Heavenly vs. Satan

I've been back home for a few days and have encountered/noticed some good & bad things...

Good: Raiding the Amoeba 7" bins... some choice finds include the Tokidoki 7", the Rodan 7", Pink Razors LP, an old X 7", a couple Brenda Lee 7"s (I've been listening to "Dum Dum" over & over, & others. Plus I met Juan from Abe Vigoda when checking out- nice dude.
Bad: Spending too much money there.
Good: I realized I'll be able to sell back a lot of my old CDs to more than make up for that deficit.

Good: Seeing Abe Vigoda at the Smell a couple nights ago and No Age at the Getty tonight.

Bad: Having to deal with LA hipsters and all of their contrived bullshit.

Bad: Having to pick up some Glee Clubbers that are staying at my house in Pasadena yesterday and having them be an hour late.
Good: Getting to frighten them with Baader Brains.

Good: Free/yummy/easily accessible food.

Good: Driving down Sunset on my way home from Matt's listening to Heavenly vs. Satan.



Heavenly Vs. Satan is my favorite Heavenly album. Their first album, it was originally issued as Sarah Records 603- I found this online a couple months ago (which I was very excited about, obviously). K reissued it several years ago (2001 I think) adding some extra tracks from early 7"s.

Heavenly was basically Talulah Gosh part two. Amelia & Mathew were quite a team. Thank you England. I found Amelia's work email & address recently (she's an economist these days, and sort of was too in the days of Heavenly), and I kind of want to write her a letter to say thanks for making lovely music.

Anyway, this album has some of my favorite Heavenly songs, especially "Cool Guitar Boy." I'm posting the K reissue version.

Heavenly Vs. Satan
Buy the reissue from K

Libyans

I went to the Ratscellar last Monday with Christa & David to see Blank Stare (who seems to have a new LP out on Refuse Records), Total Abuse, Tipper's Gore, & others. Liz Libyans was there, and I was happy to see her laughing at the stupid slamdancing boys. My thoughts exactly. Blank Stare was definitely my favorite of the night. The drummer from Social Circkle (can't remember his name right now) is in it, and he's great.

Anyway, I missed out on the last Libyans show because the Ratscellar was temporarily closed down and the show was moved to Midway Cafe which is 21+. They were going to have a show on the 26th but were having trouble finding a space. Liz said they were going to combine in with a Western Mass show, but it's no longer listed on their myspace, so I guess it's not happening. Not that I'm in the area anymore anyway. I guess I'll have to wait until the fall. They're touring then also.


Picture from Fest '08 from Christa.

I really like their 7", and they're always fun live. I came across their demo from last year online recently. It's got some of the same songs from the 7" (no "Weclome to the Neighborhood" though), plus a few more. I think they've got another record coming out but can't really find any info on it. Check out the demo though.

Libyans- Demo '07
Get their Welcome to the Neighborhood 7"

Pocahaunted + Robedoor pics

Apologies for the lack of updates. Things got a bit crazy my last week in Cambridge, but just arrived back home.

Everything came together really well for the Robedoor/Pocahaunted show. Eric brought an amp (thanks) and managed to sneak into Lowell to grab a few from there as well. And my self-taught PA skills sufficed. Thanks to everyone who showed up/helped out. Special thanks to Alex for letting us use the Advo, Dan for the band room key, Ben for his help with the band room, Shirley for the drums she left behind (not sure if you knew I grabbed some of those for the show), and more, I'm sure.

It was nice to finally meet Britt after emailing with him for months. Everyone was super nice, and the sets were great. Plus, free records!! Anyway, for some pictures...

Robedoor setting up (Alex & Britt)


About to get started






Amanda looks on














The crowd


Setting up for Pocahaunted








P'Haunted gets started




















more music to come soon...

June 22 at the Advocate: Pocahaunted + Robedoor

Pocahaunted & Robedoor are departing for their East Coast tour very soon. They'll be playing in Cambridge at the Advocate (21 South Street, Harvard Square) on June 22. Doors around 8:30. Get excited! More dates:

June 20: Less Artists More Condos, Brooklyn, NY (with Woods, Ponytail, & Pink Reason)
June 21: House show, New Brunswick, NJ (with Woods Family Creeps & Car Commercials)
June 22: The Advocate, Cambridge, MA
June 23: TBA, Northampton, MA
June 24: The Stairwell Gallery, Providence, RI (with Woods Family Creeps)
June 25: Cakeshop, Manhattan, NY (Pocahaunted only with Indian Jewelry)
June 26: Upstate Artists Guild, Albany, NY (with Thurston Moore + Bill Nace & Century Plants)
June 27: 66 Hope Street, Brooklyn, NY (with Woods Family Creeps & Religious Knives)
June 28: Adventure Island, Philadelphia, PA (with Woods Family Creeps & Weyes Bluhd)
June 29: Scarey Studios, Baltimore, MD (with Woods Family Creeps, Religious Knives, & Lexie Mountain Boys)

More info at Pocahaunted's myspace.

The two bands frequently work together; one example is Hunted Gathering.



From Digitalis:

"There's a savage battle raging in the hallowed streets of Los Angeles, being fought by prehistoric megaliths spewing lava from their mouths. These acid-tongued shamans are interested in one thing and one thing only, and that's to raze this city to the ground. Okay, perhaps it's not so apocalyptic, but hot off the heels of opening for Sonic Youth, dirt worshipers Robedoor and their native sisters Pocahaunted have unleashed an army for the ages with "Hunted Gathering." Drones painted with black holes collapse under their own weight while the archangelic voices of Pocahaunted birth a brand new world of spirit decay.

"Hunted Gathering" is both a split release and a collaboration. Each band offers up their own malfeasance while collaborating on the epic final eponymous track. The union of these two groups is a natural combination. Two members are married and run the Not Not Fun label together and they share amps and practice space, for example. But there's also something about both that is visceral and raw. Robedoor's subsonic doom is washed down with a smooth chaser of Pocahaunted's reverberating soul sounds.

Recorded by the inimitable Bobb Bruno at the NNF/Bored Fortress studio space across many moons in 2007 and mastered by Yellow Swans' Pete Swanson, "Hunted Gathering" is an essential feast for fans of doom-infused drones and Stevie Nicks. These hunting & gathering songs from the Eagle Rock air also feature appearances by the aforementioned Bruno as well as Changeling mastermind, Roy Tatum.

Climb the totem pole and let these mutant beasts put you under their psychosis spell. "Hunted Gathering" is full of antiquated sounds soaked in electric mud. Robedoor and Pocahaunted are your brothers and sisters in conjuring and the gatekeepers to a lost universe of sonic enchantment."

Come to the show in Harvard Square-- better yet, help out (just get in touch with me). Or go see them, wherever you may be.

Pocahaunted + Robedoor- Hunted Gathering
Buy it from Not Not Fun

Hey Girl!

I've been listening to Hey Girl! for a while now, but my interest was sort of resparked when I read last summer's issue of Give Me Back last week- Katy Otto (who runs Exotic Fever and has played in bands like Del Cielo) sent us the summer & winter 2007 zines along with some EF records a few weeks ago (she helps put out GMB). The new issue should be coming out soon.



Back to Hey Girl! though... Hailing from San Francisco, Rashida, Rosie, & Naomi play dirty girl-punk. In their interview in GMB, they said they started a band because they decided Minor Section (a girl gang at SF punk shows) had to have a band... I wish we had that here-- a solid girl gang at shows & more girl-bands.

They put out their Spill Your Guts LP last May on Thrillhouse Records. Ten songs in under fourteen minutes. And one is a cover of "Always Be My Baby."



Listen to this and check out Give Me Back! Talk about gender & punk rock!

Hey Girl!- Spill Your Guts
Buy it from Thrillhouse

Apparently, we're just one degree apart as Rosie went to high school with Seph.