Max's Kansas City closed 25 years ago this night. Although
Hilly Kristal's CBGB's is
more iconic and perhaps better known today,
Mickey Ruskin's Max's Kansas City (and its infamous
back room) was every bit as important to fostering the
punk scene of the late 1970s and early 80s. Located a
213 Park Avenue South, just up the street from historic
Union Square, Max's played host to
the Heartbreakers,
Bruce Springsteen,
the Ramones,
Wayne/Jayne County and the Fast,
the New York Dolls, and quite a few others. What's standing there today? Why, the
213 Park Avenue South Deli, of course.
posted by psmealey
on Dec 31, 2007 -
26 comments
Something to Hüsker :
Bob Mould,
Grant Hart and
Greg Norton live with
Joan Rivers on the Late Show. Also live versions of the Byrds'
Eight Miles High,
The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill/I Apologize,
Pink Turns to Blue,
Every Everything, Makes no Sense at All, Ticket to Ride,
New Day Rising,
These Important Years, Every Everytime, and a video for
Don't Want to Know if You Are Lonely.
posted by psmealey
on Sep 21, 2007 -
68 comments
Ted Leo and
the Pharmacists[NPR segment]. Ted is a soon to be 37 years young punk singer/songwriter who draws his influences from artists like Billy Bragg, Curtis Mayfield and Clash singer Joe Strummer, Ted Leo mixes punk rock with soul, folk and pop melodies. Here is
Ted with and without the Pharmacists doing a few tunes:
Me and Mia,
Kelly Clarkson's
Since you Been Gone,
Bomb. Repeat. Bomb,
Where have all the Rudeboys Gone?,
Little Dawn, the Pogues's
Dirty Old Town, Bruce Springsteen's
Dancing in the Dark and
Sons of Cain. As he's touring nearly 365 days per year, you can rest assured that he's coming
to a venue near you.
posted by psmealey
on Aug 22, 2007 -
46 comments
That ain't bad for two weeks work and 75,000 pounds. On this day in 1977, after being with the label for just six days,
punk pioneers The Sex Pistols were fired from
A&M Records due to pressure from other label artists and its
Los Angeles head office. 25,000 copies of
‘God Save The Queen’ were pressed and the band made £75,000 ($127,500) from the deal, thus cementing the legend of
the Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.
Under pressure by
Conservative MP Robert Adley among others due to their outrageous behavior - specifically,
their notorious performance on
ITV Today with Bill Grundy -
EMI had dumped the band in January. Also appearing on television with Grundy and the Pistols that day were members of
the Bromley Contingent:
Siouxsie Sioux and
Steve Severin, who later formed
Siouxsie and the Banshees.
posted by psmealey
on Mar 16, 2007 -
60 comments
Do you remember Hüsker Dü? No, not that
Husker Du,
this one. This site contains one of
the most complete collections of guitar tabs I have ever seen for any band. It might even exceed my previous favorite band site,
Swervedriver.com, if not in flash, then in content. The owner of the site seems to be more of a
Grant Hart fan than a
Bob Mould fan, as there are tabs for most of Hart's solo stuff and for
Nova Mob, but only a smattering of Mould tunes and none for
Sugar. There is also, suprisingly, a tab of
the Posies' excellent song (and loving tribute to the Huskers)
"Grant Hart".
posted by psmealey
on Jan 15, 2005 -
60 comments
Another member of the Blank Generation lost. Robert Quine was found dead in his apartment in NYC yesterday, he committed suicide. He was sixty years old and had played with
Richard Hell &
the Voidoids,
Lou Reed,
Matthew Sweet,
Lloyd Cole, Materia,
Brian Eno and others, he also cut an LP with Jody Harris (Escape), and one with Fred Maher (Basic). It has been reported that he was suffering depression brought on by the death of his wife Alice last August. Robert also recorded the Velvet Underground on a hand held cassette deck, the highlights were issued last year as
The Quine Tapes a three CD set. Personally, I'll always remember him from the jagged guitar parts from Richard Hell and Voidoids' "Blank Generation", which were the only guitar parts that I ever bothered to learn and faithfully reproduce note for note in the many times my band covered the song. Condolences to those that survive him.
posted by psmealey
on Jun 7, 2004 -
18 comments
Ten years gone. The unifinished story of Kurt Cobain. Hard to believe that it's been ten years since the unwelcome news was broadcast. As a Cobain contemporary/gen X'er/Seattle musican in the 90s, my own heart is
still broken.
posted by psmealey
on Apr 5, 2004 -
131 comments
