still fit to print

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/a-hidden-world-growing-beyond-control/

smash the state

http://lulzsecurity.com/

tales from the brazos mall, lake jackson tx

while walking the mall waiting for my oil change and car inspection to be finished i wandered past an ice cream stand. the gentlemen buying ice cream says to the young man behind the counter:

"i had a wife and kid. but then i found out that the kid is my brother's, not mine."

"dude, that sucks."

i continued walking out of the mall and on to jiffy lube. the car passed the inspection.

wasteland

my longtime friend brian does this blog. its a good way to start the day.

http://manmadewasteland.wordpress.com/

DO IT

do it.

TRUTH

anarchy.

a lesson in parkHORSE

from the much missed TROUBLEMAN UNLIMITED message board nov 2000:

Posted by k on November 05, 19100 at 17:20:07:

In Reply to: Re: not to nit-pick, but… posted by Justin on November 05, 19100 at 14:20:47:

: what with all the negative ParkHORSE talk? I wasn’t around in their day, and I hear a lot of bad things about them as people (being fake, egotistical, image conscious and the like). What was the deall with all of this? Did they do some shitty things?

It was probably because more that they were one of the first bands, post-NOU, that dressed like hipsters, played 10 minute sets without saying a word to the audience, went totally apeshit and had lyrics that most would deem esoteric at best. Compare that to the Struggle/Born Against/etc scene of the early 90s and there’s quite a contrast. Everything has it’s time and place and I always dug parkHORSE, but I guess not everyone was ready for them…

HANDS UP!

directions:

build up scene/tear it down/hype scene/tear it down again/enclose non-refundable check for $50 and/hopefully you will be chosen to build it back up again.

PANIC ATTACK PILLS ROCKERS B/W MESSAGE

members of fiskadoro, m-laab, in the pouring rain etc...

contact us if you want it. digital only. actual fiskadoro 7" next.

-sharpe james

IF THEY DON'T WRITE ABOUT IT DID IT EVEN HAPPEN?

ok, so we went to the //tense// show saturday night at the meridian and it was fantastic. yes, its a shame it wasn't louder but i guess that is what happens when you play large places like that and open for a famous band. remember when sonic youth quit the neil young tour? but despite the sound issues (which admittedly seemed to improve as the evening went on) it was a great show and its awesome to see a band like //tense// getting recognized.

all that aside, what is up with the HOUSTON PRESS? they previewed the show the other day (without naming //tense//), and today they posted a review of the show. while the writer of the review admitted he didn't get to the venue until 10:30, likely missing the performance by //tense//, he mentioned the opening act VERTIGO BLUE in the review but didn't even bother naming //tense//.

and for the record, the headliner was nitzer ebb and they did their thing quite well and they sounded really good. nice and loud. but hey, we're trying to write about local stuff so no need for me to review nitzer ebb. if you want to read about them go check houston press.

-sharpe james

FUTURE BLONDES SHALL NEVER DIE? OR SHALL THEY???

there is talk on the HANDS UP HOUSTON message board FUTURE BLONDES is playing superhappyfunland tonight along with the amazing COP WARMTH among others. astute readers will recall we reported here last week future blondes was supposedly finished.

but who knows... certainly not us...

you wouldn't believe the things i'd do for 10 bucks.

-sharpe james

NEWS UPDATE

word on the street says THE WIGGINS will have a new 7" out by end of the year or perhaps early 2010. TWISTED WIRES has been added to the nov. 18th show at mango's with said wiggins and BLUES CONTROL.

we at the 423 gallery have heard that BALACLAVAS has decided against changing their name, instead they will still rock their new synth heavy sound under the name we've all gotten used to... yeah, used to is probably my favorite track on the 'chairs missing' lp by wire. oh, but i digress... the balaclavas 'roman holiday' lp promises to be some epic shit. this is maybe as close as its ever been to coming out.

the FISKADORO camp is quiet but they'll be playing a private party for a friend visiting from iowa next month, they may be playing at westfest but their name isn't on the preliminary list at the free press website so we shall see. they will be playing a festival in lake jackson in january, venue yet to be determined.

-sharpe james

LIVE REVIEW: FUTURE BLONDES LAST SHOW

we went to the EXTERMINATING ANGELS/FUTURE BLONDES/PSYCHIC ILLS/INDIAN JEWELRY show at notsuoh last night in houston. unfortunately jen got sick shortly before psychic ills started their set so we missed them and indian jewelry. its been a sort of curse for us in our attempts to see indian jewelry. the gods do not seem to want it to happen. the gods must hate us. our karma is not good, friends.

so instead of the usual style piece (as new romantics we're all about the style) - i'll write today about the final show of future blondes. a performance for the ages.

we've seen future blondes perform in several places in various incarnations over the past few months, the one fixed thing about them is domokos on vocals & effects. tonight was something completely different yet still related to what they've done before. in what was more of a band set with charley & tyler of balaclavas on synths, and a gentlemen i haven't met named jerry on moog keytar. a woman in a body stocking draped in and out of a canvas tarp doing a sort of interpretive dance and crawl and horrified slither across the stage and into the packed in audience like the end of the world was nigh.

the set opened up slowly with an ambient wall of sound with dom's echoed and looped threats, accusations and one liners (the don rickles of noise?). the music seeming to breathe and became piercing and almost dangerous. a loop saying "fuck you too" repeated for maybe 20 minutes and beats kicked and ralf armin of dead roses & after party joined on saxaphone and suddenly this metal machine music meets metal box turned into interstellar space. if only rashied ali was alive to sit in.

this awesome sound would not quit - shards of abstract and clicked and cut synth noise rose from the stage, armins sax sounding like industrial explosions through dom's effects. armin taking out his cell phone and attempting to call dom in the midst of this hail of noise. dom did not answer. he was too busy playing god and curating the whole thing kneeling from his perch on the stage, shooting looks at the crowd and reveling in the end of future blondes. amazing.

future blondes is dead! long live future blondes! and fuck you too!

-sharpe james

RECORD REVIEW: TWISTED WIRES 'ONE NIGHT AT THE RAW DEAL' 12"(2009 Italians Do It Better)

shortly before we started this little mcbloggily of ours we had some technical issues, thus, we were not able to listen to records and cassettes for awhile. cd's were ok - but the older media was a problem. this was discouraging as there were a couple things we wanted to talk about here. one of which was the twisted wires 12" which will be discussed below. the other the balaclavas cassette on the skrot up tapes label (out of denmark), which we'll get to on another post.

the debut 12" from houston's twisted wires is one night at the raw deal b/w one night at the raw deal (instrumental) & one night at the raw deal (guitar & vocal mix). i'd look at the b-side as a gift for people to remix. or for dj's to spin their own extended mixes at dance parties. very late last night jen, sharpe james and i sat down in the 423 gallery to listen to the record with law & order: criminal intent airing on the television set in the background on mute.

jen: so far it kind of sounds like early simple minds. its good background music to this criminal intent episode. it reminds me of someone else from the same era, i'm trying to remember who.

sharpe: it really says alot about houston when this record is easier to find in new york. london. paris. tokyo. milan. all those towns we party at.

rich: yes. we really don't party much in houston do we?

jen: no we don't. we just get booked to play fiskadoro shows in houston and then get them cancelled at the 23rd hour.

rich: rowan really loved this single. he described it as techno goth. one of my other friends said it wasn't complicated enough.

jen: it is kind of minimal. but isn't that a good thing?

sharpe: people need to remember what we learned from the postpunk era. minimal is a good thing.

rich: no one seems to remember history anymore.

jen: i'd be interested to listen to one of my older simple minds records after this. i didn't really remember what twisted wires sounded like, i still have that //tense// show stuck in my head and i thought they sounded more like that. but... how wrong i was.

rich: oh look at bubbles [one of our cats laying on the floor on his back in variation of savasana pose].

jen: is this one of those times you think he's meditating?

rich: i think he's just enjoying the music.

sharpe: while lenny [another of our cats, looking out the window with much intensity] thinks this is soundtrack to some sort of nefarious doings going on outside in the quad parking lot.

jen: kind of like the nefarious goings on on criminal intent right now? i mean just look at them - i think they're in a chinese bar or something.

rich: this scene would be awesome if twisted wires were performing on a small stage at the other end of the bar. it would be like that great scene in fire walk with me. or wait -that scene in the aki kaurismaki movie i hired a contract killer when joe strummer & the astrophysicians played in that bar.

(jen and sharpe have no idea what rich is talking about)

sharpe: this sure is an awesome record.

jen: i think so too.

jen: its weird cause its got all these dance effects to it but its a little bit too slow to dance to unless you want to look like a total tool. its more of a sway back and forth song.

rich: maybe it depends on the kind of drugs you're taking?

jen: i think the drugs that would enhance this song are not the kind of drugs that make you want to dance. its almost more of an anthem.

rich: i'm dj'ing that chill-out room we hung out at in barcelona and this is number one on my playlist.

sharpe: with a fucking bullet.

jen: and someone is slipping a mickey into sharpe's drink as he looks down at his boots. one night at the raw deal. yeah.

sharpe: what is in this kiwi strawberry juice?

rich: kiwi strawberry juice.

jen: i can see playing it at a faster speed and having a bunch of strobe lights.

rich: they performed this when they played at mango's and that show was a veritable dance party.

jen: did you dance?

rich: i think we all did baby.... wait - you were there!

jen: i don't remember dancing at any shows. i'm not much of a dancer. the only person i really remember dancing at that show was tina.

sharpe: she's the best dancer in town you know.

rich: we sure do sharpe james... we sure do.

jen: if you played this a third faster it would sound like the things i was hearing in the gay clubs in the late 80s.

rich: like what?

jen: mostly stuff i didn't know. but like secession...

rich: what about new order?

jen: i would say its almost too clubby sounding for new order.

sharpe: this would be interesting music to play in a club scene in some larry clark movie.

jen: where everybody's fucked up.

sharpe: yeah.

jen: the guitar does kind of sound like new order.

[bubbles attacks lenny] lenny was asking for it... it almost sounds like a bernard sumner solo thing but i don't recall him putting a ton of reverb on his voice like often if ever. but it sounds cool.

rich: we'll remember this single as the big hit of the summer of 2009 in the 423 gallery.

DO IT

we were going to interview HOW I QUIT CRACK but now we don't have to...

http://www.viceland.com/blogs/en/2009/09/30/how-i-quit-crack/

instead we'll wash out the cat litter boxes.

-sharpe james

LIVE REVIEW: SORRY, THE BATTERY IN MY PEDAL JUST DIED

HOW I QUIT CRACK

//TENSE//

VOIDMATE

live at the mink, houston tx 9-26-09

how i quit crack formerly

houston, now austin at $220/month

liquid sky beats cribbed from the normal

(it all goes back to the normal, look them

up i say)

drones and song

song and feedback

this korg synth says freedom

the make up glows like shiva

this is how we do that dance

tense did their thing

and first just me and jon read up front

then dom then dom then d...

sin realite

if you don't get this - i mean,

why the hell houston press?

why aren't you covering this?

why some post-punk transplants

from jersey need to scoop you?

tense is awesome once again

this is how we do that dance

voidmate - apologies..

its been a tough week.

hung a bit with ralf dead roses after party

dom future somethings did don rickles bit

said hello to jon the wiggins

met people we never before knew

(the importance of living)

missed voidmate. we really

wanted to hear voidmates cover

of 'ouija board, ouija board'

but alas, drove home in mad fog

288 to the city of enchantment

signpost.

this is how we do that dance.

-sharpe james

THIS ONE

its time to build this new language

we have no other choice

-sharpe james

WHERE'S IT AT?

tonight at mango's -

A THOUSAND CRANES

PRINCE RAMA OF AYODHA

LORD JEFF

BLACKIE

do not miss...

-sharpe james

CARROLL

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/09/14/jim-carroll-obit.html

-sharpe james via canadian media

LIVE REVIEW: PIPELINES

FISKADORO

IN THE POURING RAIN

@423 gallery, lake jackson tx 9-10-09

it was a special occasion last night as friend of the 423 gallery drew j. returned to visit south texas. drew is currently living and working in ohio and has not had the opportunity to see the functioning synth punk of FISKADORO. but not only did he see the duo in fine form on their (literal) home carpet. he got to see them perform a set heavy with new songs (including penelope and back from j.a.)

since it was a party, IN THE POURING RAIN gave a dj set (they are thinking of maybe playing live in band form in the future) that included spins of 423 gallery faves like tortoise, singers & players, bauhaus, wire, split enz, black flag, and even the beatles.

-sharpe james