even I love the 70s-era goalie masks of Greg Harrison (my fave is probably his 78/79 Atlanta Flames mask for Yves Belanger).

It was while looking into these masterpieces that I happened upon The Canadian Design Resource. If you like Canadiana and/or design, it's a no-brainer. More than 453.592 kg of pictures to please the eye!

Oliver Reed Was Wasted!

2009-10-18T19:12:00.005-04:00

Last night I found this nice tribute post on actor Oliver Reed -- a longtime personal favourite onscreen, someone you just can't take your eyes off of -- and spent several hours watching Youtube videos, interviews and appearances with the South London legend: After Dark, David Letterman, and so on.

To be fair, these clips highlight only one dimension of Oliver Reed, that of the vaguely threatening, clearly soused, hard guy with a quick wit and soggy lips. The threat of something violent happening in some of these clips is positively electric, like old GG Allin live show bootlegs, where every second has to be watched carefully because, at any second, anything could happen.

"Oliver Reed was a terrifying presence. Extremely dangerous man. He could be very sweet, but if he turned on you, he could make life terrible for you." - Richard Chamberlain

That's not so much fun if you're sitting across from (or next to) him, of course. Watching violence onscreen, the closest most of us come to fear is a sort of sympathetic embarrassment or outrage; absent the fear, absent a fight-or-flight response, violence viewed in this way can become thrilling, funny, addictive - that popping thrill of sudden physicality, flashing.

I was laughing at Reed's antics and stories, sure, but I found myself debating the pros and cons of what I was seeing, the enigma, if you will, of Reed's personality.

Oliver Reed, it seems to me, was something of an end point in terms of masculinity; being male utterly rules him, he is in masculinity's thrall. He seems helpless, almost doomed at times, to an all-consuming and relentless pursuit of establishing alpha-male status, and to quenching his twin thirsts for women and alcohol.

Like the head lion among the pride, he demands your attention - always the questions: what does he want? What is he going to do next? It's difficult to look away. A lot of guys eat this stuff up with a spoon, and it's not hard to see why - Reed was funny, had class, looked impressive, told great stories. He was loving being a man, it seemed, and was being very cool doing it - and this inspires men watching to feel some pride and kinship.

It's amazing to consider how different things might be now had Reed played the role of James Bond. But I digress.

I actually wanted to post a clip here concerning rock'n'roll. Here we see Oliver Reed in 1992 ("still in the pavilion"), holding forth on the subject of "real rock'n'roll", and his appraisal of the people doing the business in post-war Britain.

He mentions The Who and The Troggs as his all-time faves, and alludes to his own frustrated ambitions in that department, and his then-new 'Wild Thing' 7" single (with snooker ace Alex Higgins).

One shocker for me was the revelation that Reed had been approached to play in Toronto's production of the Tommy musical - go watch him in Ken Russell's crazy-ass film of the same name, and see if you think that was a very good idea.

When asked whether he is aware of his reputation as a difficult and dangerous TV chatshow guest, Reed here replies -

"to be sexy is unconscious... I mean, have you ever been to a bird, in love or in bed with a bird, and she didn't know she was sexy, and yet she was. That's what a real rock star's about".

And finally we see Ollie somewhat reluctantly getting his freak on:

Pervy?!

2009-10-17T05:01:00.004-04:00

Movie Titles!

2009-10-15T22:42:00.006-04:00

Warning: Steven Hill's Movie Title Screens Page is a timesink like few others.

Be careful.

Arthur De Pins!

2009-10-12T02:54:00.007-04:00

My brain still feels like jello after the other night, so I'll make this short and sweet and note that Arthur De Pins' cartoons are not only sexy as hell, but they're contemporary -- two qualities that often seem at odds with each other. He's even making these sexy cartoons with computers!

Unlike so many artists working in a sexual milieu, De Pins features all kinds of bodies in his work (with an emphasis on wide-hipped women I can't help but enjoy) and there's an unusual concern with the body within it: people check other people out, for instance, and we see that knowledge of the other is not always positive.

Indeed, De Pins' 2000 animated debut short Geraldine is about a man waking up to find his body is now that of a woman; these bodily changes, and the resulting change in how Gerald/ine is treated, inform the humour of the piece.

If bodies can sometimes be trouble in De Pins' world, sex at least is always fun. Even kinky scenes are imbued with a sunny, almost childlike, wonder.

Be sure to check out the Advertising > Animations section of his website, which has lots of fun little Flash bits to check out.

Real Horrorshow!

2009-10-11T18:21:00.004-04:00

So, while a scant two people showed up in costume, and advertised opener Filthy Rich didn't make it out at all, a fun time was had by all last night at Mitzi's Sister, and at unusually high levels of volume.

I didn't bring a camera so I'll skip my usual play-by-play: suffice it to say that The Ultimatemost High and The Bon put on tight sets with good sound and plenty of turkey talk. No No Zero, playing this show as a quartet, blazed through an abbreviated set with abandon, dedicating "Full Release" to Dementia 13 DJ diva Christian Hamilton (spotted hanging out with The Bon earlier).

Above is a picture I believe Allyson (or Mike) took of us playing. Thanks for that.

And special thanks to Tracey. She serves it up so tasty I'm like to lick the plate!

Another poster for the Mitzi's Show!

2009-10-06T17:11:00.001-04:00

Wowzers! Check out this poster for our show at Mitzi's Sister on Saturday, designed by Tracey Thompson, ex-Slutarded, and now working at Mitzi's. See some more examples of her posters here.

This one just drips with sensational horror vibes -- looking forward to making it a reality!

Poster for Mitzi's show!

2009-10-05T13:49:00.005-04:00

Before No No Zero gets down to work on the next record, we have one last show in Toronto, this Saturday at Mitzi's Sister, 1554 Queen St. West, Toronto. It's $6 at the door, or $5 if you're wearing a Halloween costume. Doors open at 9, first band on at 10.

We're headlining this one -- also playing are Filthy Rich, The Ultimatemost High (ex-Guitar Army and The Brown, most of whom played in The Starkweather Fix at one time or another), and 'Classy' Craig Daniels' new band The Bon (recently featured in this very blog). The poster we see here was designed by Mark Laking of The Ultimatemost High; you might remember that name from a previous post here too.

So come out this Saturday night dressed in your spooky best, lay down a Laurier, and enjoy some fine punk rock action party!

Algae Overload!

2009-10-04T23:38:00.014-04:00

Put on your overcoat, and get your boots on too. You may get wet.

Tonetta777 Box Set!

2009-10-01T02:15:00.005-04:00

Youtube's recent decision to close tonetta777's original account there has only resulted in his songs going, er, viral - and becoming something of a meme in the process. As far as I'm concerned, anything that can propel tonetta to stardom is great.

And speaking of stardom, can there be any better argument for tonetta's true greatness than his songs, plain and simple - stripped of any irony or video connotations, for good or ill? The man is a natural tune master, producing great songs at the rate some people produce bowel movements.

In the spirit of letting all and sundry enjoy these aural sculptures, I share the best thing to cross my browser in a good long while -- a six CD collection of tonetta songs!!

This comes by way of "J4mi3 H4rl3y (Snowballing)", posting at ilxor, who says that actually its his "friend Anthony you need to thank. He's been faster than me again and has already ripped everything! He's a crazy Tonetta fan".

Hmmmmmm... I can't help but notice that tonetta gives his account name as toni, which is of course short for Anthony. Also that these files, while at 192, don't sound at all like the precious few tonetta MP3 files I've found online. Indeed, I surmise these files might just be sourced from the main vein of Mr. 777 himself???

J4mi3 goes on to say, "Tonetta boys and Tonetta Girls, here's the first cd of the unofficial The Godlike Genius of Tonetta777 - Anthology Vol.1. Of course, these are all low quality rips from youtube and I hope the maestro will one day provide some goood quality ones (and charge for it!)."

Just so. I'd be first in line to buy whatever King Cock puts out. Regardless, whoever did these rips certainly did a bang-up job; they sound great. Kudos to Anthony and J4mi3 for this 122 (!!!) song collection, the long-awaited 'box set' of gooey go-go goodness, The Godlike Genius of Tonetta777 Vol. I-VI.

Vol. I
Vol. II
Vol. III
Vol. IV
Vol. V
Vol. VI

GENIUS = TONETTA

This is a gracious man.

2009-09-30T18:32:00.003-04:00

Photo by Ivy Lovell.

Moss Man!

2009-09-27T00:24:00.012-04:00

Moss Man was an action figure from the Masters of the Universe collection back in the 1980s. As Wikipedia notes, his was not an auspicious beginning:

The figure is essentially a green repaint of the Beast Man action figure, covered with fuzzy "moss" with the fangs painted over and a pine scent added to the body. He has a mace that is a recast of a weapon from the original Castle Grayskull.

Initially, sort of a cheap, thrown-together character then. But from manure springs forth roses, and so it was with Moss Man. He has gone from being a simple spy, adept at camouflage and able to blend in with his background, to nothing less than Eternia's Green Man, a god of nature whose immense power over flora and fauna marks him as something of a master over life itself.

The action figure roots of Moss Man have held persistent fascination with legions of fans and collectors over the years however, and the number of Moss Man sculptures out there now is anyone's guess.

Whether a Beast Man knock-off or a towering forest giant, Moss Man resonates. His enduring appeal is a fuzzy sensation, a growing phenomenon, and a shared love affair with the sweetest smelling little tough guy of all time.

Bodychoke - Five Prostitutes

2009-09-22T00:17:00.004-04:00

Rarely have songs about dominating, killing and/or mutilating women been as lovingly rendered or intensely dramatic as in the work of Bodychoke. The brainchild of Kevin Tomkins and Paul Taylor, perhaps better known as the noise outfit Sutcliffe Jügend, Bodychoke were active in the UK from 1993-1999, releasing three very good albums in that time.

These three records - 94's Mindshaft and 96's Five Prostitutes both on the late, great Freek Records; 98's Cold River Songs, originally on Purity and then reissued last year on Relapse to some belated recognition - represent a dark and intriguing version of rock, with thick bass and thin drums, guitars that make noises and hum and drone and feedback, cello of all things (!!), and two singers who run the gamut from whispering to yelling and even sing and harmonize.

Bodychoke songs can be short or long, eerily quiet or frighteningly loud. Some sound like they'd go down smashingly at a big stadium show, if you know what I mean -- heavy capital-R Rock, with clean production and catchy riffs. Most of the lyrical content, certainly on Five Prostitutes (a reference to the five women killed by Jack the Ripper), is along the lines aforementioned: power electronics chanting of the Whitehouse variety (indeed, Tomkins was a member of Whitehouse) applied to rock and noise rock style compositions, frequently played as a dirge. Only The Brainbombs do it better - though Bodychoke, I would say, often possess a tang of regret in their rants absent in the swinging Swedes' own songbook.

I like all three Bodychoke records (I haven't heard the demos collection Completion yet). Their first record Mindshaft might be the best place to start, as these are perhaps Bodychoke's 'catchiest' tunes. Many folks will tell you that their final record Cold River Songs is the band's greatest work, represents Bodychoke at the apex of their powers or some such, and it is a fine album, no doubt. Personally though, I'm a sucker for bloated records where the weirder ideas didn't get thrown away, and I guess that would have to be the band's second album, Five Prostitutes, the record I bring you today.

It starts off with a bunch of shorter rockers, catchy punchy songs like "The Delivery Man" or "Hole", before "I Can't Wait" - with its downright delicate creepiness ("I can't wait to see you crawling away") - lets you know this is no Amphetamine Reptile-type noise rock. And a lot of folks will likely bolt at the scent of such gothy melodrama. But stick around and be rewarded with the building mania of "Skinflick" or the dubby dérive of "Sperm Burner". "Head In A Jar" is almost a nursery rhyme it's so catchy.

After that, things start getting very strange. It's kind of incredible how mainstream a lot of Bodychoke's songs sound, but every once in awhile there's something like "Anyway You Want It", which uses alternating silences and screeching bits to build up a very effective atmosphere, and doesn't really begin to resemble a 'song' as such until it's almost over. And then it's like getting punched in the kidney. This is hard, physical rock pummelling.

"Anal" strikes me as oddly homoerotic, which I doubt was the intention, and in that it does ring slightly silly to these ears. "Cripple" too seems slightly off somehow, trying too hard or something, not striking the right tone, satirical. As to "How Much Can You Take", the first time I heard this record I LOL at its po-faced sadism ("you're not supposed to fucking enjoy it", wails Tomkins), but it holds up better on repeated listenings, and that is some great noise there towards the end.

And speaking of ends, has any record ever had a heavier ending than "The Red Sea"? This beast of a closer, clocking in at over 15 minutes, is really quite a singular achievement, a pounding, relentless monster that will melt your fuzzy face off if you play it loud enough. Did I mention Steve Albini recorded this?

RESOUND: You recorded your second album, "Five Prostitutes" with Steve Albini. In addition to being a great recording engineer he's quite a character. Any anecdotes from those sessions?

KT: This is probably pretty uncool, but we were all singing “Have you ever seen a fully grown man naked” in various styles from Opera to Country and Western and Dr Doolittle, he was more than happy to join in.

Bodychoke - Five Prostitutes

This is now selling used on Amazon for $163!?!!

The Bon's 7" Release Party!

2009-09-21T01:13:00.009-04:00

My rocking weekend continued Saturday evening as I made my way to the Trash Palace to see former Exploders bandmate 'Classy' Craig Daniels' new outfit The Bon release their début recording, a very sharp 7" (in stereophonic sound!) on Tim Hanna's Boppa Do Down Records.

The two songs featured on this slab o' wax - "Stupid Question" b/w "Ancient Times" - are garage rock pop of the highest order, and the sort of thing Craig does as well or better than anyone, as far as I'm concerned. Much respect to this rapscallion of riffs!

First up were Catl, who you will no doubt be familiar with if you follow this blog. The trio have been playing a lot lately and it showed; their set was smooth like silk and raw like bad language. Some of these new Catl tunes are pretty crazy too, so be sure and see them live to catch the extended dance breakdowns and all that.

Between sets, I explored Stacey Case's merch table and was treated to a complimentary copy of his new "Sonics Live In Toronto" boot by the man himself. Thanks, Stacey! It sounds great, by the way.

The Bon are a tight, fun band with great players, a varied set and a diverse sound. It'll be interesting to see what surprises a full-length by the band might contain -- I will say that "Penny Candy" is one of my Bon faves, and the brand-new "The Whammy" kicked all kinds of ass. Visual accompaniment by vintage Six Million Dollar Man vs. Andre the Giant in a Bigfoot costume? A perfect choice. And the ascot was in full effect...

Classy!

The Bon's next show is with none other than No No Zero, along with Filthy Rich and The Ultimatemost High, at Mitzi's Sister on October 10th.

Pre-Shwaltz Majewski Tribute Party!

2009-09-20T14:22:00.011-04:00

So Friday was the second show for the new line-up of No No Zero. We piled into the van and drove out to my hometown of Oshawa, to what is one of the last clubs still hosting cool shows in this whole stuck-pig town -- the Atria, on King Street (just across the street from Oshawa's age-old epicentre of sleaze, the Genosh Hotel). The pride we felt at seeing our name in lights was somewhat tempered by the fact that every band on the bill got an abbreviated name.

The Diplomats didn't even get that. They were first up, a trio from Peterborough with a heavy, bluesy bedeviled sound: thick bludgeoning bass, psycho guitar. Songs about Hell and being damned. I dug it a lot, The Diplomats were a great start to the night.

Sun Ra Ra Ra - who we'd just played the Lakeshore Legion Hall with a few weeks before - were up next, and I was really blown away by these guys all over again. They were even better this time, in fact. Punk psych jams with noisey bits, loopy organ and guitar, tall dude with tambourine, wow. I hope we'll be playing lots of shows together in the future. These guys have a way-out sound, do a great cover of The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird", and have a very genuine interaction onstage that's lots of fun to watch.

After Sun Ra Ra Ra, No No Zero was on. We did our thing, burning through a 20 minute or so set of short songs. Oshawa in my experience is a relaxing place to play, with generous and demonstrative crowds - so bands tend to loosen up here and have fun onstage. I'd say we did the same, and enjoyed it even more than the Poster Show. Chris Cheeseman is obscured here by my gut.

The penultimate band tonight was The Ancestors and this is another band I like more every time I see them, one I could see doing lots of shows with (and in fact we're playing with them again Sept. 29 at The Velvet Underground, along with FNU Ronnies and TV Ghost). Seriously tight, good punk, difficult to describe, maybe along SST-type lines? I hate describing bands, really.

Tonight, The Ancestors broke a string, and took the opportunity to break out an impressive two-piece cover of Minor Threat's "In My Eyes". I'd love to hear this with the whole band playing!

Headliner was Panzram's Ghost, who it is somewhat awkward for me to talk about as they are largely a cover band for songs I wrote a long time ago in Starkweather. Needless to say, their songs are great! They got the best response of the night with a ripping rendition of GG Allin's "Bite It You Scum", and it almost brought a tear to my eye. I hope these guys record their set someday. I can listen to it when I'm feeling particularly low. Long live Panzram's Ghost.

I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the wonderful decorations Erin Hagen made for the night, a night dedicated to the late Michal Majewski and a fundraiser for a trust in his name (as well as being this year's pre-Shwaltz Party). The club became a 'magical forest' and, as I was going out the door, I confess I grabbed a star to take home with me. Thanks to Erin and Al Cole for a great show in Mike's memory, and a fun evening.

The Toronto Rock'n'Roll Revival!

2009-09-13T21:56:00.018-04:00

Forty years ago today, Toronto saw what was undoubtedly one of its most rocking shows of all time - the Toronto Rock'n'Roll Festival, held at U of T's Varsity Stadium, hosted by the one and only Kim Fowley, with a bill designed to showcase the best of R'n'R both old and new.

Playing the 12-hour concert: Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Junior Walker and the All Stars, Tony Joe White, The Chicago Transit Authority, Alice Cooper, Cat Mother and the All Night News Boys, Doug Kershaw, Screaming Lord Sutch; local acts Whiskey Howl, Nucleus, and Milkwood; and headliner The Doors (their last show in Toronto, they were reportedly led in by the Vagabonds motorcycle gang, one hundred strong).

Aside from being the first show in which all four 'Kings of Rock'n'Roll' (that would be Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis) appeared on the same bill, the show was also where the whole "Alice Cooper kills chickens onstage" rumour got started, and may well have been the first show in which an audience were instructed - by Kim Fowley, remember - to 'hold up your lighters'!

Of course the concert is best known today for its surprise guest -- John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and The Plastic Ono Band (featuring one very doped-up Eric Clapton on lead guitar). Their recorded set went on to be released a few months later as "Live Peace in Toronto 1969", and may well have been responsible for Lennon's break-up of The Beatles.

Interestingly enough, it may have also inspired Lennon to continue the Rock'n'Roll Revival idea. In December 1969, he announced plans to stage a concert at Mosport Park, Barrie, which would include he, Elvis Presley, and possibly all the other Beatles. The concert ultimately didn't happen due to questions of whether it would be free or not. In 2007, it was revealed that the RCMP had been keeping tabs on the concert-planning all along.

But I digress.

Legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker came up to Hogtown and shot the show. Unfortunately, his two-hour film Sweet Toronto (aka Keep On Rockin') has suffered a grim fate over the years, and is usually found nowadays cut to ribbons (down to 95 minutes by '73?) - with Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee Lewis' sets reduced to one song apiece - and presented under some other title as a 50-minute showcase of mainly The Plastic Ono Band.

Oh well. Youtube gives us the majesty that is Bo Diddley performing his signature tune at the festival, footage Pennebaker understandably selected for the film's beginning, intercut with bikes and limos racing along the 401 to the show.

And here's an anecdote from Mr. Fowley about the day I found particularly funny:

Interviewer:
Any incidents or problematic performers at the venue?

Kim Fowley:
One thing that happened was Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard all came up to me at the same time backstage, and [said] “We all think all four of us are the king of rock ’n’ roll and how you going to solve that problem in the introduction?” So, one became the king of jungle rock, one became the king of across-the-tracks rock, somebody became the grammar king rock, etc. and suddenly everybody had slightly different items of introductions.

They had concerns about billing since each one wanted to be the king of rock ’n’ roll that night, so I had to amend each mention. The visual of all four of them in front of me … egomaniacs whose time had passed demanding to be kings of rock ’n’ roll. And I was in a purple suit, white shoes and a green shirt and under age 30 and felt superior to all of them.

KK Null & James Plotkin - Aurora / Remixes

2009-09-12T00:58:00.004-04:00

The mid-1990s saw a particularly rich series of collaborative records made, and this is a personal favourite of mine from that era. With K.K. Null and James Plotkin jamming on guitar (recorded on four-track, with Null sending Plotkin recordings to work with), you might well expect that this was going to be an extremely loud and noisy album.

In fact, Aurora (1993, Sentrax/Rawkus) goes the other way entirely and is a great example of what was alternately called 'dark ambient' or 'isolationist' at the time -- generally drumless space, often a bit scary or eerie in tone, perhaps best suited to headphones for a properly immersive experience. Music for those who enjoy a bad trip, as it were.

Also of its time was a follow-up remix record, Aurora Remixes (1996), featuring Scorn, Yab Yum, and DJ Spooky lending their considerable talents, as well as some remixing by James Plotkin. The first track off Aurora - Neuro (Remix) - is repeated on the Aurora Remixes, but I've left it off here as being redundant.

Aurora
Aurora Remixes

tonetta777 MP3s!

2009-09-11T10:55:00.008-04:00

If you're following the saga of tonetta777, you'll know that Youtube closed his main account last month, leaving fans scrambling to upload their own copies of his videos and/or plead for favourites to be re-posted at his secondary account (tj1749).

Today I found a wonderful surprise in my in-box -- some kind anon has posted a link to nineteen tonetta MP3s! Lots of faves! In 320 yet! Sounding great, and what a super way to start the weekend.

I felt such riches deserved their own post, so here it is. Please feel free to make this your one-stop resource for tonetta MP3s, just add any relevant links to the comments and let's see if we can make our own box set.

tonetta MP3s!

Special thanks to the fabulous person who posted these! One million free internets to you!

Dusty Bible Does The Starkweather Fix!

2009-09-08T01:25:00.006-04:00

I have spoken of the Nottingham (by way of Oshawa) Madman Dusty Bible here before, and told you of his having been in way-out bands like The Starkweather Fix or Designer Babies.

Like the wind, he is ever unpredictable, and the last few years have seen him move from a solo blues act (sometimes with fiddle accompaniment) billed simply as Dusty Bible, to psychedelic freakouts at Peter Gabriel's surreal Real World studios, to his latest musical expression -- "weird electro band" Din Din (from whose recent premier gig the photo above originates).

This post here is about a couple of choice Starkweather covers Dusty Bible recently sent my way - "Fucked Up" and "Shiveraltitude", both tracks originally appearing on The Starkweather Fix's sole CD, What The Swedish Butler Heard.

I'm pretty chuffed by both. I love the crazy noise breaks on "Fucked Up" and the insistent keyboard underneath the verses. Also how Dusty sings it in that wonderful, rich voice of his.

"Shiveraltitude", which The Starkweather Fix often opened our shows with, is here less the live powerhouse and more the slinky psycho cathouse, a great song for Dusty to lay down some tasty bluesy licks on. And some theremin at the tail of that beast for added spice.

Hope you dig 'em both!

Fucked Up
Shiveraltitude

No No Zero is playing shows again, whee!

2009-09-07T01:08:00.009-04:00

The Poster Show IV at the Lakeshore Legion Hall this past Friday went very well, I'm happy to say. The posters were great, lots of fun people there I hadn't seen in awhile, & the venue was really something else - the main room had a wooden floor, there was a fantastic large lakeside patio, and $3 beers, ah yes.

Bands included The Ancestors, Sun Ra Ra Ra, No No Zero, Quest For Fire, and Anagram; everybody had a good set, I thought. Our first song was a nightmare (I couldn't hear myself at all), but after that it was pretty smooth sailing, and it's got me looking forward to playing Erin's do at the Atria on Sept. 18.

This time out, No No Zero was myself on the vocal mic, Mark Jarett on drums, Zak Hanna on guitar, Chris Cheeseman on guitar, and Andrew Gunn on guitar. Aside from being our first show as a band together, it was Mark's birthday too. And a full moon.

The pictures taken that night on my camera are not exactly great live band shots. Fortunately, Ivy Lovell's boombastic B&W band blog has a few of those, and she graciously let me use them here. Thanks, Ivy.

And thanks to Ryan for organizing a super night and a wonderful tribute to Mike Majewski.

Mythical Beasts at the Museum!

2009-09-03T19:02:00.009-04:00

I visited the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau-Hull, Quebec this past weekend, and was quite impressed with their feature exhibition - Mythical Beasts: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids (on until September 20th).

This exhibition - organized by the American Museum of Natural History, in collaboration with The Field Museum, Chicago; The Canadian Museum of Civilization; The Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney; and the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta - divides the featured creatures into their respective 'realms' of water, earth, and air, along with an extra section on dragons (who can pretty much handle all three, presumably).

The exhibition does a good job of showing how unusual animals or phenomena occurring in the natural world may well have been responsible for many of these legends and myths; how the sinus cavity of a dwarf elephant skull might translate as a cyclops' eye socket, for example, or how the way that dolphins jumping in sync might well example reports of huge sea snakes.

Along with the admittedly hokey plaster models of unicorns and the like (an understandable move given that children are more likely to enjoy a life-size unicorn, rather than a drawing or other representation), there were historical curios such as the Fiji Mermaid on display, and a rotating calendar of related experts and performers.

Although the exhibition has already been presented in some of the museums aforementioned, I shouldn't wonder if the Museum of Civilization didn't add some CanCon in the form of many Canadian myths & legends - Ogopogo and Sedna, to name but two.

For anyone seeking more, I encourage exploration of the AMNH's exhibit resources, as they seem to be different (and frankly more in-depth) than the resources of the Museum of Civilization.

Below I include some crappy photos I took before one of the people working there asked me to stop.