The Brat - Attitudes LP

Label: Radiation Records; Year: 2023; Format: Vinyl LP

Firstly my apologies to the few regular readers I have for not having posted any new content in a while but that's how it is going to be until December due to a work related exam I am studying for. The good news though is that thanks to the two incompetent and useless political parties running and ruining our lives here in the U$ of A and the avoidance of a government shutdown this blog here gets funded for at least another forty five days. I hope everyone is enjoying the last few warm days before we shall bundle up again as I sure as hell am, and today was a perfect day to put on a recently purchased reissue I have been patiently waiting for some time. East LA's the Brat formed in 1978 when lead guitarist Rudy Medina and his guitarist-nephew Sid Medina met Teresa Covarrubias from Boyle Heights. In the highly recommended and excellent book "We Were Going To Change The World" by Stacy Russo (this will get an extensive review/interview in the near future) Teresa is featured as one of the women having been part of the '70s and '80s Southern California Punk Scene where she goes to explain that despite the widespread belief that Punk Rock was all inclusive she did not think it mirrored the experience the Brat had having felt rather marginalized and isolated from the Hollywood Punk scene on the West Side of LA. Teresa further explores: "I think the first show that we did that was a real concert was probably at Madam Wong's in '78, '79. Actually, it was kind of important. I think John Doe and Exene were there that night, and they really dug the band. I always say that I think they had a lot do to with helping us break that barrier, because I always felt there was a barrier. After Exene and John came and they met us afterwards, they really helped us try to break into the whole scene on the Westside. We opened for X many times, because they requested that we did." But not only did X help the Brat to achieve more exposure, the East Side of LA also got its own venue in the shape of the Vex as a result of Chicano muralist Willie Herron teaming up with Self-Help Graphics founder Sister Karen Boccalero concluding that the space they were using could as well be used to put on shows. The Vex became crucial to the development of the Brat and it must have been at said venue where Tito Larriva of the Plugz discovered the band and liked them so much that he offered to produce and release their 10" on his newly created Fatima Recordz back in 1980. A year later the five song EP titled "Attitude" was reissued as a 12" and thereafter it disappeared into obscurity as many great records have. Fortunately Radiation Records has decided to put out the original five songs that appeared on the first record plus eight more track recorded between 1981 and 1985 on this neatly packaged LP fittingly called "Attitudes". If you have never heard of the Brat you are in for a nice surprise if you like well crafted punk songs with a good dose of pop sentimentality. On top of that I would go as far as saying that the Brat created a unique sound by blending punk rock's energy with influences ranging from pop, new wave, and country music backed with intelligent lyrics tackling political and societal issues. After the release of "Attitude" the band was planning on releasing a further record on a Major Label, but it is to be assumed that the suited men and ladies were not fond of the band's critical lyrics hence by 1985 the band disbanded. If you want to get a taste for the Brat I suggest you listen to my personal favorite track "The Wolf", recorded in 1982 at Santa Barbara Sound, as it can only be described as an incredibly powerful and brilliant song dealing with the hypocrisy we call democracy in this country. It is without a doubt that the Brat were more than talented enough to write excellent punk songs with a pop edge, or pop songs with a punk edge, but as was the case for many of their peers it wasn't meant to happen for them. It is never too late and I can only hope that this excellent reissue reaches new fans of the band as they truly deserve more recognition. Grab a copy while they last! 

Photos borrowed from https://thebrat.net

Hated - 4 Song EP and Pressure/Stereotyped 7" Single Reissues

Label: Meat House Productions; Year: 2021; Format: 45RPM 7" EP

If you are like me and love the early Southern California sound of bands like T.S.O.L, Agent Orange, Adolescents, Shattered Faith et al then you are in for a treat with Hated who hailed from Huntington Beach and released three 7"s in the very early '80s. As it goes with those records they cost in the hundreds and are collector items and unfortunately not to be heard by the vast majority of us punk record nerds. Luckily Meat House Productions has finally made these gems available again for everyone to be able to buy for a few bucks and that's just what the world needed. I sure as hell have come across Hated, but whether it was this Hated or another one, I really don't recall. The band really doesn't get much mentioned in all the books and documentaries on Southern California punk history that are out there now while they really should be up there with the likes I name dropped earlier on. Originally released on the band's own Stress Records in 1982 the four songs are nothing short of superb and had they been produced better and especially louder the record would be even better as it already is. Angst-ridden vocals combined with the typical surf music influenced punk guitar sound of Southern California and an equally aggressive yet melodic bass and drum sound are all the ingredients a perfect record needs and they are to be found in abundance on all four songs. My personal favorite is "Enemy", but in all fairness I could pick any of them. Brilliant EP!

Label: Meat House Productions; Year: 2021; Format: 45RPM Single

I don't know which of these two records came out first in 1982 but just like the 4 Song EP this two song single containing 'Pressure' and 'Stereotyped' is an absolute scorcher. Interestingly across the front cover from left to right the letters read in German "ich kann ihn nicht leiden", meaning I cannot stand him. Who the band was referring to is unknown to me but considering Hated were part of the early '80s hardcore punk contingent from Huntington Beach I imagine they had lots of enemies in the general population by just looking somewhat different from the rest. Hard to think that these days just about anyone walking down the Huntington Beach pier looks somewhat punky, well slightly exaggerated but not that far off from the truth me thinks. In comparison to the 4 song EP the two songs on this single are better produced and while they are stylistically very similar I cannot help to hear a bit more of an Angry Samoans vibe in both songs. Maybe I should mention that bass player Chalmer Lumary went on to join Vandals and I am not one hundred percent sure whether another member, Joe Wood, is the same person that would go on to front the second incarnation of T.S.O.L and married Jack Grisham's sister. Maybe someone out there knows? Hopefully I can find a copy of the reissue of the band's first record from 1981 and from what I saw on the Hated official FB page a new record is to come out on Puke'N'Vomit as well. Unfortunately Hated's singer Steve Reehl aka Steve Real passed away last year, RIP. Get these reissues while they last!

Cuckoos Nest Poster and Live Shot stolen from the band's FB page.

Gestapo Khazi - S/T Mini-LP

Label: Dead Beat Records; Year: 2009; Format: 12" 45RPM EP

First and foremost this is somewhat of an abnormality when it comes to my blog entries as this record was recorded and released in 2009, which for this blog seems like yesterday. It's funny how records sometimes find their way into your house as up until I had bought this 12" about a year ago I have never heard of Gestapo Khazi from Long Beach, CA unlike the label this was released on - Dead Beat Records - a true household name when it comes to solid releases by bands from around the world. As a matter of fact I used to trade with Tom from Dead Beat quite a bit during my active label/distro years so in that sense sometimes things come full circle. I found this scorcher of a record at my local record store up the road and since finding punk records there doesn't happen very often I took this one home with me, even though I don't really buy anything beyond the '90s. Still, this was well worth the few bucks as it sure as hell really is a terrific record. I presume the guys in the band were inspired by the old UK band The Blood when it comes to the band name and they without a doubt were inspired by the underground sounds of the '80s when it comes to the songs on this Mini-LP which really should have been a full length, that's just how good this is. Take the melancholy of the Wipers, throw in a heavy Jeffrey Lee Pierce vibe, and mix that in a blender with the post-punk sound of Gang Of Four and more traditional early '80s Southern California punk and voila you get Gestapo Khazi. The funny thing is that this trend seems to repeat itself throughout the years and while I haven't followed new bands actively in years, I am well aware that bands of that ilk are quite the hype in the underground scenes of 2023, hence I suggest that you kiddos seek out this record while it's still available for next to nothing as any of the songs could appear on Killed By Death # 166 to be released in the year 2030.   

Fuck-Ups - FU82 EP

Label: PukeN'Vomit; Year: 2023; Format: 33RPM 7" EP

About time this piece of wax has been reissued as it's only been forty years since this came out originally in 1982. According to everything I have read about the band's reputation S.F. Punks at the time were really split as to whether they liked or sincerely disliked the Fuck-Ups. In the Boulware/Tudor book "Gimme Something Better" about punk and hardcore in the Bay Area I remembered that a nice little chapter is dedicated to Bob Noxious and the Fuck-Ups which I happily revisited for this review. Back in the early '80s San Francisco and many other major cities in North America and beyond attracted young people for multiple reasons. The streets were filled with excitement, life was much cheaper than these days and one could squeeze out a living by scamming the government and pan handling during the day. The punk scenes absorbed some of those colorful characters and I mean that in a positive way. Dave Dictor of MDC claims in the above mentioned book that "The Biafra-Tim Yohannan world really didn't know what it was like to live that way." The song "White Boy" didn't sit well with the more educated and politically correct part of the S.F. punk scene and Dictor further explains; "Sometimes they have a racial attitude but it's not deep. It was like, you get jumped by people coming back from the soup kitchen or some girl gets threatened in an alley, and something get ingrained in you, this tough thing. The Food stamp workers weren't much more sympathetic - 'You're a white kid from the suburbs. Why don't you go home to your momma and finish your college and get a real job?' Dictor concludes "We had to deal with prejudice on that level". But no worries this entry is not going to end up being just about the circumstances of life on the streets in the Mission District of S.F at the time but also about the record itself. If you like your punk mean, nihilistic, pissed-off and obnoxious then this EP will definitely be up your alley. I personally love the record as amongst the six songs you'll find both, the fast and abrasive tracks as well as the slower and in a sense artier yet still very fucked up songs. It's hardcore punk the way it was meant to be and that is never a bad thing. The Fuck-Ups had three back up singers which went by the name of the Fuckettes. Two of them were originally from France and Leslie explains the main reason for becoming involved with the Fuck-Ups: "We grew up in a nice little house outside of Paris and went to a terrible nun school for 12 years. My parents uprooted us and moved us to the States when I was almost 18. We became the Fuckettes because the Fuck-Ups were playing the Sound of Music in the Tenderloin. You had to be 21 to get in the show, unless you were in the band. So we did backup vocals on one song." You may argue that some of the stuff the Fuck-Ups came up with went too far and isn't funny but so be it, punk was meant to piss people off and not to be taken so seriously. Grab a copy before you'll have to wait another forty freakin' years. 

Photo Source: 'Gimme Something Better' by Jack Boulware and Silke Tudor

Keith Morris with Jim Ruland - My Damage (The Story Of A Punk Rock Survivor)

Publisher: Da Capo Press; Year: 2016; Format: Hardcover Book

It's not surprising that I remember more about the circumstances as to when and how I bought this book instead of the contents. Back in 2017 when I was still living in Brooklyn I recall taking the R Train on a sunny Sunday afternoon from Bay Ridge where my wife and I lived at that time to lower Manhattan where the big Strand Book Store is located to this day. I spotted Keith Morris' book was priced at $11.95 instead of the $25.00 list price and I sure as hell didn't think twice picking up a copy. Later said afternoon I sat outside in Union Square Park and read several of the short chapters of this great book and a few days later I was done with it. Some time ago I reviewed Jim Ruland's "Corporate Rock Sucks" book, another really fascinating book, but before Jim got to write that he spent quite some time with one of the founding members of the Southern California punk and hardcore sound, Keith Morris. According to a Decibel interview Jim and Keith would drive around in a car and visit places pertinent to the rich punk and hardcore history of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas in order to coax memories out of Keith. The book takes the readers on a wild ride from Keith's childhood days in his hometown of Hermosa Beach in the South Bay to him fronting Black Flag and Circle Jerks all the way to the days of OFF!. One thing's for sure and that is that Keith does not hold back one single bit about his own life and how happy he is to be still alive after having gone sober in 1988. We further learn how Keith's dad was a thug having been kicked out of Inglewood High for kidnapping the principal and how Keith got exposed to music at an early age when seeing Arthur Lee and Love perform at a matinee show in the South Bay. What most of us probably didn't know is that at one point in his life Keith worked as an A&R for Richard Branson's V2 label, an experience Keith has some salty words to tell you about. It truly is everything you would expect from a man that has lived an interesting and fast life. The book was apparently the result of Keith and Brendan Mullen (RIP) having become good friends over the years and Brendan pushing Keith to write about his life. A good thing he did as this is without a doubt one of the better autobiographies and comes highly recommended. 

Keith and a few beers. Photo by Spot (RIP). 

A more recent photo of Keith ;-)

V/A - 415 Music LP

Label: 415 Records; Year: 1980; Format: Vinyl LP

During lunch time I often either take a good walk or if the weather is not so great, which can be the case often here in Buffalo, I at least trudge up to the main library to check out the latest books. Such was the case last week when I stumbled upon "Kalifornia Kool Photographs 1976 - 1982" by Ruby Ray. After spending the entire lunch looking at the photos I decided to take the book out and inspect the wonderful photography of Ruby at home. A lot of the photos were either taken at the Mabuhay Gardens or in people's homes and are wonderful snapshots of a time that this world will never experience again. Everything seemed possible and the spontaneity in music and the arts seemed endless. While leafing through the book this past weekend it occurred to me that to round up this San Francisco centered weekend I should spin my copy of 415 Music, a compilation from 1980. Now, as always with compilations that document a particular scene and a particular time keep in mind that most of the time not all the bands are worth checking out but 415 Music gives you actually not just good value for your hard earned dollar but also a nice oversight as to what was going on in S.F at the time. Of course by 1980 the underground music scene was at a crossroads with the first wave of punk already gone and New Wave and Power Pop on the rise. What you get on this compilation is a bit of everything above with maybe two to three songs that can be categorized as lame New Wave and a waste of vinyl. The rest though is good, if not great Power Pop or New Wave of the sort I can definitely dig. Winners are The Readymates with "415 Music", The Mutants with "Baby's No Good", SVT "Always Come Back For More" and above all The VIPs with "She's a Put On", an incredibly catchy Synth Power Pop smasher. Overall this is well worth tracking down and if you want to dig even deeper into 415 and the Rise of New Wave in S.F. Hozac Books will sort you out with a book dedicated to said label. I should really order a copy for myself as well! As written on the back cover: 415 is the police code for disturbing the peace. Turn this record up and DO IT! 

Source for the Photos of the Mutants and the Offs: Ruby Ray - Kalifornia Kool Photographs 1978-1982 book. 

Alice Bag - Violence Girl (East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, A Chicana Punk Story) 

Publisher: Feral House; Year: 2011; Format: Softcover Book

If you are struggling with an idea what to gift your loved one or a good friend then let me tell you a book always works, just ask my wife. In all fairness though I should be ashamed of myself for reviewing Alice Bag's book now approaching 2023 whereas it was published in 2011, right around the time I started this blog. I must be one of the world's best procrastinators but better late than never I suppose. Alice Bag (nee Alicia Armendariz) was born in the late 1950's and reached probably the perfect age by the time the punk rock explosion hit the City of Angels. Let me be clear though that while this book definitely deals a lot with the early LA punk scene seen through the lenses of Alice it is by no means a book just about that. And that is one of the main reasons why I would say it belongs in the Top 10 of the many punk rock autobiographies having been written in the last decade and some. Alice is a truly gifted writer and this book is just rich of stories from her interesting life having been brought up in East Los Angeles to Mexican-born parents who migrated to the United States. In that sense Alice was not just an outsider in the greater society when punk rock hit, but also an outsider within the caucasian dominated subculture itself. She is the survivor of domestic violence against her mother with a father whom Alice referred to as a "monster", but she is also proud of her heritage and explains in details what it was like to grow up as a Chicana in East LA. Music played a role in Alice's life before punk rock and Elton John, David Bowie and the English Disco were a big deal not just for Alice but many others that would soon find out about a music style much rawer and much more open to people with less talent. Don't worry as the book does eventually take you on a wild ride through the early days of punk rock in Los Angeles and of course The Bags play a vital role in all those stories told. I have read this book years ago and just reread the chapter when The Bags played a show with Rhino 39 in San Diego and how some of the people along with Black Randy took a trip across the border to Mexico the following day turning into a wild adventure. This book is probably one of those that at some point in the future I will read again cover to cover as it is just so well-written and packed with not just fascinating anecdotes but real inspiration from page 1. Last but not least Alice became a teacher and even spent some time in Nicaragua helping out children in that part of the world. She's also somebody that has managed to stay interesting and true to herself up to this day while still performing music and as far as I know now living in Mexico maintaining a blog about the many interesting and fascinating aspects of living there. One of my all time favorite books, period. 

V/A - Let's Get Pissed - It's Christmas Volume Two LP

Label: Cult; Year: 1986(?); Format: Vinyl LP

Tis' the season they say hence I opted to pull the second Volume of the "Let's Get Pissed" Compilations off my shelves to put you dear readers in a festive mood. Let's just say that in case you have this at home or you listen to it through some streaming device, or even better on a cassette made by your friend then your drink of choice should never be too far. As for myself I haven't listened to this one in a long time but wasn't expecting any surprises as the bands on this Compilation are pretty much all well known to me. The one thing about Rot Records, or in this case Cult (a sublabel of Rot), is that their releases are really cheap and often without any information about the bands. Such is the case with this LP as there is no insert nor anything pertaining to actually anybody involved with this record, and that includes the label itself, and that's just bang out of order and I think Santa would agree with me. But, enough of my moaning here and let's get down to the music on this piece of vinyl as the nine bands from around the globe delivering you for the most part unhinged hardcore punk attacks should help you to warm up to the Christmas spirit. I must confess that I was pleasantly surprised hearing the three tracks by Yugoslavian band U.B.R, a band I remembered just being a bit too noisy even for my liking, but the songs on here are just great noisy hardcore without any hint of grindcore. Also outstanding are the two tracks by Brazilian legends Colera and Finnish Hardcore Punk gods Rattus. Killroy from Southern California and Germany's Normahl and Maniacs deliver solid and more melodic hardcore punk whereas Sweden's Fear Of War crank out tracks in Anti Cimex fashion but just really not as good. The two Italian acts Rappresaglia and Pedago Party round off this international affair that should have you slam around your Christmas tree while knocking back some tall ones. Burn down the tree! 

PS. The track by Italian band Pedago Party is not to be found on the back side of the sleeve.

Bonecrusher - Followers Of A Brutal Calling LP

Label: Knock Out Records; Year: 2000; Format: Vinyl LP

Southern California's Orange County has always been a hotbed for great punk rock acts and bands like TSOL, Adolescents, Agent Orange or Channel 3 just to name a few are household names to anybody into three chords and then some. In the '90s when Emo and Pop Punk ruled it was refreshing to see bands like Bonecrusher forming and such was the case in 1992 when Bonecrusher's story begins. I reached out to Mike Kanel, bass player and founding member of Bonecrusher to answer a few questions with regards to "Followers..." as it is one of my favorite records to have come out in the '90s or in this case in 2000. To cut a long story short the copy I now own is one of those that I was distributing when the record came out, mainly through a record store in Zurich, Switzerland. Years ago I sold a lot of my '90s and early '00s records and unfortunately "Followers..." was part of it, not sure why but I needed the money. Of course I wanted it back so fast forward a few years back and a friend of mine back in Switzerland was selling his entire collection and I was happy enough to snap this one up only to realize that the sticker I used to put on records I distributed was still on there. This copy has certainly travelled the world. So, in order to prepare for this blog entry I wanted to read up about Bonecrusher but even after a 30-year history Google came up with very little to nothing. Mike thinks that "we have always just been a garage band and still are. Music has always been therapeutic and making records is a hobby. We let the music speak for itself." In the end I was glad that I have a copy of 3rd Generation Nation's No. 19 Fanzine from spring 1999 as Rick Bain's of Hostage Records history of the band up to that point is worth gold. OC's Hostage Records alongside Outsider Records also played a vital role in the band's abilities to release material on vinyl. It was the so called 'Life on the Streets' trilogy with the three EPs on Hostage ("Animal", "No Escape" and "Problems in the Nation") that not just solidified the band's standing but led to some serious attention across the pond in Germany. As for Hostage Records Mike chimes in: "Well we all know that if we didn't give them the recordings to the Animal 45 the label might have never taken off the way it has."

I myself used to contribute with writing to 3rd Generation Nation back in those days and a certain Mosh of Knock Out Records most likely paid good attention as to the mayhem Bonecrusher were causing in Orange County. Soon enough Bonecrusher were able to not just release records in Germany but also tour on the European continent. Mike on Knock Out's vital role in the evolution of the band: 

"Mosh and Knock Out Records are the only reason we ever went over to Europe. He has always been our # 1 supporter through all of our ups and downs over the years, and has always been behind us as to what we do as a band, no matter what. I started getting e-mails from this guy in Germany from a record label in the late '90s talking about going on tour, releasing a record and so forth. I did not trust the e-mails because I was new to the internet at that time. I thought he was full of shit talking about tours and playing festivals in Europe, and it just seemed like a lot of bullshit to me as we were just a garage band from Southern California, and who fuckin' cares, right? So after a year or two of e-mail exchanges I suggested to Mosh that if he was to buy us plane tickets and feed us we would come and play all he wanted for ten days. - And the next thing you know we are in Germany playing live at the best gigs we have ever played in our entire lives at that point. That's how our relationship with Mosh and our European fanbase started. The rest has been hell of a ride."                

Once I heard about Bonecrusher were headed for Germany I asked a friend of mine whether he would drive from Zurich to the Ruhr Valley in Germany, about a six hour ride. My friend loved driving to gigs on  weekends hence he agreed and so three of us headed up to the town of Marl to see Bonecrusher for the first time. It was a blast, but to be beaten by the band a year later when a whole group of us from Zurich caught the band in Freiburg in Southern Germany were they delivered one of the best shows I have ever witnessed. (Thanks for the free shirts in Marl, Mike! Still have them, LOL)

Having lived in Europe for the most part of my life and now Stateside I asked Mike about the experiences the band has made touring over there and how he would compare it to playing locally in Southern California: 

"Well, there is really no comparison. In Europe the promoters, the fans and the hospitality are top notch and better than any situation you will ever experience in Southern California. The only time being in a band really matters is when you are up on stage playing live to people. That is when the magic moments happen feeding off of the energy of the crowd with the amps cranked up loud."

Ok folks, congrats to making it up to here as if you are not familiar with the "Followers..." LP you certainly might wonder what my hype is all about. In my honest opinion this was the album that solidified Bonecrusher's trademark sound that would continue to this day, with quite a few line up changes having taken place over the years. The music will hit you straight in the face like a ton of bricks but at the same time while absorbing all the aggression in the songs you will find yourself tapping your feet to great melodies, hooks and choruses. Take a bit of Cockney Rejects, Chelsea or Angelic Upstarts, a good dose of Motorhead and certainly some '80s US Hardcore and voila you get an idea as to how Bonecrusher sound. The lyrics are on the dark side of life, and there is a reason for that according to Mike: 

"In the early '90s we were recovering from the '80s punk scene, drugs, jail time, prison and running the streets. So what else would you expect us to include in the songs? Lol. The second half of the '90s gave Raybo, George, Gino (RIP) and myself a second chance at life."

As to the most vivid memories recording "Followers..." Mike reminisces: 

"At that time a lot had gone on with the band. George and myself have always been the 'instigators' with writing and recording. We were making demos with Ray, but had no drummer at the time and it was after having put out the "Working For Nothing" album. We had seven songs that ended up being the A-Side on the "Followers..." album. Then, Raybo disappeared and George and myself really liked the songs so we had a friend of ours, Steve H., filling in on drums on those tracks and George and I worked on the finishing of the bass, guitar and back up vocals. As for the direction of the band in those days we really had no plan, and we never have. Things just happen organically and fall into place. We tracked all of the "Followers.." songs at George's house in his home studio. Side B of the album was put together from earlier recordings and stuff we had been working on at the studio."

Bonecrusher have been in existence for 30 years now and for old time fans like myself their original singer Raybo personified the band to a degree. His on stage presence was just immense, if not scary to some people I suppose. Mike remembers: 

"Ray had a natural talent for belting out words and stories and some of my best memories are of me and Ray sitting in the garage of my house and writing new songs right there on the spot. Simply magical times." Update 10-6-22: RIP Raybo

Should you be new to the world of Bonecrusher "Followers..." is a good entry point into their catalogue in my honest opinion. According to Mike a lot of the old material might be repressed in the near future and I sure as hell hope so in order to fill some of my gaps. Cheers to Mike & Bonecrusher! 

Jim Ruland - Corporate Rock Sucks (The Rise & Fall of SST Records) 

Publisher: Hachette Books; Year: 2022; Format: Book

When it comes to the vast area Los Angeles covers geographically speaking than punk rock historians as well as many old timers from Lala land love talking or writing about the early Hollywood punk scene. What is so fascinating about the greater Los Angeles area is that different scenes sprung up in different areas roughly around the same time, and I am being somewhat generous with that statement for the sake of my argument. My argument is that the punk rock history of the South Bay of Los Angeles is in many ways far more interesting than the one of the fairly short lived Hollywood scene, at least that's my take. A long while ago I already reviewed Craig Ibarra's "A Wailing of a Town" book which focuses a lot on the Minutemen and befriended bands from San Pedro. At some point in the future I shall review Keith Morris' "My Damage" as well but I recently bought and instantly read Jim Ruland's Corporate Rock Sucks and came away with a wealth of knowledge not just about SST Records, but the South Bay Area hardcore punk scene in general. First and foremost the book is divided into fourteen chapters with each one SST squaring against a different entity. Chapter one is called SST vs. Bomp! and Chapter fourteen is titled SST vs. History. Inbetween SST takes on the world so to speak, a statement which pretty much sums up the book in many ways as Greg Ginn seems to have a very combative personality and an admirable hunger for success. The author has truly done a great job at researching this book as it is filled with many important anecdotes from the humble beginnings of SST Electronics all the way up to the downfall of the once so influential indie label. The many legal battles SST fought alone would be worth another book in my opinion as it becomes clear that legally speaking SST mistreated quite a few bands by hurting them not just financially but in their overall development. I think what really saddened me to a degree is the fact that at some point the record label was run almost like a major where the personal interaction between the owners and the employees became less important and money ever so more important. To be fair though SST was not alone in the sense that they became the victims of their own success. And yes, of course Black Flag are a big part of the story in the book as well, but I wanted to focus on the label. I can't say that I own too many records from the vast catalogue of SST but I will make an attempt to dig deeper into some releases in the future. In the meantime do yourself a favor and pick up this book or visit your local library as you will not regret it. Corporate Rock Sucks indeed. 

Craig Ibarra - A Wailing Of A Town - "An Oral History Of Early San Pedro Punk And More 1977 - 1985"

Publisher: END FWY Press; Year: 2015; Format: Book

First and foremost I'd like to point out that this book is almost hot off the press, and was published not all that long ago, and therefore I am excited to not already having finished reading it, but also reviewing it after having purchased it a couple of months ago on my quick visit to Southern California. When it comes to the punk history of Los Angeles then much of it has been covered extensively by having covered the Hollywood scene with the bands and scenesters associated with the more glamorous side of punk rock made in L.A. This book here concentrates on the South Bay of Los Angeles, and in particular the seaport town of San Pedro. Trust me, I too had to look up where exactly San Pedro is located in the Los Angeles area. When I first heard about this book, I already liked it, and I tell you why. I too was once a young kid discovering punk rock and hardcore, and I was also living in a suburb albeit thousands of miles away from San Pedro. Still, I can truly associate with the scene, and its people as the stories to be found in this book resemble in so many ways my personal story. This book does not talk about people sporting punk fashion, frequenting famous punk clubs or taking in an immense amount of drugs. Instead this book concentrates on real DIY ethos, and how a few people were able to create an open minded community that helped each other with putting on gigs, doing flyers, recording and distributing records, and so on. I have to admit that I don't own a single record by the Minutemen - whom hailed from San Pedro - but after having read this book I will need to change that. Sure, many pages in this book do deal with the history of the Minutemen and in particular the sadly deceased D. Boon but they also cover the very beginnings of punk rock in San Pedro with the Reactionaries, as well as later acts such as Saccharine Trust, Hari-Kari, Mood of Defiance and others. This book also covers crazy stories involving a certain Jimmy Smack, a talented local dancer who was tremendously helpful with putting on punk gigs, many accounts involving Black Flag and SST Records and their help getting the San Pedro scene off the ground, venues that opened their doors to punk rock, and the eventual arrival of big bands such as the Dead Kennedys making it to San Pedro and putting the town on the punk rock map. Craig has done a fabulous job by covering every little detail of this town's rich history of punk rock and beyond, and can only be congratulated for his efforts. One can only hope that more books of this kind will start to spring up, and people in different parts of this country and far beyond will start writing about their own punk rock adventures beyond the lights of hip inner cities. This is a true must read!

Germs - Cat's Clause Ten Inch

Label: Munster Records; Year: 1993; Format: Vinyl 10"

I intend on spending much more time talking about Paul Beahm, aka Darby Crash, when reviewing the book about his person, and the Germs. Tonight it honestly also dawned on me why I have bought this 10" in the first place all these years back because quite frankly it could not have been for the quality of the recordings to be found on this piece of wax. The prime reason of this purchase was an elaborate 20 page booklet with plenty of nice photos, flyers, anecdotes and a brief history of the Germs. Back in the early '90s in the pre internet days this was something quite special, and far more appreciated than these days. As for the packaging of this record, I love it. As for the sound quality of the live recordings on this record, I just cannot be equally enthusiastic. Side 1 was recorded at the Starwood in Hollywood and the sound quality is somewhat decent and listenable while the three songs on Side 2 taken from a gig at the Hong Kong Cafe are just pure noise. The highlights are "Circle One" and "Strange Note" which were both taken from rehearsals at the Canterbury house where many early LA punk rockers lived. By no means is this a must have, but if you're a die hard Germs fan then you'll want this, and if you're not than having read this blog entry will suffice.

The Humpers - My Machine LP

Label: Slusaj Najglasnije; Year: 1990; Format: Vinyl LP

Many people out there are probably familiar with the Humpers' output on Epitaph Records, due to said labels' international distribution deals and high sales volumes. Before being signed to one of the best known labels in punk rock, the Humpers' beginnings were far more modest though, and after The Suicide Kings' break-up (pre-Humpers '80s band) the band got together in 1990, and in the same year recorded this magnificent piece of a debut full length for the underground Croatian record label Slusaj Najglasnije (Listen Loudest). In fact, the bands' second full length from 1991 entitled "War is Hell" was released on a cassette on the same label as well, and then again as a CD-R in the early '2000s after people in the war-torn regions of the former Yugoslavia were able to start new lives. At some point I will also review the 2nd album, for sure. Now back to the origins of this album, the Humpers' debut, which contains twelve songs recorded live in one day, resulting in a true garage sounding production which only adds to the greatness of this album, and will most definitely kick your ass. All songs are just pure dirty and unfiltered punk'n'roll hits, filled with great guitar leads and hooks, and of course Scott Drake's incomparable vocals. Anybody out there reading this that is interested in the early stages of this bands' output should try getting a copy of this killer album even though it has become rare and hard to get. Even better, some label should really reissue this as I am sure many more people would just love to hear this one!

Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

Publisher: PM Press; Author: Alex Ogg; Year: 2014; Format: Book

Finally a legit book on the early days/years of the Dead Kennedys, maybe the most important punk rock band the United States has ever produced (sorry Ramones!). UK based author and connoisseur of everything regarding the early days of punk/hardcore, Alex Ogg, has once again done a damn fine job at gathering and compiling information from as many people as possible, and from every possible angle as well. Now, anybody that is just slightly in the know what has been happening in terms of the relationship between the band members will be well aware that Mr. Ogg must have gone well beyond our imagination in regard to his patience as all versions and opinions from all members needed to be heard and taken into account. I suppose that is why this book concentrates on the days predating the DK's first album, and on the recording and touring after the classic album was released. Of course there is far more to tell when it comes to DK's rich history, but as Alex Ogg puts it in the book, that should be for someone else to tackle. In my opinion no one else could do a better job as Mr. Ogg himself again. This is a great read when it comes to discovering the life stories of each member, how they ended up as a tight unit writing some of the most iconic punk rock songs ever, and what has influenced them before the term "punk" was even coined. At the same time the book provides the reader a glimpse of the early San Francisco scene and the bands and people that made things happening. While this is a relatively short read, you will walk away with a far better understanding and knowledge of how the DK's became a world wide phenomenon.