Friday The 13th VAMPIRE BATS w/ BLOODY BETTY * MOMY FORTUNA * CHARLIE MONROE * Latex Alchemy Photo Gallery!

The Vampire Bats, Betty & Marc engaging the crowd. Photography: Latex Alchemy.

On Friday July 13th, Stable Genius Productions brought The Vampire Bats w/ Bloody Betty, Momy Fortuna, Charlie Monroe and DJ Dan (From the Parish) to Pub 340 in Vancouver, B.C.  It had been over a year and a half since the last Vampire Bats show. Frontman, Marc had been back in Los Angeles (The city he had previously called home for most of the 2000’s) wrangling control of Secret Agent Records away from the label’s  U.S. Distributor.

Marc Godfrey

For the packed, hot and sweaty house, Friday the 13th, ended up being a riotous night of unhinged dark Punk rock n’ roll. The show marked the stage debut of glam-grunge beauty, Charlie Monroe. The pitch perfect post punk witches brew of Momy Fortuna (Brandy Bones, Emily Bach, Binna Nancy Mendoza & Katherine Bastow).  A rare “Gorelesque” act by the now notorious Bloody Betty and finally the Classic “80’s style” post punk of the enigmatic Vampire Bats with a set that showcased their infectious anthem writing talents! The Vampire Bats line up is Marc Godfrey,  Thorsten Abel on bass, Erol Sora on guitar, Taylor Little on drums and Damion Gray on Keys.

Back In The 604

Latex Alchemy is a Canadian alternative fashion and nightlife photographer. Published here is a selection of their Vampire Bats photo gallery, free from the Facebook censors with Bloody Betty‘s more provocative shots. You can enjoy their full set in Abort Magazine. (Link at the bottom of this page)

Pretty Like Drugs

CHARLIE MONROE BAND by Latex Alchemy

MOMY FORTUNA By Latex Alchemy

THE VAMPIRE BATS & BLOODY BETTY By Latex Alchemy

LATEX ALCHEMY FACEBOOK PAGE

The Vampire Bats w/ Bloody Betty * Momy Fortuna * Charlie Monroe * by Latex Alchemy in ABORT  MAGAZINE

BUY VAMPIRE BATS feat. BLOODY BETTY “TWO’S A CROWD” Here!

SOULKID #1’s Pop Classic AMERICANIZED Album, featuring hit “(More Bounce In) California” is back on Spotify!

After changing distributors, Secret Agent Records has re-released SOULKID #1‘s 2006 seminal pop album “Americanized“! It has been digitally redistributed and is once again available on Itunes, Amazon and streaming platforms.

SOULKID #1 Americanized on Spotify!

SOULKID #1 AMERICANIZED ITUNES

The album spawned the hit song ( …and hashtag!) “More Bounce In California” which has been featured in films “Legally Blonde 2”, “Win A Date With Tad Hamilton” and numerous TV shows including “The O.C.” and MTV’s “Laguna Beach”. SOULKID #1 even ended up in the Urban Dictionary!

 

 

Here is a review of the album from when it was originally released. Taken from the publication Suite 101.

SOULKID #1 AMERICANIZED CD

Once in a while, an album comes along that makes you glad to be a music lover, just through its sheer mix of cool and style. Americanized, from Los Angeles-based indie funksters Soulkid #1, is one such album. A heady mix of life-affirming soul and indie
sensibilities, it’s a sublime end result of an album over five years in the making, and a testament to not only the song writing skills of protagonist Marc Godfrey, but also that the music industry still rewards determination and sheer non-stop belief.

Coming across like all the best bits of Marc Bolan, cult Scottish band Primal Scream and David Bowie amongst others, Soulkid #1 offer a refreshing slant to the indie scene, and the twelve tracks on this debut album reflect this. Opening with the instrumental title track itself, it’s a languine journey through distorted instruments and
radio phonic vocals, all in one laid-back mix that recalls a humid summer’s day.

This is immediately followed by the blistering “Until It’s Gone…”, complete with Hammond organs and a time travelling feel that harks back to the best that ‘seventies music had to offer. Imagine the Black Crowes writing for T-Rex, and you’re halfway there. Vocalist and driving force behind the band, Godfrey is all slouch and almost
invites you to lie back and let the music take you to a place at once familiar yet new.

Feel-Good Factor

“It’s Your Lifestyle, Baby” continues the trend, with a pulsating bass line that stays in you even after the song has finished. Complete with female backing singers that gives the band its soul-like sound, it’s a glorious piece of funk and lo-fi guitars. Yet just when you think this is going to be the trend for the rest of the album, along comes something like “(More Bounce In) California”, with its tongue-in-cheek look at the way that Californians like to live life. So popular has this song become that it’s actually seen as the unofficial anthem for the famous state.

This feel-good factor is continued in the ultra-hip “Ghetto Fabulous”, an irresistibly catchy and infectious celebration of a song, with its dance floor bass line and hook-laden chorus. This is the beauty with Soulkid #1 and Americanized – it’s almost as if Godfrey finds it impossible to write a weak track.

If there is any part of the album that doesn’t quite stand up to the quality found elsewhere, it’s perhaps on “Two Of Us Against The World”, which sounds so similar to David Bowie’s “Heroes” that for a moment you feel you may be listening to the English singer’s seminal Changes album. It’s not that “Two Of Us Against The World” is a poor song; it just seems out of place on an otherwise impressive album.

Some Kind Of Wonderful Future

However, this is just a minor blip, as the anthemic “Some Kind Of Wonderful Drug” proves, with it’s double beat drumming and almost psychedelic guitar and keyboards running a kind of distorted race together. And it’s this kind of sound that Soulkid #1 excels at, and shows that there is still room in the industry for trying something
new.

With the songs of Soulkid #1 already garnering widespread acclaim before the album was even released – a prime example being “(More Bounce In) California”, which sold over 100,000 copies alone on digital download – and the record industry that initially ignored them now falling over themselves to lay down praise for Americanized, this is
an album that deserves to be in everyone’s record collection.

– Danny Brown, SUITE 101

SOULKID #1 Americanized on Spotify!

 

SOULKID #1 AMERICANIZED Credits

Marc Godfrey – Lead Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Casio, Keys Joey Waronker – Drums Tommy Triant – Guitars Nic Jodoin – Guitar, Bass, Moogs, MPC 2000 Stefan Sigerson – Bass Ryan Yerdon – Drums Leslie Alejandro, Cassie Betts, Daye Rose, Penelope Fortier & Gina Anderson – Back Up Vocals Andy Kaulkin – Fender Rhodes Bernie Reilly – Viola, Piano Lenny Pops – Guitar, Back Up Vocals Mike Bulger – Horns Dave Lachance – Drums, Back Up Vocals Ed Maxwell – Bass

Tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, & 12 – Produced by Nic Jodoin Track 2 Produced by Josh Abraham & Nic Jodoin Tracks 1, 5 & 11 Produced by Walt Vincent Track 4 Produced by Nic Jodoin, Michael Patterson & Pete Mills Track 6 Produced by Nic Jodoin & Dave Lachance Track 10 Produced by Dave Norland

Mixed by Michael Patterson except Track 4 Mixed by Pete Mills Tracks 6, 8, 10 & 12 Mixed by Alexis Dufresne Assistant Engineer – Brian Grimble

Mastered by Brian “Big Bass” Gardner

Front Cover Artwork by Marco Almera

Graphic Design by Rick Royale

 

VAMPIRE BATS Premiere new Video and Single! TWO’S A CROWD Featuring BLOODY BETTY!

 

Out now on Bandcamp, Marc Godfrey and Bloody Betty duet on the brand new Vampire Bats release, “Two’s A Crowd”.
A FLASH ACTION film!
Shot live at the Rickshaw Theatre, Vancouver B.C. Canada
Filmed by Andre Kaufman
Filmed by Mark Galloway
Edited by Stephen Sigerson

VAMPIRE BATS BANDCAMP

THE RAILWAY CLUB CLOSES! A Definitive Guide To Remembering Railway Club Culture.

John & Mary of the Modernettes. Photo by Alex Waterhouse-Hayward.

After 84 years, Vancouver’s Railway Club finally closes it’s doors for good! There have been the usual eulogies in our local media bemoaning the loss of the venue in terms of “one less place for musicians to play”. I feel this misses the point and neglects to acknowledge the true function of the Railway Club. The Railway Club during it’s heyday in the 80’s and 90’s served as the social network for the Vancouver Music scene. What was going on in the back room was just as important as what was happening on stage. It was the heart of the Vancouver Music Scene located in the heart of the city. The Railway served as a meeting place and hang out, during the pre-internet years.

Before Mark Zuckerberg invented the internet, you had to carry around your “dick pics” in your wallet! And “wallets” were what you kept your money in before Paypal! Back then you delivered your “status” in person to a table full of friends over a pint of beer. Basically, if you wanted to be part of a social network, you were forced to go out and socialize. Bands were formed at the Railway and band members were fired there. Plots were hatched, gigs were planned and video treatments were written on the back of beer coasters! Before the internet transformed our social lives into something more illusory and actually anti-social.

Railway Club table at the height of the 90’s. From Left; Mike Davies (The Enigmas), Karen Porter (Film Maker), Flash Action (Producer), Jim Cummins (Artist/Musician) and photographer Nicole Stef.

There are actually plenty of venues in Vancouver for bands to perform, more than enough to service the shrinking numbers of patrons actually interested in live music. Vancouver over the last 20 years has been suffering a Cultural Crisis due to it’s changing demographics and unbalanced economics. As baby boomers and Gen X’ers grow older, they disappear from the scene and traditionally their vacant bar stools would be re-occupied by the next generation… however Millennials have been disappearing too! Vancouver is now the worlds 2nd most unaffordable city! Year after year, we’ve been experiencing an exodus of young people, due to the combination of lack of opportunity and the insanely high cost of living. The side effect of all these people leaving is the irreversible decline in our Arts.

The Vampire Bats had their video release party for “Baby Libertine” at the Railway. The video was a duet between Marc and Pure’s Jordy Birch.

Vancouver lost 1,571 people between the ages of 20 and 30 in 2013, more than double the 700 that left the year before. Vancouver’s unrelenting unaffordability, doesn’t just disenfranchise youth attempting to make a start, it also shows no mercy to Business owners attempting to bolster our economy. The operating costs of running a small club like the Railway kept increasing over the years, while profits continued to slide. According to current owner Steve Silman, “Unfortunately, the long-term and persistent combination of relatively high expenses, in particular rent, as compared to business receipts has left the business unable to continue.”

Rent for the Railway had ballooned to around 17 000 a month.

Railway Club gig poster, The ceiling train and who let Mark May into the back room? 

Vancouver is only going to get worse for Culture (or lack of it!). Rents will continue to rise, Artists will continue to flee, businesses will continue to fail and our Politicians will continue to give breaks and support to those who least deserve it. Vancouver will probably be a pretty vapid and artless place in 10 years, honestly I can’t afford to stick around to see it! They say nostalgia is just another form of depression, but soon that may be all we have. So for the time being at least, Here is a look back at some highlights over the last 40 years. A definitive guide to remembering… RAILWAY CLUB CULTURE!

1.THE NERVOUS FELLAS

Before the Punks started hanging there, it was a rock a billy gaff! Formed around the time of the 80’s rock a billy revival, The Nervous Fellas have been the cities most stubborn and best true rock a billy band. They’ve seen trends come and go, and they ignored them all! Fronted by Butch Murphy, the early line up also boasted Rockin’ Ron on the stand up bass. Now the band members can be found playing in dozens of off-shoot projects. They epitomize Railway Club rock n’ roll!

Butch Murphy and the Nervous Fellas in action!

2. THE MODERNETTES

John Armstrong, front man of the legendary Modernettes would often be found holding court in the back room of the Railway. By the 90’s he was a music writer for the Vancouver Sun which gave the paper some much needed credibility. Before that, The Modernettes played the Railway over 30 times and released the best album of the first wave of Vancouver Punk. “Teen City” is a true classic from start to finish, the song writing was more developed than many of their contemporaries. A track like “Confidential” was clearly light years ahead of D.O.A.‘s “Disco Sucks”. Of course, these days the band has more fans in Japan than they do at home! He also wrote a memoir about his time in the band and the early years of the Vancouver Punk scene, “Guilty Of Everything”. Read it, there’s a version available in Japanese.

Classic vinyl that often goes for around 150 bucks on ebay! John Armstrong’s book.

3. SHINDIG!

Before everybody had a recording studio on their laptop… you would have to pay big money and record in an actual studio! SHINDIG was an annual battle of the bands that gave away recording time as a contest prize. Established 30 years ago by College Radio station CITR and their often unreadable magazine, DISCORDER, Shindig has been located at the Railway Club for over 20 years now. Nobody who won ever went on to do anything in music… kinda like those TV contests like “American Idol”.

 

Dandi Wind performs at Shindig. Film maker and Spores front man, Danny Nowak.

4. BRITT HAGARTY

Hey, with author John Armstrong as well as various writers for local publications spending quality time drinking their troubles away, we can make a claim that the Railway Club had a bit of a literary scene going on. Britt Hagarty was a talented but troubled writer who used to bring his album collection to the club to sell in order to raise money for heroin. In the mid-90’s, I bought some pretty cool records off him. He ended up dying tragically in a “hit and run” incident in 1999. Fortunately he managed to write one of the great rock n’ roll biographies before that. “The Day The World Turned Blue” on singer Gene Vincent is a must read book for fans of early rock n’ roll. The Railway was the book’s true muse.

 

Britt mid-eighties. The 1st edition of Gene Vincent biography.

5. NO FUN XMAS

One thing that was consistent during Railway’s 89 year existence was No Fun‘s Xmas show! NO FUN are a duo that consists of David M. and Paul L. and  they dubbed themselves “the Beatles of Surrey”… which would probably be confusing to people from Britain. Every year they would bring their Xmas show to the Club and hand out “Gorgo” to needy children. Feed the world!

Railway Gals! Nicole and Coco mid-nineties. No Fun Xmas.

6. THE SCRAMBLERS

The Scramblers were the perfect Railway Club Frankenstein’s monster. They band members consisted of veteran’s of the rock a billy and Punk scenes, coming together to create a hybrid of those two genres. The Scramblers rose to the top of the local club scene in the late 80’s, early 90’s and came close to breaking out when they signed to Penta Records. Sadly, Penta Records ended up being a tax write off for Bruce Allen and their debut album was shelved. Lead singer, Howard Rix passed away last year. He probably played the Railway more times than anybody else, hosting Blues jams and fronting much loved groups like the Stinging Hornets and G.I. Blues. Howard was truly one of the more unforgettable voices in Vancouver rock.

Howard Rix. The Scramblers posthumous release.

7. The Spiritual Home To The Stand Up Bass!

Actually, The Railway was the literal home to the stand up bass. Now where are these bands gonna go? The Roxy?

Brandy Bones of the Big John Bates band!

8. K.D. LANG

Without at least one success story… a music scene seems a bit pointless. Well we had one! And she started at the Railway! When young K.D. first moved here from Consort, Alberta (Population 407) her first shows were at the Railway. This became a never ending talking point. “Hey did you know K.D. Lang got her start here?” has been a sentence muttered by unimaginative conversationalists for 40 years now.

K.D. before she lost the glasses. Did you know that Rich Hope got his start playing the Railway Club?

9. RAY CONDO FOREVER!

By the 90’s the undisputed King of Western Swing called Vancouver his home! Ray was a true denizen of the Railway Club. He was prolific in recording and touring his music all around North America but never became more than a cult success before his tragic death in 2004. Artist 12 Midnite‘s neon tribute to Ray hung at the Railway. Besides being a real nice cat, Ray Condo‘s music was the real deal!

Neon Artwork by 12 Midnite. Ray Condo.

 

Tune in to CFRO 100.5 FM Weds April 20th for RADIO BANDCOUVER’s special Railway Club Episode! 3:30 – 5:00 pm.

Wett Stilettos live at The Railway Club, Vancouver BC, August 3, 2014.

DAVID BOWIE TRIBUTE CONCERT! Vancouver Music Scene raises $6500 for “Canadian Cancer Society” and “Keep A Child Alive”!

Last February several generations of Vancouver’s music scene came together at the Rickshaw theatre to pay tribute to David Bowie!  The sold out event was a marathon of music and burlesque, and a true testament to how influential David Bowie’s lifetime of Art had been to this city’s creative community.  David Bowie has the distinction of being the “Rock Star” who ended the 60’s and pushed music into the 80’s all during the 70’s. Of the many successful musicians from the last century, Bowie will always stand as one of the most important. He was the patron saint to outsiders, and pushed the boundaries of pop culture to it’s limits. The concert was put together by local musician/promoter Dave Bowes and all the proceeds of the night went to the “Canadian Cancer Society” and the “Keep A Child Alive” charity. Over 20 acts on the bill, all either playing music from the Bowie songbook or doing a performance inspired by him. It was an evening with many highlights and some surprises, including former Black Flag vocalist Ron Reyes announcement that he would be retiring from music after performing a dramatic version of “Rock n’ Roll Suicide” with the Vampire Bats! Here are a few photo galleries and videos from the event…

VAMPIRE BATS w/ RON REYES “Rock n’ Roll Suicide”

Filmed by Sabine Clifford

 

Bowie Tribute Photo Gallery Courtesy Corinne Kuan

Vampire Bats w/ Bloody Betty

Vampire Bats w/ Ron Reyes

Joseph Blood & Cobra Ramone (Space Junk)

Cass King w/ The Judys

China Syndrome. Jim “I Braineater” Cummins.

Martian Flytrap

Bloody Betty & Marc Godfrey (Vampire Bats)

Space Junk

Eddy D. & The Sex Bombs

Orchard Pinkish

Trailerhawk. Jim Cummins.

Vampire Bats w/ Bloody Betty & Ron Reyes by David Jacklin

Mark Galloway Photo Gallery feat. Vampire Bats, Braineater and Rebel Valentine!

VAMPIRE BATS w/ BLOODY BETTY “Station To Station” Filmed by Catherine Venot

 

On April 23rd SPACE JUNK will return to the Rickshaw

to perform all of BLACKSTAR!

SPACE JUNK Perform BLACK STAR!

PERFECT HITS – The album cover art of the POINTED STICKS! New Wave graphics and classic vinyl design.

Sometime during the tranquil 1970’s, Punk Rock came crashing to earth like a cultural meteorite intent on wiping out all the dinosaurs. Punk wasn’t simply another musical movement, it aspired to influence fashion, politics, literature and art. The Sex Pistols revolutionary, “Never Mind The Bollocks” with it’s now classic Jamie Reid designed cover signaled a drastic change to the 70’s rock aesthetic and ushered in a whole new era of graphic design. In less than one year after the Sex Pistols album was released, half a world away in the sleepy cultural backwater of Vancouver, Canada, the Pointed Sticks issued their first 7 inch single, “What Do You Want Me To do?” on fledgling local label Quintessence Records. The 45 single was issued with 5 different D.I.Y. coloured sleeves and the b-side was “Somebody’s Mom”. It was the first ever “production” by a young Bob Rock and it is now a highly sought after collectors item amongst the “Killed by Death” crowd.

 

Pointed Sticks were part of a new wave of West Coast Punk bands that included, The Modernettes, D.O.A., Art Bergmann‘s Young Canadians and The Subhumans, who all released classic albums between 1978 – 1983, albums that were essentially banned from the airwaves by the corporate rock establishment! Despite being shut out of the mainstream, the late 70’s and early 80’s saw an explosion of music released into the underground scene. This was the period that gave birth to the “independent” record label. Alongside the new wave of musical groups came a new wave of graphic designers and artists. Album covers became deliberately loud and colourful to get people’s attention and for the first time in music history, small labels sought to seriously compete with the majors.

Out of London’s mid-seventies “Pub Rock” scene, came Stiff Records. Stiff Records brought the world, the first official punk release (The Damned‘s debut) as well as Elvis Costello, Lene Lovich and Nick Lowe, all in an array of eye catching creative packaging courtesy of their legendary in-house graphics designer, Barney Bubbles. Thanks to small labels like Stiff, picture sleeves and picture discs flooded into the New Wave music market, which upset the majors, because they cost more to produce and reduced their profits!

 

Fittingly, The Pointed Sticks became the first Canadian band to sign to Stiff Records. Stiff released the Brinsley Schwartz produced “Out Of Luck” 7 inch in 1979, but due to the chaotic business practices of the label, the band’s debut was shelved after an aborted session with The Police’s producer, Nigel Grey. Disillusioned, the Pointed Sticks broke up in 1981 after releasing their now seminal power pop debut, “Perfect Youth“. The album cover, as well as the inner sleeve and label, was designed by legendary pop artist Jim “I Braineater” Cummins. Just as the Pointed Sticks had given Bob Rock his start, “Perfect Youth” was Jim Cummins first rock album commission, he went on to create iconic cover art for PURE‘s debut “Pureafunalia” and Skinny Puppys “Too Dark To Park”.

PERFECT YOUTH LP 1980 Quintessence Records

 “I remember before I could get the album art finished, we had a Braineaters gig in Edmonton! So the band drove up without me. I flew in the day of the gig and flew back the next morning, finished the album cover and handed it in on Monday just in time for the deadline! The amount I got paid for the album was eaten up by the plane ticket. So I got to play the gig in Edmonton, finished the album artwork and wound up broke. Very rock n roll…” – Jim Cummins

“It just seemed so perfect at the time (no pun intended) for us to have a Jim Cummins cover! Of course, he worked some considerable self promotion into the image as well! The colours are brighter on the original 4′ X 4′ oil painting, which hangs in our ex-managers house, much to my chagrin… I wish it was mine. It was a pretty iconic cover for us. Most people think that the girl on the front is Nancy Gillespie, a scenester from back then, but Jim says its a composite of all the Pointed Sticks girls from that time. And there were lots, we were truly a girls band…” – Nick Jones

“The girl and man are made up. The creature she is drawing is something (…and I do mean something!) that we saw in a alley in the west end. Sandra and I, were going to her place and there it was, it looked at us! We kept driving in shock. We got home and locked all the doors and windows at her place. A couple of weeks later I started the album cover. I had about two weeks to get it done… and I can still see that creature to this day.” – Jim Cummins

The Real Thing 7″ Single 1979  Quintessence Records

“The Real Thing…. Our manager, Steve Macklam came up with that image. The Chinese characters ask the question “Who have you been fucking on the railroad tracks?” The answer of course being Pointed Sticks…” – Nick Jones

  Real Thing/Out Of Luck 7″ (Back Cover) 1979 Quintessence Records

“Out Of Luck photo by Ron Nelson of Private School.I can’t really remember why we chose this shot, just seemed cool at the time, Gratuitous crotch shot of Tony Bardach.” – Nick Jones

Lies 7″ 1979 Quintessence Records

 “I think we swiped that picture from some comic book…. Quintessence always gave us free reign on any artwork we wanted to use! We had this old drum skin that Ian Tiles found, and loved. I think it was from a Sears catalog drum kit, probably early sixties? That’s the image that was on the bass drum skin.This dates back to the very first weeks of the band, when we were practicing in an old warehouse next to the Sun building. $125 per month for the entire floor, and it had a freight elevator!” – Nick Jones

Lies/I’m Numb 7″ (Back Cover) 1979 Quintessence Records

“Sheila Adams, a friend of John Mackies did that drawing. We wanted something kind of 1950’s cool/Joan Miro looking. I think she pulled it off.” – Nick Jones

Out Of Luck 7″ 1979 Stiff Records (BUY59)

“Ah, the old slab of meat image! First time we saw that was when we held the finished record in our hands. There was no emailing graphics for approval back then! Blame Stiff entirely for what was undoubtably the worst graphic in the Pointed Sticks cannon. It’s a terrible photo as well… The shoot was done in Vancouver with a guy called John Sherlock, and the only consolation is that there are far worse shots from that session.” – Nick Jones

Power Pop Santa 7″ 2012 La Ti Da Records

“The “Power Pop Santa” single was recorded as a free download in 2008, La-Ti-Da put it out as a giveaway for the Fall Down, Get Down festival in 2012, which was meant to be our last gig. Not sure why we ever said anything that stupid, except for the fact that we were going through a rough patch at the time. I’m very proud of both sides of that single, its not easy to write an Xmas song! The graphics are all La-Ti-Da… something about “continuity with their brand”??  BTW, that single is completely sold out, and won’ t be reprinted!” – Nick Jones

My Japanese Fan 7″ 2009 Sudden Death Records

“A Richard Chapman/Ian Tiles collaboration. The whole airmail envelope concept is great, the original Japanese version of the cover is amazing, before the Sudden Death art department got a hold of it and “cleaned it up”.  Jeez, it looked that way for a reason!! The song itself was the first original song that the reformed band wrote. It was Gord Nicholl’s idea, inspired by the ridiculous response we got when we first played there, and everyone from the band has at least one line in the lyrics. Nice double entendre as well. Plus the song starts with the chorus, oldest trick in the book. After we had played in Japan, we had realized pretty quickly that playing 25 year old songs was fun, but incapable of sustaining our long term interest. So we wrote that one, and now its 2015 and we’ve put out 2 LPs and 2 singles of new original music.” – Nick Jones

Three Lefts Make A Right LP 2009 Northern Electric

“By this point, Richard Chapman was in control of all the graphics for all things Pointed Sticks. The saying was mine, based on an old North Van story, too long to tell, but if you sketch it out, it is indeed true that 3 lefts do make a right. Obviously a play on “2 wrongs don’t make a right”…. I wanted the cover to look like the original Rueben and the Jets LP, colour and lettering wise, and for it to be a cartoon. The boxing gloves were Richards idea. Again, I love this cover.” – Nick Jones

The Stiff Sessions CD 2008 Japan

” Its our friend Bernadettes dog Odin. Its actually a re-enactment of what could have been a very unfortunate scene. When we came back from the UK (1980) after making that record, and ultimately having it rejected, we were all at a party at Steve Macklams house one night. He had a cassette dub  of the recordings, and Phil Smith decided that he needed to make a copy of it for himself, on the spot. So he made a dub using Macklams double deck (remember those?) and took it home with him when the party was over. The next morning when the Macklams arose, their dog Elvis had taken that specific original cassette and strewn it from one end of the house to another, chewing it to pieces while doing so. The copy Phil made was/is as far as I know, the only one left in existence of those recordings, and what we used to master the CD. So, that music came within hours of being lost forever, and thats what the cover illustrates.” – Nick Jones

The POINTED STICKS will be performing Saturday Nov. 28th 2015…

POINTED STICKS – VAMPIRE BATS – POLLY – NERVOUS TALK at THE RICKSHAW!

POINTED STICKS – VAMPIRE BATS – POLLY – NERVOUS TALK at THE RICKSHAW!

RON REYES Interview! On Penelope Spheeris’s DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART 1, BLACK FLAG and the PIGGY Tour!

On the 3rd BAD VIBES Podcast, Vampire Bat, Marc Godfrey with the help of Dave Briker (Some Product/Platform) talk to Ron Reyes about the re-release of Penelope Spheeris‘s “The Decline of Western Civilization Part I “, Black Flag, The Early L.A. Punk Scene, The Piggy tour and try to make sense of 35 years of West Coast music history!

 The great rock n’ roll music documentary boom didn’t start until the noughties. It kicked off in 2000 with Julien Temple’s brilliant Sex Pistols film “The Filth And The Fury” and once the floodgates of nostalgia swung open, year after year, we’ve been inundated with a plethora of truly high quality music retrospectives! All this happened as music itself went into “decline”. So far, we’ve spent most of the new millennium looking backwards at what happened in the last century! Oddly before the start of the 2000’s, during rock n’ roll’s actual lifespan, it was slim pickings! Many unsuccessful attempts were made to represent music on the big screen. In the 50’s and 60’s rock n’ roll films were shoddy affairs, usually Juvenile delinquent B-Movies with a morality tale which you had to sit through before you got a glimpse of a Gene Vincent or Little Richard performance. Due to lack of foresight, directors often chose to make cheap exploitative cash-ins, that often trivialized or patronized their subject matter or completely failed to grasp the significance of the music they set about to exploit in the first place. Looking back, rock n’ roll films were often only “green lit” in order to earn a quick buck from a youth market that most movie executives couldn’t begin to comprehend. Movies like, “Rock N’ Roll High School” or “The Girl Can’t Help It” are redeemed only by the quality of the artist’s music that was featured in them. By the late 70’s, a tradition of “rocksploitation” was firmly entrenched, but every now and then a true classic would manage to slip through (Like Quadrophenia or A Hard Days Night). Rock n’ Roll tended to fare slightly better when film makers attempted to view their subjects through a documentary lens, The Beatles “Let It Be“, Dylan‘s “Don’t Look Back“, Scorsese‘s masterful “Last Waltz“, The Who‘s “Kids Are Alright“, the Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter” and “Cocksucker Blues” were all low budget masterpieces that were made under rocksploitation criteria but ambitiously attempted to transcend the limitations of the genre. However compared to the documentaries that have come out over the last 15 years, all those classic films look aged and feel downright primitive! In my estimation, one of the greatest rock n’ roll films from that era ever made was, Penelope Spheeris‘s “The Decline of Western Civilization Part I “!

Ron hanging in the Church, Jealous Again EP, The Decline Trilogy

Released in 1981 The Decline of Western Civilization Part I was intended to be a Roger Corman quickie, It documented the birth of L.A.’s vibrant Punk Scene, and introduced an unsuspecting world to the singular talents of the Germs, X, Black Flag, FEAR and Circle Jerks­ and gave Reagan era audiences their first exposure to slam dancing and mosh pits! Punk Rock was still a folk devil at the time and the film did absolutely nothing to reassure conservative parents confused and concerned with this alarmingly nihilistic new fashion and music trend spreading amongst their children. Punk was the culmination of all the rebellious youth movements that had preceded it, deeply anti-authoritarian, truly dangerous and most frighteningly… uncontrollable! What the film captured was a youthful music and art scene that was on the rise and staunchly independent. A scene that had broken away with all the entertainment traditions that came before it. Right under the nose of the Hollywood entertainment system, kids managed to create a new incomprehensible subculture of their own.

The original soundtrack album on SLASH, Red Kross promo pic.

Riot on Sunset strip.

To add to the trepidation and hysteria felt by the older generation in regard to this oddly attired new subculture, the film’s premiere was a messy one. The LAPD dispatched 300 motorcycle cops, to control the hordes of Punks who turned up on Sunset Strip. After a near riot ensued, Daryl Gates, the city’s notoriously conservative, corrupt and racist police chief, wrote a letter demanding that the film never be shown in the city again! This was the start of a long violent turf war ,between the LAPD and Punk… unfortunately for Black Flag the venues the band played became the Cops favored battlefields. Looking back now, the film still stands out. It was a document of the last true Art for Art’s sake explosion to hit the music world. Interestingly, just 7 years later, in “The Decline of Western Civilization Part 2 – The Metal Years” it’s back to business as usual for the Hollywood Entertainment factory. All the power that the corporate music world had lost in 1980 had been regained. It’s evident in the contrast of attitudes between the bands and fans in the two movies. Everyone in the first film come across as enigmatic and heroic in comparison to the sad fame hungry sunset strip glam rockers in the second.

Eugene Tatu “I hang around by myself a lot.”

For years, “The Decline of Western Civilization Part I ” was a underground cult favorite. Just like any rapper can instantly give you 20 “Scarface” quotes, a true Punk (Who isn’t a Poser!) should have no difficulty rattling off a “Eugene” imitation or doing the Kickboy Face speech about “New Wave”. The Decline has stood the test of time as an important and influential moment in rock n’ roll cinema. One of it’s accidental “stars” was a young Ron Reyes. Ron was the second vocalist for Black Flag, he replaced Keith Morris who had just left to form the Circle Jerks. Black Flag and Circle Jerks marked a move in direction away from the Hollywood scene which carried more art school pretensions and had it’s roots in 70’s glam. The new “hardcore” was more of a suburban voice, and as the 80’s progressed they would be at the forefront of a scene that would slowly spread across North America and eventually break into the mainstream 10 long years after the Decline‘s release. NIRVANA was the band that finally broke “American” Punk. A telling testament to the influence of the original scene and movie, was when Kurt Cobain drafted  Pat Smear of the Germs into Nirvana as a second guitarist, once NIRVANA had become successful.

CRASH BANG CRUNCH POP poster, Decline Interview segment, Ange Trash!

Ron Reyes was in Black Flag at a very crucial stage of the bands history. Their inclusion in the film, featured a blistering performance and a tour of the bands legendary practice/party pad “the Church” and was essentially the first real exposure the band would receive. It raised the bands profile enough to allow them to tour. It was on one of those early jaunts up the west coast that Ron discovered Vancouver, Canada. Before leaving Black Flag, he contributed vocals to their classic Jealous Again EP and played drums on the Redd Kross debut. Ron continued with various projects based out of Vancouver, where he’s been an integral player in the cities indie scene since the 80’s. In 2011, Ron was again called upon to take part in a punk rock documentary, this time around in Susan Tabata‘s “Bloodied but Unbowed“, which looks at the early Vancouver scene.

Most recently, Ron took time off from his current project PIGGY to take part in the ill fated BLACK FLAG reunion. In 2013, Greg Ginn decided to take some recordings that he and Ron had been casually collaborating on and make a BLACK FLAG album out of them. Suddenly, the band was out on tour again supporting “What The…“. However, Ron found himself dragged into a messy situation as Greg Ginn battled it out with his estranged former band members also touring under the name FLAG. The whole confusing affair played out in the music media, and Ron dramatically exited the band while they were on tour in Australia. Back in Vancouver, with no more distractions coming from the SST crowd, Ron re-focused on PIGGY who have just debuted a video, compiled a limited edition CD and are currently on their first West Coast Tour!

PIGGY ON FACEBOOK!

Penelope Spheeris‘ “The Decline Of Western Civilization” deluxe box is out now! “The Decline Of Western Civilization” (1980), “The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” (1988) and “The Decline Of Western Civilization Part III” (1998), a 40-page book containing an essay written by rock historian Domenic Priore (“Riot On Sunset Strip: Rock ‘N’ Roll’s Last Stand In Hollywood”), rare stills, and bonus features, including extended interviews, a commentary recorded by Dave Grohl.

SALLY DIGE Interview! Berlin vs. Vancouver and her new album for Night School Records!

 

It’s the 2nd BAD VIBES Radio PODCAST, This time round Vampire Bat, Marc sits down with his old pal, Danish/Canadian Musician and Artist, Sally Dige Jørgensen who relocated to Berlin 2 years ago. Sally used to front PETROLEUM BY PRODUCT, a gang of teenage post-punks whose debut release “Superficial Artificial” ambitiously tried to kick start a new, New Wave in Vancouver back in 2008. Upon completing her studies at Emily Carr, She moved from Vancouver to Berlin where she quickly found an receptive audience and is fast becoming a rising star in the European Dark Wave scene! Her first single came out on Greece’s Fabrika Records and is in it’s second run. Her latest album is available from Night School Records out of the UK, and the NME has recently picked her as a buzz Artist to watch. I sat down on Canada Day with her for this quick interview. SALLY DIGE will be performing at the Astoria on Friday July 3rd.

SALLY DIGE at THE ASTORIA VANCOUVER! (Event Page)

SALLY DIGE at THE ASTORIA VANCOUVER! (Event Page)

Get her new album “HARD TO PLEASE”

Night School Records

Burlesque Scream Queens and Gothic Mayhem… The SHADOW LINE Revisited!

Shadow Line Promo Video

The SHADOW LINE at the WALDORF HOTEL was possibly the most ambitious 80’s Goth revival night to ever hit Vancouver. It was created by Virginia Frazer and the VAMPIRE BATS and ran successfully through 2012. For the hip subculture denizens who managed to transcend the jaded cynicism of our “No Fun” City reputation… The SHADOW LINE was a revelation! I had one of my favourite local photographers Sarah “Beastman” Hamilton come out and document the July 26th edition! It was a particularly action packed evening. The guest DJ was Phil Western aka DJ PHILTH best known as a member of SKINNY PUPPY side project, DOWNLOAD. The bill also featured a musical performance by ARSENIC OF JABIR which was an abstract electro-wave project, conceived by multi-instrumentalist, Tristan Finck. But what really tipped the event into the realm of surreal Gothic Anarchy was a brilliant routine that fell into that hazy category between Burlesque and Performance Art by the always enigmatic SPOOKSY DELUNE and  scream queen actress TRISTAN RISK ! So here, forever preserved for historical posterity, is LE BEAST‘s SHADOW LINE photo gallery!

Visit LE BEAST PHOTOGRAPHY

METROPOLIS RECORDS release new FLASH BASTARD ALBUM! BAD VIBES Podcast interview with Donal Finn.

 

Flash Bastard 2015

 Los Angeles based label, METROPOLIS RECORDS is currently home to GARY NUMAN, BAUHAUS, GANG OF FOUR, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, SKINNY PUPPY, ELECTRIC SIX and now Vancouver’s FLASH BASTARD! METROPOLIS is one of the few labels left operating on the notion that signing decent music is a worthwhile endeavour. After what has been the 10 most catastrophic years in the history of music, we’re left with a cynical and poverty stricken music business landscape that will only put money into what it feels is mainstream and “no risk”. Sadly what that means is only the lowest common denominator is ever catered to. Gone are the days when a band like The Clash could be signed. Realistically, in 2015, nobody that matters can be signed. From Bob Dylan to The Beatles to The Sex Pistols to Nirvana… by the standards of today’s climate, none of those artists would stand a chance! Thankfully a handful of labels still exist, METROPOLIS being one of the best among them. So after years of watching the FLASH BASTARD saga unfold it’s nice to finally see them join an impressive roster.

 Clockwise; Flash Bastard reunion at the Rickshaw Theatre, In Los Angeles 2014, The Bastards redecorate the Scorpion’s dressing room and German-Canadian relations hit lowest point since wartime.

 FLASH BASTARD came out of the late 90’s Canadian punk rock booze can scene. The early shows were chaotic, messy and sometimes violent affairs. The band made an immediate impression on the Vancouver scene, due to the force of their personalities… unfortunately, for many people it wasn’t a positive impression, thanks to the combination of teenage testosterone and pre-facebook lack of discretion. The classic line up was Donal Finn, Pete Mills, Danny Fazio and Shawn Mrazek and I can attest that they were a handful back in the day. One of the first big shows they played was with my old band, PSYCHOMANIA at the notorious strip club, The Penthouse for the aptly named Anarchy In BC.

Anarchy in BC full page Discorder Ad, Teenage Bastard.

Back in the mid to late 90’s, there was a veritable explosion of doomed post-grunge bands that sprung up in the sleepy port city of Vancouver. In a reaction to the dressed down slacker sensibilities of the Seattle Grunge scene, Vancouver dressed up and drew on a New York influenced style of Punk rock n’ roll and British Glam! FLASH BASTARD were one of the best bands of that era, as well as one of the most unpredictable. I remember getting a copy of the bands demo tape which was “produced” by Tom Anselmi (SLOW) and Jamey Kosh, and instantly knowing that they actually had the talent and songwriting chops to back up all their swagger (They’ve always had a strange fixation on KISS, which I could never understand!). I was instantly hooked by their first song, “C’mon” which was a punk rock re-write of Bowie’s “Hang On To Yourself”.

  “Looking good boys, now can you hold that pose for 10 years?”

Before they managed to fuck everything up, they did accomplish quite a bit in a short period. They developed a solid following, they got a couple interviews broadcast on Much Music whenever there was a slow news day and they made an excellent, classic video with director Rebecca Russell-Martin for “Rock N’ Roll Must Be Destroyed”. Pete and Danny enjoyed a brief cameo playing themselves in Bruce McDonald’s truly awful film “Hard Core Logo”… I recently tried watching it again and it remains truly awful. In 2000 the band signed to MOTLEY CRUE bass player, Nikki Sixx’s Americoma label. Unfortunately, It was a classic case of too much too soon, and in a spectacularly short time period, FLASH BASTARD‘s teenage delinquent behaviour, proved to be too much for Mr. Sixx to handle. The band famously managed to get themselves thrown off a tour opening for MOTLEY CRUE and The SCORPIONS and have their album shelved indefinitely by the label.

Donal with Friends, Donal with no friends, Pete Mills on LATV 2006.

While Flash Bastard were busy fucking up their music careers up in Vancouver, I was busy doing the same down in Los Angeles. I had caused a big buzz with my project, SOUL KID #1 and was courted by Interscope and Warner Bros. before signing to Dreamworks. After making my debut album, I recruited Donal down to Hollywood to play bass. Since I was on a major, they made me audition him. So after a parade of excellent bass players, Donal walks in the room, demands to play bass “acapella” and then proceeds to pluck out perhaps the most amateur version of “Louie Louie” ever, while my A & R department watched politely aghast. After weeks of arguments, Donal was eventually “allowed” into my band. But the die had been cast for me and the suits never quite understood my sense of humour, shortly after Donal had joined, my relationship with Dreamworks started to nosedive!

With Marc Godfrey (Soul Kid #1) on LATV 2006, Donal learns that Marxism has nothing to do with Harpo!

 

Flash Bastard guitarist, Pete Mills also followed the musical migration south and set up in California… by 2007 it was getting crowded with Canadians down there so I thought it would be a good idea to go back to Vancouver for awhile. Without my coat tails to ride on, Donal and Pete were forced to reconcile their differences and after 10 years of sitting on the shelf, Nikki gave them back their long lost album. In 2011 France’s Black Cat Records finally released Flash Bastard’s debut album “Rock N’ Roll Must Be Destroyed”! Ironically, rock n’ roll had been destroyed over the previous decade. The music business went down as quickly as the dinosaurs did when a meteor hit the planet. The rise of free downloads and streaming, had systematically obliterated rock n’ roll and in 2015 making music is no longer a viable profession for those who weren’t already independently wealthy.

  Wild the new album, Donal has his ballsack adjusted for photoshoot.

So here we are, after 15 years of riding the music business roller coaster, I sit down with Donal Finn for an informal look back at our misspent youth in the Vancouver post grunge punk rock n’ roll scene, our experiences and escapades in Hollywood, our participation in the Nikki Sixx sex tape, and the making of the new album “Wild”! This is the first in a series of BAD VIBES podcasts, enjoy and remember to go download the album and stop being thieving bastards, so that good music can once again prevail. 🙂 Visit METROPOLIS RECORDS

 VAMPIRE BAT, MARC GODFREY interviews FLASH BASTARD, DONAL FINN…